Friends of PSU Anthropology,
Join us for our end of year celebration. We’ll have food and drinks, plus a raffle of Powell’s and Starbucks gift cards.
Date: Wednesday, May 31
Time: 4-6 pm
Location: CUPA 4th floor terrace
Directions: enter via the main CUPA entrance directly across from the Rec Center. Take the elevator to the 4th floor, exit and veer left toward the catwalk to the terrace
The Landscape of Klamath Basin Rock Art
Robert David, Portland State University
Please join us Thursday, November 4, at 4 p.m. for our monthly PSU Archaeology First Thursday Speaker series for a talk by Robert David, PSU Adjunct. We will meet virtually via zoom.
Please join us on Nov 4 using this link: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/87524504421
Robert David’s presentation is based on his dissertation research, in which he considers how rock art imagery in the Klamath Basin served different purposes within three different socially-constructed contexts. Specifically, he analyzes rock art within settlement sites (villages, large seasonal camps), frequently used areas (popular springs, trails, work areas), and special use areas (caves, high mountain retreats), which are in some way separate from the mundane world. “Meaning” is explored within each of these contexts.
Robert David is a member of the Klamath Tribes and a graduate of Portland State University (MA) the University of California Berkeley (PhD). In both programs, he focused his research on Klamath Basin rock art. He currently teaches courses at Portland State University and work as an archaeological contractor. At present, he is working on two projects that involve Petroglyph Point, Lava Beds National Monument. The first is a book based on research on the monument over the past seven years and the second is a film documentary, which is a community-based effort with the Klamath Tribes, Lava Beds National Monument staff, and members of the general public.
Thursday, October 7
4 p.m.
VULVA MONOLOGUES: ‘Female’ Signs in the Upper Paleolithic
Melanie Lee Chang, Portland State University
Register in advance for this Zoom meeting with the link provided below. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Everyone is welcome to attend!
https://pdx.zoom.us/j/87524504421
Summary
Binary models of sex and gender are often uncritically applied in paleoanthropology. In the Upper Paleolithic, abstract representations ranging from simple bifurcating lines to overt representations of secondary sex characteristics may be used to identify an illustration, engraving, or piece of portable art (no matter how ambiguous) as “male” or “female.” The taxonomic rubrics that are applied are rarely stated explicitly. We present an empirical survey of human representations in Paleolithic art employing an explicit classification scheme that relies on anatomical markers to identify images as male or female representations. Within this context, we discuss the difficulties inherent in recognizing sex (much less gender) in Paleolithic art, and the consequences of such unfounded assumptions in scientific and popular discourse.
Bio
Dr. Chang is a paleoanthropologist whose primary interests are Middle to Upper Paleolithic human evolution, the Neandertals, hominin systematics, feminist archaeology, and the role of reflexivity in human evolutionary studies. She has taught biological anthropology and human evolution at PSU since 2014. Dr. Chang graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a dual degree in physical anthropology and ecology/evolutionary biology in 2005, completed a postdoctoral fellowship in behavioral genetics at UCSF in 2008, and has done fieldwork in Paleolithic archaeology in France, Morocco, and Jordan. She is a former TEDx speaker (2014) and was featured in a documentary series, Human: The World Within, that is currently airing on PBS and Netflix (2021).
Questions? Contact us at anthdept@pdx.edu
PSU Anthropology Dept invites everyone to our Archaeology First Thursday Lecture:
Reflections on the Past 40 years of Archaeology in the Pacific Northwest with Virginia Butler
Date: Thursday, May 6, 2021
Time: 4-5 pm
Please register early at Zoom link below
Prof. Butler reviews changes she has witnessed in the practice of archaeology in the Pacific Northwest since her 1975 field school at Lind Coulee. While enormous changes have occurred in technology (e.g., computers, GIS), analytic methods (e.g., aDNA, isotope geochemistry), and research questions and goals, the most profound change has been the increasing role of tribes and Indigenous peoples. Enlarging the scope of “who” does archaeology gives us new insights about our collective past, but also supports justice, equity and inclusion, values of increasing importance to society at large.
BIO: Virginia Butler earned a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Georgia, and an M.A in Anthropology and a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Washington. She joined the Department of Anthropology at Portland State University in 1995 and retired in 2020. Her primary research focuses on the long-term relationships between people and animals, especially fishes, which she has addressed mainly through zooarchaeology. Her regional focus is the Pacific Northwest, but she has also carried out work in Oceania and the Great Basin of western North America. Since 2012, Butler has been the lead organizer of the Archaeology Roadshow, an annual large-scale public outreach event that takes place on PSU campus and sister communities in Oregon.
Register in advance for this Zoom meeting with
the link provided below. After registering, you
will receive a confirmation email containing
information about joining the meeting.
https://pdx.zoom.us/j/82472628786
Questions? contact us at anthdept@pdx.edu
Support Anthropology Undergrads
We have all lived through a challenging year. All of our students have done an amazing job of continuing their studies and adapting to attending classes remotely. Seriously, their resilience is extraordinary!
With the end of the pandemic in sight, we decided to dedicate our Spring 2021 Day of Giving to our undergraduate students. We’re raising funds for the Daniel Scheans Endowed Student Support Fund, which provides professional development support for undergraduate Anthropology students, giving them the hands-on experience that is so valued by employers.
By supporting the payouts of this fund, you will be helping our talented students’ complete internships and research projects, as well as attend conferences, workshops, and other training activities that expand their professional toolkits. You will also be helping more BIPOC students engage with Anthropology and ensuring that Anthropology fulfills its critical role in promoting social justice throughout the US and the world.
Archaeology First Thursday
Thursday, April 1, 2021
4-5 pm
Everyone invited to attend
with Tammy Buonasera, University of California-Davis
Investigating Ancient Cooking Practices in Northern Alaska: Molecular and Isotopic Analysis of Pottery Residues and Hearth Sediments
Animal fats used as food and as fuel preserve exceptionally well in many Alaskan sites, even where bone preservation is poor. Focusing on recent collaborative work with Shelby Anderson and others, Prof. Buonasera will discuss how the application of molecular and isotopic techniques to northern Alaskan residues is providing new insights into what types of resources people were cooking in pots and burning in hearths.
Tammy Buonasera is an archaeologist who uses molecular and isotopic techniques to study archaeological residues related to past diets and foodways. She is particularly interested in ways that food processing, and individuals engaged in food preparation, helped to expand the breadth and quantity of available foodstuffs among prehistoric hunter-gatherers.
Register in advance for this Zoom meeting with
the link provided below. After registering, you
will receive a confirmation email containing
information about joining the meeting.
https://pdx.zoom.us/j/82472628786
Questions? contact us at anthdept@pdx.edu
This week in Practicing Anthropology (Anth 345) the themes are Human Health (Tues) and Consumer, Business, and Design (Thurs). Join us!
Tuesday, March 2: Michael Duke, Director of Research, Center for the Study of Early Childhood Care Employment, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, UC Berkeley
Thursday, March 4: Dawn Nafus, Senior Research Scientist, Intel and
Liam McGranahan, Senior Experience Design Manager, Cambia Health Solutions
All are welcome to attend from 2-3:50 P.M.
Join via Zoom: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/8507608196
Oregon Coast Fishweir Technology
Brad Bowden, Historical Research Associates
March 4, 2021
4 p.m.
All are welcome to join!
Register in advance for this Zoom meeting with
the link provided below. After registering, you
will receive a confirmation email containing
information about joining the meeting.
https://pdx.zoom.us/j/82472628786
Questions? contact us at anthdept@pdx.edu
This week in Practicing Anthropology (Anth 345) the theme is Federal Agencies on Tuesday and then move to CRM, Heritage, and Interpretation on Thursday. Join us!
Tuesday, Feb 16: Anan Raymond, Regional Archaeologist, Region 1 and 8, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
Jesse Stephen, Archaeologist, JPAC, Department of Defense
Thursday, Feb 18: Kevin McDonald, Practicing Anthropology and
Danelle Gutierrez, Big Pine Paiute tribal member and THPO
All are welcome to attend from 2-3:50 P.M.
Join via Zoom each day at 2 pm: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/8507608196
We don’t know what the future brings, but we’re planning to offer a field school this summer. Lots of other schools are too, so we want to prepare you for the experience. If you want to know more about field school, join Drs. Shelby Anderson and Doug Wilson for an info session, with details on the Summer 2021 PSU Fort Vancouver Field School.
Date & Time: February 9th, 4-5 p.m.
Location: Via Zoom https://pdx.zoom.us/j/86510936929
PSU Anthropology Department 