PREHISTORIC CULTURES OF NORTH AMERICA |
S. Crouthamel, American Indian Studies/Anthropology, Palomar College |
I. American Archaeology and American Indians
All ancient cultures were interested in previous cultures based on curiosity, value of ancient objects or even as a source of power. However, early field investigations were unscientific and destructive. European enlightenment beginning in the 18th century gave impetus to positivistic thinking that motivated the pursuit of knowledge about the natural and physical world. These antiquarians, as they were called, became interested in socio-cultural evolution and derived chronologies for various early civilizations. Eventually, people like Pitt Rivers (1827-1900) applied systematic methods from his military experiences to archaeological excavation. He understood maps and stratigraphy, so he was able to keep track of objects and features in sequence by maintaining horizontal and vertical control with good record keeping during excavation. This process represented the early beginnings of scientific archaeology.
Early American antiquarians similarly were interested in ancient cultures in America, and used systemic field inquiry with surveying techniques. Thomas Jefferson excavated burial mounds on his plantation, Monticello, in the 1780's. In 1845, Squire and Davis surveyed numerous mound sites in the Ohio River Valley. American archaeology as a professional or academic discipline took some time to develop from amateur antiquarians. Many relic seekers or pot-hunters were digging the thousands of mounds that were found in the Eastern Woodlands. A good deal of prejudice toward Native American culture and a subsequent negative bias blinded many early antiquarians from even recognizing that mounds found in the East were actually components of different Native American cultures. The development of American archaeology in America and particularly the United States was documented by Willey and Sabloff (1993) who produced a chronology, which is summarized below:
Native American groups had their own different perspectives of the past and cultural objects. Many believed it was sacrilegious to dig up the remains of the dead and to move them to places like museums. Artifacts from houses or trash are in some cases viewed as dangerous or sacred and in some cases as valuable information about the past. Today, Native Americans have a variety of views about archaeology and archaeologists. In recent years greater cooperation has been effected by archaeologists consulting in a sincere manner with the Native American of the appropriate community. However, some Native Americans and archaeologists manipulate archaeological finds for personal, political and monetary goals.
Next Lecture: II. Culture Theory and Archaeological Method
Updated 8/2009
Copyright © by S. J. Crouthamel 2013