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Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Haunting welcome brings ancestors home at last
The haunting calls of kuia echoed through Te Papa museum last night to mark the return of long-lost Maori ancestral remains.
It was through their tears and laments that the one-time grotesque curiosities were restored to the status of revered ancestors.
Wanganui kuia Kura Simon said the powhiri last night for the 12 toi moko (preserved tattooed heads) and six skeletal parts, returned from museums in Britain and the Netherlands, was a time of sadness and joy. "
Wal-Mart archaeologist to fight claim he desecrated remains
A Honolulu archaeologist who oversaw the construction site of the Keeaumoku Street Wal-Mart complex vowed to fight allegations that he violated state laws regarding burials and desecrated human remains.
The state Historic Preservation Commission has recommended $210,000 in fines, the highest possible under law, against Akihiko Sinoto, of Aki Sinoto Consulting, and other archaeologists involved in the Wal-Mart site for allegedly failing to notify 'proper authorities' in a timely fashion when a burial site was inadvertently found during construction that began in 2003."
Early Humans Settled India Before Europe, Study Suggests
Modern humans migrated out of Africa and into India much earlier than once believed, driving older hominids in present-day India to extinction and creating some of the earliest art and architecture, a new study suggests.
The research places modern humans in India tens of thousands of years before their arrival in Europe.
The Indian subcontinent was once home to Homo heidelbergensis, a hominid species that left Africa about 800,000 years ago, Petraglia explained.
"I realized that, my god, modern humans might have wiped out Homo heidelbergensis in India," he said. "Modern humans may have been responsible for wiping out all sorts of ancestors around the world."
Dutch to Return Maori Head to N. Zealand
The Dutch Ministry of Culture said Tuesday it will return a tattooed and mummified 19th century Maori head to New Zealand.
The artifact has been in the Netherlands for more than 150 years, where it belonged to the royal collection of Dutch King William I and later was displayed at the natural history museum in Leiden.
The head will be sent to the Te Papa Museum in Wellington, New Zealand, Dutch Junior Culture Minister Medy van der Laan said in a statement.
Oahu sites yield clues of early Islanders
An area in the Windward uplands that showed evidence of an early concentration of population was called Luluku, where the largest remaining set of irrigated taro terraces on O'ahu can be found. The terraces along Luluku stream are shown in this 1992 photo.
Bishop Museum photo
The first public summary of Hawai'i's biggest and most expensive archaeological project indicates that there wasn't one Hawaiian way of doing things, and that customs and beliefs may have differed not only from island to island but even within each island.
The evidence uncovered from the survey of sites along the H-3 Freeway also suggests:
The use of breadfruit an unsuspected food resource.
Differences in tools used by Windward and Leeward Hawaiians."
One reason for the delay in getting this information to the public is the bureaucracy through which the reports must pass.
The reports by Bishop Museum archaeologists must be approved by both the state Historic Preservation Office and the state Department of Transportation, Leidemann said. Also, the planning and construction of H-3 went through many changes. Archaeologists had to go back and redo some of their work, said Marilyn Kali, a former Department of Transportation spokeswoman.
Another reason is that the large group of archaeologists hired to work on the H-3 project split up. Some quit because of controversy, as reported by The Advertiser in 1995. Some left reports unfinished. Without a report on what archaeologists have found, the dig has no value, she said.
Modern Humans Arrival In South Asia May Have Led To Demise Of Indigenous Populations
In a major new development in human evolutionary studies, researchers from the University of Cambridge argue that the dispersal of modern humans from Africa to South Asia may have occurred as recently as 70,000 years ago. 'Paleoanthropological projects must now be launched in South Asia if we hope to document the spread of our species and if we wish to explain how we became behaviorally modern,' writes Michael Petraglia, author of a forthcoming article in Current Anthropology.
New evidence suggests Micronesia settled at least 5,000 years ago
New evidence found in the Northern Mariana Islands suggests human settlement in the Pacific islands of Micronesia began at least 5,000 years ago, researchers said. The earliest documented archaeological sites in the US-administered territory are Saipan's Unai Achugao site from 1800 BC or 3,800 years ago and Tinian's Unai Chulu site dating to 1500 BC. But as a result of the new evidence archaeologists are hoping to locate much earlier sites."
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Lecturer in Archaeology
Department of Anthropology - University of Auckland, Academic Reference A762-05
The Department is seeking a lecturer in archaeology. The successful applicant will be responsible for teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and must have a commitment to scholarly research. The successful applicant will be expected to assist in advancing the high research profile of the Department. Archaeological research is currently undertaken in New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, Australia and Island Southeast Asia.
The Department of Anthropology offers graduate and postgraduate qualifications and consists of the sub-disciplines of archaeology, biological anthropology, ethnomusicology and social/cultural anthropology. There is considerable teaching and research cooperation among the sub-disciplines. The Department has close links with other disciplines in the Faculty of Arts and also with the schools of Biological Science, Engineering and the Faculty of Science. Beyond the University there are close links with other related institutions, indigenous peoples, cultural heritage agencies and private companies.
The student body in Anthropology is diverse with approximately 30 percent of its students being of Maori and Pacific Islands heritage, a percentage comparable to that of the population of Auckland city.
Enquiries of an academic nature should be directed to Dr Thegn Ladefoged, Deputy Head of the Department of Anthropology, phone 64-9-373 7599 ext 88569, email: t.ladefoged@auckland.ac.nz.
For further information and to apply online please visit ww.vacancies.auckland.ac.nz or alternatively cal +64-9-373 7599 ext 83000. Please quote the vacancy number.
Applications close 17 February 2006
New Consultancy
From 1 November Mat Campbell, Louise Furey and Warren Gumbley have joined forces to create CFG Heritage Ltd. The new company aims to work to the same high standards that each did while trading on their own, working throughout the upper North Island. The company may be contact be email: office@cfgheritage.com
FOX Lady Aileen Mary D.Litt.(Hon) MA (Cantab) FSA aged 98 died peacefully 21st November at RD&E Exeter. Widow of Sir Cyril Fox, mother of Charles, Derek and George., Private family cremation.
Monday, November 21, 2005
Independent Online Edition > Rugby Union - unexpected archaeological link
Carter belied his slight frame. Immense in stature, the fly-half has, like his archaeologist namesake Howard, developed a knack of unlocking riches."
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Repeated from AUSARCHL:
"Dear all,
I have just returned from the WAC's Second Indigenous Inter-Congress,
held in New Zealand. The conference was hosted by the Ngati Whatua
at Waipapa Marae, the University of Auckland Tamaki Makaurau,
Aotearoa (New Zealand). Major sponsors included the Wenner Gren
Foundation; The Historic Places Trust, NZ; Depts of Maori Studies and
of Anthropology, University of Auckland; Auckland Regional Council;
Te Puni Kokiri; Flinders University; and Nga Pae o te Maramatanga.
It was a fabulous meeting, with more Indigenous than non-Indigenous
folk - and it showed in lots of ways. Many of the presentations
incorporated Native cultural practices, and the Maori presence was
all-pervasive. There were participants from 18 countries - a lot for
this part of the world.
The standard of the papers was fabulous. Key-note speakers were Linda
Tuhiwai Smith, Jack Golson and Joe Watkins. The publication of two
books is planned, one by Caroline Phillips and the other by Des
Kahotea. There is an excellent chance that this meeting will
produce the first Indigenous authored only book on Indigenous
archaeology.
Native American student Edith L. Thomas got the prize for best
student paper (which was a trip to Australia to attend the
Australian Archaeological Association conference in December, 2006).
A series of important resolutions were passed at the Plenary session,
including a draft document on the Public Display of Human Remains and
Sacred Objects. The draft of this document will go on our web site
in the near future, for comment by members. The document will then
be presented to the WAC Council meeting in Osaka, Japan in January,
2006. If ratified, it will become WAC policy.
Later today, we will be issuing a press release supporting the
Ngarrindjeri Nation of South Australia in their attempts to regain
appropriate cultural control over the international repatriation of
their ancestors.
All in all, this was a very successful Inter-Congress. I would like
to thank the organisers: Des Kahotea, Joe Watkins and Caroline
Phillips, and Program Chair, Stephanie Ford. I would also like to
thank Margaret Rika-Heke and Rick Bullers for providing able
assistance to the organisers. Finally, I would like to acknowledge
the traditional owners on whose lands the conference was held and to
thank all the people who attended the Inter-Congress.
all the best,
Claire
--
Claire Smith
President, World Archaeological Congress
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Footprints from Rangitoto's birth join volcanic display
The ash was still wet under their feet when an adult, a child and a dog stood on a beach overlooking the newly formed Rangitoto Island that had spectacularly erupted in front of them.
Their footprints, laid in the soft fallout from Rangitoto about 650 years ago, hardened as the ash cooled to form a concrete-like layer over a plateau on Motutapu Island. "
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
ROYAL SOCIETY NEW FELLOWS' SEMINAR
On Wednesday 16 November, the Academy Council of the Royal Society of New
Zealand is holding its 2005 New Fellows' Seminar at the Duxton Hotel, 170
Wakefield St, Wellington. At this seminar, beginning at 1.15 p.m., 11
Fellows elected to the Royal Society of New Zealand in November 2004 will
each give short 15 minute presentations on his/her research.
The talks will be pitched at a general audience. All interested people are
invited to attend. The timetable and topics are listed below:
*2.00 pm Professor Helen Leach, University of Otago: Domestication and
evolution
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