Few Archaeologists have been said to have shaped modern Archaeology. Bruce Trigger was one of those Archaeologists. Before his death in 2006, he published a great number of works that influenced professionals and students alike on an international stage (Fagan 1). His open-minded yet fact-based approach to archaeology changed the way many archaeologists approach their work in the modern era.
Bruce Graham Trigger was born in 1937 in a small town called Preston in Ontario, Canada (Fagan 1). From a very young age, he showed a profound interest in acquiring knowledge, which gave his father the idea to give his son a book about ancient Egypt (Martin). In one of his publications, Trigger recalls being “Wonderstruck” by the subject (Martin). Following his childhood, his college education was focused on furthering his knowledge of the ancient past. Trigger’s bachelor’s degree in Anthropology was obtained in 1959 at the University of Toronto, and his doctorate was obtained at Yale in 1964 (Fagan 1). His dissertation as a student of Yale was an expedition to Nubia to study the different factors that influenced the changes of Nubian settlements (Fagan 1). His first post-college publication, History and Settlement in Lower Nubia, was first seen in 1965, and was based on his thesis (Fagan 1). He moved back to Canada after obtaining his degree, this time settling in Quebec, where he would write publications that would greatly impact the anthropological field (Yellowhorn 1).
Trigger’s expedition in Nubia was a tremendous beginning to his career, starting his exploring in the lands that originally inspired him to follow his anthropological career path. His research in the area was primarily based on tracking the patterns of movements and chan...
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Fagan, Brian. “Bruce Graham Trigger (1937-2006).” Journal of Anthropological Research Vol. 63, No. 1 (Spring, 2007). pp. 1-2.
Martin, Sandra. Obituary, Canada, “The Globe and Mail.” Saturday, December 9th, 2006.
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In a growing body of literature that is working to decolonize history and reframe it to include the Aboriginal perspective and experience, The Míkmaw Concordat (1997), provides an important insight into an aspect of Mi’kmaq history not widely discussed. While the negative effects of European religion on Aboriginal cultures is widely discussed and documented, this text reconstructs a unique relationship formed between the Mi’kmaq of Atlantic Canada and Catholicism in the early seventeenth century. In 1610 a Concordat alliance was cemented between Mikmáki and the Holy See, and alliance based on mutual benefit and sovereignty.
Between the years of 1985 to 1987 Conklin spent a total of 19 months living amongst the Wari’ tribes. Her primary source of gathering information was to interview the Wari’ about their own culture and history. Performing return trips to the Amazonian society in 1991, 1999, and 2000 Conklin was able to confirm her gathered information by asking different Wari’ about their beliefs and cultural history. Amongst Conklin’s interview subjects were dozens of elderly Wari’ who could remember the life before the outside world had become a major influence. They c...
Marjorie Shostak, an anthropologist who had written this book had studies the !Kung tribe for two years. Shostak had spent the two years interviewing the women in the society. The !Kung tribe resided n the Dobe area of Northwest Botswana, that’s infused with a series of clicks, represented on paper by exclamation points and slashes. Shostak had studied that the people of the tribe relied mostly on nuts of the mongongo, which is from an indigenous tree that’s part of their diet.
In the book titled Around the World in 30 Years, Barbara Gallatin Anderson’s makes a precise and convincing argument regarding the acts of being a cultural anthropologist. Her humor, attention to detail, and familiar analogies really allow for a wholesome and educating experience for the reader. Her credible sources and uniform writing structure benefits the information. Simply, the book represents an insider’s look into the life of a cultural anthropologist who is getting the insider’s look to the lives of everybody
The Cree people have a rich and diverse history. Through methods of written and oral teachings, a greater understanding of the Cree people and their history has become apparent. In the following, I will highlight portions of Cree history to establish an understanding of such a rich culture. As a guide, I will use ideas highlighted in Jim Kanepetew’s (n.d) teachings of “The Ten Treaty Sticks”. Underlying concepts from “The Ten Treaty Sticks” have implications on both past and current practices of the Cree people. Since a large portion of the final exam is a chronological list of happenings, I will examine and extend the teachings of “The Ten Treaty Sticks” and how these align with teachings throughout the course. Using “The Ten Treaty Sticks” as a guide, I
Bastien, B. (2011). Blackfoot ways of knowing: The worldview of the siksikaitsitapi. Calgary, Alberta: University of Calgary Press.
Bearcroft, BW. The Last Fighting Indians of the American West. 1 ed. Harlow: aaaaaLongman Group Ltd, 1976.
Canada is a diverse country, home to many different peoples and cultures. It can easily be said that Biological Anthropology is one of the main reasons that we have learned so much about the many people who have lived in Canada. This can certainly be said when one thinks of all we have learned of the First Nations peoples’ through this method. However, in Canada there exists such an Act known as the Cemetery Act. This act protects many things, one of which being the protection of aboriginal burial grounds and ossuaries. Through Anthropological research in Canada, however, Ossuaries have allowed us to see and learn more about the First Nations peoples and their lives; revealing the information denied to us previously. This report will take a look at the anthropological studies of these ossuaries and burial sites while also discussing the restrictions and limitations met in accordance to said Act. For the purpose of this report, there will be particular stress placed on the Iroquois Nation, to whom this act may pertain to more than perhaps another, smaller, tribe. Through Anthropological research in Canada, Ossuaries have allowed us to see and learn more about the First Nations peoples and their lives revealing the information denied to us previously.
Francis, L. (1998). Native time, a historical time line of native America. New York: St Martins Press.
The Oriental Institute featured an exhibit focused on the development of ancient Middle East Pioneers to the Past: American Archaeologists in the Middle East 1919–20 January 12 - August 29, 2010. And this was the exhibit I found most intriguing and most i...
Steckley, J., & Cummins, B. D. (2008). Full circle: Canada's First Nations (2nd ed.). Toronto:
Worsnop, Richard L. "Native Americans." CQ Researcher 8 May 1992: 385-408. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
the story in the Phillip Whitten and David E. K. Hunter anthropology book of No
Project, Harvard. The State of the Native Nations. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. 221-222.
According to The Society for American Archaeology, the definition of Archaeology is, “to obtain a chronology of the past, a sequence of events and dates that, in a sense, is a backward extension of history.” The study of ancient civilizations and archaeology is rather ambiguous due to the primitive nature of the time period. With little imagery and even less textual evidence, professionals in the field must work diligently when studying their subjects. Naturally, archaeologists cannot see or communicate with those whom they are studying, so they must be extraordinarily meticulous when analyzing past cultures. This relates to all aspects of the ancient world including; foods, raw materials, artifacts, agriculture, art work and pottery. All of these elements can collectively provide new and innovative information to curious archaeologists who may wish to gain a better understanding of those who came before us. This information is equally beneficial for both historians and archaeologists who plan to compare the histories of societies from all around the world. In the world of archaeology, archaeologists strive to better explain human behavior by analyzing our past. Therefore, the study of archaeology is a key element in understanding a time before our own.