On Wednesday, I started off the day as normal entering more data from the physical anthropology ledger. I started on record number 454, which continued with the Tibia bones from the site in Southern California. I finally got through all 200 records that were from the same site and moved on to specimens from different sites!
The majority of the human remains collection was received by Mark Raymond Harrington. He was a famous pioneer of Native American archaeology and traveled all over the United States and Cuba. Some of the sites he excavated were from the states of Arkansas, Tennessee, New Mexico, and Arizona. Harrington also did research on Native Americans for the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation in New York. Mentioned in the ledger was one of his expeditions in Tennessee with Clarence B. Moore. Moore was also an archaeologist who studied and excavated Native American sites in the Southeastern U.S.
Here are a few sites with bios on both Harrington and Moore:
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| Clarence B. Moore courtesy of Lighthouse Books |
I also learned new word terms which were used to describe the condition of the skeleton: plagiocephaly and rachitic. Plagiocephaly literally means flathead syndrome. It is the asymmetrical flattening of one side of the skull often found at birth. Rachitic is used to describe a skeleton which appears to have been affected by rickets, the softening and weakening of bones caused by a lack in certain nutrients.
Thursday 7/26
On Thursday, I spent the morning entering more data into the records. I made it up to record number 500! Not too much more to go until I have completed all 717 entries. In the afternoon, I went with a few conservators at the CRC to check out the Kaypi Peru Festival at NMAI on the mall. When we arrived there was a music and dance performance that was starting. I watched the performance and also perused the vendors who were selling textiles, iconography, jewelry, pottery, clothing, and more. Check out the link above to learn more about it.
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| Peruvian Mask used in the Diablada punena dance |
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| Village scene from part of a retablo or devotional painting |
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| Colorful textiles |
On Friday, I did the usual data entering. There were a few sites this week that needed clarification as to the proper site name so I made a list and sent it to Pat the Site Master. I also grouped the completed records for the week, which concluded with record number 553. At this point in the ledger a few entries I noticed also mentioned some not-so-famous archaeologists/collectors.
The first one was a man by the name of DeMoss Bowers, son of Stephen Bowers a famous California archaeologist. He made several expeditions to the Southern California Channel Islands for the Southwest Museum of the American Indian (SW Museum), now the Autry National Center. The Channel Islands were historically inhabited by the Chumash people. (Here linked is information on the Channel Islands and the history of the Chumash people)
Second, William Herman Golisch was another California archaeologist. He also led an expedition to the Southern California Channel Islands for the SW Museum.
Lastly, Ralph Glidden was an archaeologist who conducted research for the Heye Foundation in New York. I guess you can tell the trend by now... He also conducted research on the Channel Islands off the coast of California. Here is a link to a Missouri newspaper article from 1929, which talks briefly about Glidden's research into the origins of the American Indian and "his collection of skulls."
Well, looks like I have two more weeks left at the internship! Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion.
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