ArchaeoCafé

In this episode we talk with Stephanie Halmhofer about pseudoarchaeology and her research on topics such as the ancient aliens hypothesis and hyperdiffusionism.

Episode notes are available on the ArchaeoCafé website.
https://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeocafe-podcast-ep-214-halmhofer/

About Stephanie Halmhofer

Stephanie is a doctoral student at the University of Alberta. Her thesis research focuses on the ways cults in North America use archaeology and pseudoarchaeology to build and support their mythical origins, and how cults impact the archaeological landscape. Her previous research has also included the study of glass beads, osteological analyses of human skeletal remains, and museum collection cataloguing and exhibition.

Web:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stephanie-Halmhofer
https://independent.academia.edu/StephanieHalmhofer
https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=VhxQ_UAAAAAJ
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-halmhofer-m-a-150588b6/

Some useful terminology and links

pseudoarchaeology
Interpretations of the past from outside the archaeological science community, which reject the accepted data gathering and analytical methods of the discipline.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoarchaeology

pseudoscience
Statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoscience

ancient aliens hypothesis
A pseudoarchaeological hypothesis which suggests that intelligent extraterrestrial beings visited Earth and made contact with humans in ancient history and that this contact influenced the development of modern cultures, technologies, religions, and human biology. Two well-known proponents are Erich von Däniken and Giorgio Tsoukalos.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_astronauts
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_von_D%C3%A4niken
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giorgio_A._Tsoukalos

hyperdiffusionism
A pseudoarchaeological hypothesis suggesting that certain historical technologies or ideas originated with a single people or civilization before their adoption by other cultures. A frequent aspect of hyperdiffusionism is that the similarities among unrelated cultures are explained as having been inherited from the civilization of a lost continent (for example, Atlantis, Mu, or Lemuria) which has since sunk into the sea. Many of Graham Hancock's books involve examples of hyperdiffusionism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperdiffusionism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Hancock

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In this episode I talk with Ekta Singh about the history of Spiti Valley in northern India and her archaeological research in the area as well as some of the general aspects of doing archaeological research in the high altitude environment of the Himalayas.

Episode notes are available on the ArchaeoCafé website.
http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeocafe-podcast-ep-213-singh

About Ekta Singh

Dr. Singh is a researcher at the Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University (HNB Garhwal) in Uttarakhand, India. Her research focuses on the history of the Spiti Valley through various forms of archaeological analysis. Some of her particular research interests include weaving and lithics technology.

Web:
https://ingumbad.academia.edu/EktaSingh
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ekta-Singh-10
https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=PRlkuLYAAAAJ 

Some useful terminology and links

Spiti Valley
A cold desert mountain valley located high in the Himalayas in the north-eastern part of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The name "Spiti" means "The middle land" (the land between Tibet and India).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiti_Valley

Rock art
Human-made markings placed on natural stone surfaces. These may be drawn, painted, or carved.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_art#Paintings

Petroglyph
A marking engraved, carved or scratched into a rock surface. The rock is left in situ (as opposed to, for example, portable carved stone objects). A form of rock art.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_art#Petroglyphs

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In this episode I talk with Jon White about his archaeological research on disabilities in the past as well as about archaeologists with disabilities today - how they can affect archaeologists and strategies for dealing with them.

Episode notes are available on the ArchaeoCafé website.
http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeocafe-podcast-ep-212-white

About Jon White

Jon is a doctoral student of archaeology at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. He is also the Assistant Director of Alternative Testing and Assistive Technology at the Disability Resource Center at the University at Albany, State University of New York. His archaeological research looks at topics such as marginalization and exclusion, disability, urbanism and settlement planning, and the eastern Mediterranean during the Bronze Age.

Web:
https://sunybuffalo.academia.edu/JWhite 
http://iema.buffalo.edu/people/white/ 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-white-1aa98568/

Some useful terminology and links

Ableism
Discrimination and social prejudice against people with disabilities and/or people who are perceived to be disabled.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ableism 

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In this episode I talk with Adrianna Wiley about the Thule Inuit usage and processing of Arctic foxes and about their modern day use by the Inuvialuit on Banks Island (Northwest Territories).

Episode notes are available on the ArchaeoCafé website.
http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeocafe-podcast-ep-211-wiley

About Adrianna Wiley

Adrianna is an anthropologist and bioarchaeologist studying at the University of Guelph. Her research has focused on topics such as Arctic fox butchering, as well as mental well-being among university students. Her research project was funded by SSHRC, NSTP, Western University USRI.

Web:
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/adrianna-wiley
https://socioanthro.uoguelph.ca/people/adrianna-wiley

Some useful terminology and links

Inuvialuit
The Inuvialuit are Inuit people who live in the western Canadian Arctic region. They are descendants of the Thule who migrated eastward from Alaska.
https://irc.inuvialuit.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuvialuit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuvialuit_Settlement_Region

Inuvialuit Living History (Inuvialuit Pitqusiit Inuuniarutait) project
A project focused on the little-known MacFarlane Collection of objects housed at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.
https://www.inuvialuitlivinghistory.ca/

Thule
The ancestors of all modern Inuit. They developed in coastal Alaska by the year 1000 CE and expanded eastward across northern Canada, reaching Greenland by the 13th century. In the process, they replaced people of the earlier Dorset culture that had previously inhabited the region.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thule_people

qarmaq (plural: qarmat)
An Inuktitut term for a type of inter-seasonal, single-room family dwelling. To the Central Inuit of Northern Canada, it refers to a hybrid of a tent and igloo, or tent and sod house. Depending on the season, the lower portion was constructed of snow blocks or stone, while the upper portion used skins or canvas.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qarmaq

ulu (plural: uluit)
An all-purpose knife traditionally used by Inuit, Iñupiat, Yupik, and Aleut women. It is utilized in applications as diverse as skinning and cleaning animals, cutting a child's hair, or cutting food. Traditionally they were made with a caribou antler, muskox horn or walrus ivory handle and slate cutting surface.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulu

Selected reading

A Paleoeskimo Occupation on Southern Banks Island, N.W.T.
by Charles D. Arnold
Arctic, 1980, Vol. 33(3), p. 400-426
https://www.jstor.org/stable/40509052
https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic2574

Fox Exploitation by the Paleoeskimo at The Tayara Site, Nunavik
by Hervé Monchot and Daniel Gendron
Arctic Anthropology, 2011, Vol. 48(1), p. 15-32
https://doi.org/10.1353/arc.2011.0107
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254927048

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In this episode we talk with Adrian Burke about the application of geosciences in archaeology and his research on tracing the movement of stone artefacts and raw materials in ancient times.

Episode notes are available on the ArchaeoCafé website.
http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeocafe-podcast-ep-210-burke

About Adrian Burke

Dr. Burke is an archaeologist at the Université de Montréal. His research focuses on the ancient history of northeastern North America and in particular the acquisition and use of stone in the past. He makes use of various methods from fields such as geology, chemistry, and physics. Dr. Burke manages the Centre de référence lithique du Québec (Quebec lithic reference collection) and is the director of the L'axe Laurentien depuis l'an deux mille avant notre ère project.

Web:
https://anthropo.umontreal.ca/repertoire-departement/professeurs/professeur/in/in14786/sg/Adrian%20L.%20Burke/
https://recherche.umontreal.ca/nos-chercheurs/repertoire-des-professeurs/chercheur/is/in14786/
https://umontreal.academia.edu/AdrianBurke
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Adrian_Burke2

Some useful terminology and links

lithics
A term used in archaeology to refer to stone artefacts and the raw materials used to produce them.

petrography
A branch of petrology (itself a sub-field of geology) that focuses on detailed descriptions of rocks - including the mineral content and the textural relationships within the rock.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrography

X-ray fluorescence (XRF)
A method used in archaeology (as well as various other fields) to determine the element and chemicals that a material made up of. It is commonly used in archaeology to analyse stone, glass, ceramics, and metals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray_fluorescence

Centre de référence lithique du Québec (Quebec lithic reference collection)
A comparative lithic reference collection that was created by archaeologist Yvon Codère to help archaeologists working in Quebec and the greater Northeast. It contains over 500 geologic samples of rocks that were potentially used in the past to make stone tools.
http://www.avataq.qc.ca/en/Institute/Departments/Archaeology/Online-Resources/Collections/crlq

Selected reading

Inscriptions and Silences: Challenges of Bearing Witness at the Gila River Incarceration Camp
by Koji Lau-Ozawa
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2021, Vol. 25, p. 851–876
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-020-00568-2
https://academia.edu/44270273/

Critical Mass: Charting a Course for Japanese Diaspora Archaeology
by Koji Lau-Ozawa and Douglas Ross
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2021, Vol. 25, p. 577–591
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-020-00561-9
https://www.academia.edu/44270259/

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In this episode we talk with Koji Lau-Ozawa about the history of Japanese internment camps in the U.S.A. during the Second World War and his archaeological research into the camps.

Episode notes are available on the ArchaeoCafé website.
http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeocafe-podcast-ep-209-lau-ozawa

About Koji Lau-Ozawa

Koji is a historical archaeologist at Stanford University currently researching the Japanese diaspora in the U.S.A., examining the material connections and landscapes of Japanese American communities. In particular, he has been working in collaboration with the Gila River Indian Community to investigate the site of the WWII Gila River Incarceration Camp. This long-term project combines archaeological, oral historical and archival research. A second site of his investigations looks at the material culture of a pre-WWII urban Japanese American community in Santa Barbara. He has previously also worked in the Bay Area for the National Park Service and Stanford Heritage Services.

Web:
https://anthropology.stanford.edu/people/koji-lau-ozawa
https://stanford.academia.edu/KojiOzawa
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Koji_Lau-Ozawa
https://www.linkedin.com/in/koji-lau-ozawa-776765180

Some useful terminology and links

Japanese American Internment during WWII
The forced relocation and incarceration in concentration camps in the western interior of the country of over 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry. More than two thirds of the internees were United States citizens.
https://encyclopedia.densho.org/history/
https://densho.org/terminology/ 

WWII Gila River Incarceration Camp
An American concentration camp, built by the War Relocation Authority during World War II for the incarceration of Japanese Americans from the West Coast. The camp held over 13,000 inmates, most from California.
https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Gila_River/ 

Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project
A non-profit organization whose mission is “to preserve and share history of the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans to promote equity and justice today.” Densho collects video oral histories, photos, documents, and other primary source materials regarding Japanese American history, with a focus on the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.
https://densho.org/about-densho/ 

Selected reading

Inscriptions and Silences: Challenges of Bearing Witness at the Gila River Incarceration Camp
by Koji Lau-Ozawa
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2021, Vol. 25, p. 851–876
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-020-00568-2
https://academia.edu/44270273/

Critical Mass: Charting a Course for Japanese Diaspora Archaeology
by Koji Lau-Ozawa and Douglas Ross
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2021, Vol. 25, p. 577–591
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-020-00561-9
https://www.academia.edu/44270259/

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In this episode I talk with Katie Vanderkolk about gender in archaeology.

Episode notes are available on the ArchaeoCafé website.
http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeocafe-podcast-ep-208-vanderkolk

About Katie Vanderkolk

Katie Vanderkolk is a graduate student of archaeology at the University of Calgary. Their research focuses on a chaine operatoire analysis of ceramics.

Web:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlyn-vanderkolk-544b9619b/

Some useful terminology and links

Feminist archaeology
Feminist archaeology employs a feminist perspective in interpreting past societies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_archaeology

Gender archaeology
A method of studying past societies through their material culture by closely examining the social construction of gender identities and relations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_archaeology

Non-binary gender
Non-binary is used to describe people who feel their gender cannot be defined within the margins of gender binary. Instead, they understand their gender in a way that goes beyond simply identifying as either a man or woman.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-binary_gender

Judith Butler
An American philosopher and gender theorist whose work has influenced political philosophy, ethics, and the fields of third-wave feminism, queer theory, and literary theory.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Butler

Selected reading

(De)queering Hatshepsut: Binary bind in archaeology of Egypt and kingship beyond the corporeal
by Uroš Matić
Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 2016, Vol. 23, p. 810–831
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-016-9288-9

Sexuality studies in archaeology
by Barbara L. Voss
Annual Review of Anthropology, 2008, Vol. 37, p. 317-336
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.anthro.37.081407.085238

Archaeologies of sexuality: An introduction
by Barbara L. Voss and Robert A. Schmidt
in the book "Archaeologies of Sexuality" published by Routledge in 2000, pages 1-32
https://www.academia.edu/44912984/

Feminisms, queer theories, and the archaeological study of past sexualities
by Barbara L. Voss
World Archaeology, 2000, Vol. 32(2), Queer Archaeologies, p. 180-192
https://www.academia.edu/1832026/

Coming to terms with Navajo "nádleehí": A critique of "berdache," "gay," "alternate gender," and "two-spirit"
by Carolyn Epple
American Ethnologist, 1998, Vol. 25(2), p. 267-290
https://www.jstor.org/stable/646695

Archaeology and the study of Gender
by Margaret W. Conkey and Janet D. Spector
Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory, 1984, Vol. 7, p. 1-38
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-003107-8.50006-2

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In this episode I talk with Robert Losey about the domestication of dogs and their ongoing adaptations as they interact with humans.

Episode notes are available on the ArchaeoCafé website.
http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeocafe-podcast-ep-207-losey

About Robert Losey

Dr. Losey is a professor at the University of Alberta specialising in the archaeology of human-animal relationships. He has worked extensively in the North American and Siberian Arctic and Eastern Russia where much of his recent research focuses on dog and reindeer domestication, and the long-term history of dog sledding.

Web:
https://apps.ualberta.ca/directory/person/rlosey
https://ualberta.academia.edu/RobertLosey
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robert-Losey
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=CfrDhogAAAAJ

Some useful terminology and links

Domestication
A long term process by which behavioural or physiological changes occur in a species of plant and animal over many generations due to human control over or influence on reproduction. It involves the a long term relationship with humans, so much so that the plant or animal population evolves to living with humans. This may be intentional or unintentional.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestication

Tamed
The conditioned behavioural modification of a wild-born animal when its natural avoidance of humans is reduced and it accepts the presence of humans. This does not involve genetic modification of the individual animal or of a population.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tame_animal

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In this episode we talk with Laird Niven about his research on Oak Island and his involvement in the Curse of Oak Island TV show as well as some background on the show and the history of the island.

Episode notes are available on the ArchaeoCafé website.
http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeocafe-podcast-ep-206-niven

About Laird Niven

Laird graduated from Dalhousie University in 1981 and has been working since then as a professional archaeologists in Nova Scotia, Canada. He has worked on numerous CRM assessment projects throughout the province, designed site-specific methodologies, conducted field studies, and been involved in public consultation. One of his main research interests is the history of Black Loyalists in Nova Scotia. Laird has been involved in the archaeological research on Oak Island since 2007.

Web:
https://twitter.com/ldniven
http://worldcat.org/identities/viaf-105664531/

Some useful terminology and links

Oak Island
A 57-hectare privately owned island in Lunenburg county on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island is best known for various theories about possible buried treasure or historical artefacts, and the associated exploration.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Island
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Island_mystery
https://www.oakislandtours.ca/
http://mmmgroup2.altervista.org/e-oak.html

The Curse of Oak Island
A reality television series that chronicles a team of treasure hunters and their search for legendary treasure on Oak Island.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3455408/

Miꞌkmaq
Pronunciation: English: [mɪɡmɑː], Miꞌkmaq: [miːɡmaɣ]
A First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas now known as Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the northeastern region of Maine. They call their national territory Miꞌkmaꞌki (or Miꞌgmaꞌgi). The nation has a population of about 170,000, of whom nearly 11,000 speak Miꞌkmaq, an Eastern Algonquian language.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mi%EA%9E%8Ckmaq
http://mymnfc.com/ (Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre)

Samuel Ball
(born: 1764; died: 1845)
Born a slave in South Carolina, Samuel Ball was an early Black Loyalist settler in Nova Scotia and former resident of Oak Island. While he was alive, he was one of the richest men in the province. By the time he died in 1845, Ball owned more than 100 acres on Oak Island, as well as a nearby island called Hook Island (today known as Sam’s Island).
https://www.oakislandtours.ca/samuel-ball.html
https://www.saltwire.com/nova-scotia/lifestyles/rosemary-godin-samuel-ball-a-success-story-never-told-551951/
https://blog.michaeleastwriter.com/the-characters-of-oak-island-samuel-ball-respected-cabbage-farmer-or-something-more-1bf3d1f626a9

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In this episode, I talk with Sarah Janesko and Erin Cagney about racism in professional organisations and their work to improve the policies of the Society for American Archaeology.

Episode notes are available on the ArchaeoCafé website.
http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeocafe-podcast-ep-205-janesko-cagney

About Sarah Janesko

Sarah is an archaeologist and Assistant Project Manager with New South Associates.  She manages archaeological collections in Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.A. During her career, she has studied and worked on historic excavations in Maryland and managed collections from across the United States.

Web:
https://anth.umd.edu/gradprofile/janesko/sarah
https://newsouthassoc.com/?page_id=3929
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-janesko/ 

About Erin Cagney

Erin Cagney is an archaeologist in the Washington, D.C. region. She works for WSP, USA conducting cultural resource surveys and writing national register nominations for private, state, and federal clients.  She has worked at sites in Washington, D.C. and across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. In the past, she worked as an assistant laboratory manager at the Veterans Curation Program in Alexandria, Virginia, interned with the D.C. Historic Preservation Office, and worked for various CRM firms.

Web:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-cagney-30b6582b/
https://veteranscurationprogram.org/erin-cagney/ 

Some useful terminology and links

Society for American Archaeology (SAA)
A professional association for archaeology of the Americas, founded in 1934 and based in Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
https://www.saa.org/ 

BIPOC
Black, Indigenous, and people of colour

Anti-Racist Resources for Archaeologists
compiled by Terrance Weik, Sarah Janesko, Erin Cagney, Kathleen Sterling, Gabby Hartemann, Mini Sharma-Ogle, Lindsay Montgomery
https://www.saa.org/member-initiatives/for-members-by-members
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qZDvjMtFuvAGwfboL7Kko9U98Ipi4eLG4vSMq7MW2l0/edit?usp=sharing 

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