The Department of Anthropology is pleased to introduce the new NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) Program Manager, MSU Anthropology alum Jessica Yann, who began this role in August 2021. Although the role is based in the Office of the Associate Provost for University Collections and Art Initiatives, Jessica also continues to work with the archaeology collections and teach through the Department of Anthropology.
This position is designed to create and take a proactive approach to NAGPRA compliance and outreach, including creating a strategic plan for effectively implementing NAGPRA work. This includes auditing collections for potentially NAGPRA eligible ancestors or objects, writing grants to facilitate collections research, management, and outreach with Tribal communities, facilitating consultations, creating draft Inventories and Summaries in collaboration with Tribal partners, facilitating respectful repatriations and returns, curating the NAGPRA collections, and ensuring that MSU stewards all collections according to the policies and procedures in the MSU NAGPRA and MSU Collections Policies.
Jessica started at MSU as a graduate student in the Department of Anthropology, completing her PhD degree in 2019. She took over as the NAGPRA Assistant in March of 2019 and continued in that capacity until beginning her current role in August. Prior to Jessica’s position as the NAGPRA Assistant, she worked with the State Archaeologist in the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office for 9.5 years, an experience that Jessica credits with having been incredibly helpful in her new role as Program Manager.
Jessica notes that she is excited to continue to consult and collaborate with all the Tribes that are connected to Michigan as she helps continue the journey towards repatriation and rematriation, stating “I’m honored by the privilege of assisting them in this work, and thankful for the trust they have placed in me.”
In her free time, Jessica enjoys dabbling in arts and crafts, trying crazy new recipes, and running. We look forward to all the amazing work Jessica will do in her new role!
The Department of Anthropology is proud to announce three new scholarships, each generously funded by an MSU Anthropology alum! These scholarships will allow undergraduate and graduate students in the department to embark on travel, undertake research, and gain educational experiences that may not have otherwise been possible.
First, with the financial support of alum Aaron Whiteford, the Whiteford Cultural Anthropology Fieldwork Scholarship has been established. Preference will be given to students conducting research in Latin America. The inaugural scholarship has recently been awarded to PhD student, Juan Carlos Rico Noguera.
Second, with the financial support of archaeology alum Don Weir, the Commonwealth Heritage Group Diversity Scholarship Award in Archaeology at Michigan State University has been established. Students who are or have been enrolled in archaeology courses and who have high financial need will be considered for this award. Preference will also be given to students who are first generation to attend college and/or are educationally disadvantaged. Special consideration shall be given to ensure that this scholarship supports the Donor’s desire of building and supporting a culture of diversity and inclusion in the Department of Anthropology.
Third, with the financial support of alum Emily Altimare, the Altimare Professional Development Scholarship has been established. This scholarship will support graduate students in the Department – the funds can be used for professional development support including conference training to learn new skills, online certifications, qualitative data analysis software, etc.
We are extremely grateful for these generous donations, which will allow our students to expand their educational horizons and become successful and marketable anthropologists.
This edition of the Department of Anthropology newsletter highlights outstanding faculty, students, and alumni and invites you to learn more about their work across the diverse fields of anthropology.
Although we are still navigating the global pandemic and following MSU safety mandates and protocols in accordance with directives from health and government officials, this fall semester we were delighted to welcome students back to campus to provide more experiential learning opportunities. We celebrate the ability to once again safely engage with students in the classroom and in the field, and appreciate the ways in which we have adapted and incorporated new technologies into every aspect of our work. The tremendous effort and patience in adapting to this situation from across the Department of Anthropology deserves profound recognition.
Despite the obstacles we have recently faced, we have also enjoyed commemorating many accomplishments across the department this semester. In fact, we are looking forward to celebrating the graduating class of 2021 in December at an in-person commencement ceremony.
This semester, we have honored faculty who have been recognized at the college level for their research that makes an impact in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Additionally, we have celebrated faculty who have received grants and published because of their timely research. We are also pleased to announce the new Forensic Anthropology lab space, as well as three new student scholarships. Additionally, the Department of Anthropology was honored to host the Midwest Archaeology Conference this year, and to recognize alumnus Don Weir for his important contributions to the field of archaeology and the Department of Anthropology at MSU.
In the midst of this global pandemic, many have regrettably experienced grief over the loss of family or friends, missed opportunities, unfulfilled endings, and imminent uncertainties. While it is difficult to reconcile these feelings of loss, I am grateful for how the people in this department have consoled and supported one another as we have navigated through these complicated times. My sincere pride in this department has only strengthened as we continue to navigate challenging times while continuing our mission. The Department of Anthropology has demonstrated its unwavering dedication to provide an exceptional education for our students and to engage in meaningful research, even when faced with unprecedented adversity. We will carry this commitment forward in the upcoming new year as we continue to manage ongoing challenges while prioritizing everyone’s health and safety.
Department of Anthropology Assistant Professor Kurt Rademaker recently published an article in Quaternary International. The article is titled “Comprehensive mapping and compositional analysis of the Alca obsidian source, Peru.” The article discusses the extent and composition of the Alca obsidian source as well as behavioral information about the humans who interacted with this obsidian source over a 12,000 year span.
Abstract: “The Alca obsidian source in southern Peru is one of the largest and most geochemically complex sources of volcanic glass in South America. Hunter-gatherers first discovered and used Alca obsidian for stone tools at the end of the Pleistocene. Alca later became one of the three most economically important and widely distributed sources of obsidian in the Central Andean region. Systematic mapping and geochemical characterization efforts spanning 20+ years have revealed an extensive high-elevation source region composed of six geographically and compositionally distinct sub-sources. Here we synthesize research documenting the 2000 km2 spatial extent of the Alca obsidian source, and we present expanded geochemical datasets for six Alca sub-sources (n = 238 geologic samples) obtained using neutron activation analysis (NAA), laboratory x-ray fluorescence (XRF), and portable (p)XRF. Results for Alca and for six other major obsidian sources in the Peruvian Andes illustrate the efficacy of these techniques to discriminate all major Peruvian obsidian sources, including Alca sub-sources. Comprehensive compositional data from the Alca source area, examined against accumulating obsidian artifact datasets from throughout Peru, reveal past human use of various Alca sub-sources. These cases contribute fine-grained behavioral information, made possible by a complex obsidian source with geographically patterned geochemical variation and a >12,000-year sequence of human interaction with this geologic resource.”
As a kid, Don Weir followed his dad — an amateur archaeologist working with University of Michigan in the 1930s — around archaeological sites, collecting arrowheads and attending meetings. Looking back, it was a unique way to grow up, surrounded by people unearthing and analyzing artifacts. But as a kid who has many other important interests, meetings and digs weren’t Weir’s favorite.
That was until he came to Michigan State University in 1968 as part of an archaeology work study with the MSU Museum followed by a 10-week archaeological field school in in Northern Michigan directed by Charles Cleland, Ph.D., with field director William Lovis, Ph.D. Both of the individuals played an important role in mentoring him to be a future professional archaeologist.
“Doing my first field season with them in 1969 did it,” he said. “That’s when I decided what I wanted to do: be a full-time archaeologist.”
Caption: Don Weir (right) at a field site in Kentucky in 1970.
After graduating from MSU in 1970, Weir worked for Gilbert/Commonwealth Associates as a full-time archaeologist, then decided to continue his education returning to MSU.
Caption: Don Weir graduates from MSU in 1970.
“In ‘76, I worked full time and went to graduate school full time with two kids, it was interesting at best,” he mused.
He graduated in 1979 with his M.A. from MSU and continued his work with Gilbert/Commonwealth Associates, an architectural and engineering firm. In 1988, he began his own cultural resources management company, Commonwealth Cultural Resources Group with Dr. Donna Roper.
Cultural resources management (CRM) is part of the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. Both require companies that are either licensed, permitted or funded by the federal government to take into consideration their impacts on archaeological and historic sites.
“CRM is important because It’s the one mechanism we have to save archaeological sites from being destroyed during construction,” he said.
For example, Weir worked with the City of Detroit during the building of the People Mover in the 1980s. He’s also worked to evaluate and preserve sites during multistate pipeline projects and in national forests.
“It’s a viable career, and I’ve lectured at Michigan State several times to archaeology students,” he said. “There are viable alternatives to getting a Ph.D. and being a professor someplace. There are jobs at federal and state agencies and private firms, like mine.”
Whether sharing through lectures or meeting with students one-on-one, Weir wants to share his story with the next generation of archaeologists, so they understand the breadth of opportunities they have in the field.
“In fact, I just met with an MSU graduate student, and we had a 2-hour conversation about what his options might be outside of the academy.
Weir has a passion for the next generation, and in addition to giving of his time, he has also given to MSU through funding scholarships. The first is the Archaeology Alumni and Friends Fund.
“Those funds are to bring in guest speakers into the department so that undergraduates and graduates have a chance to learn from outside experts,” he said.
Most recently, Weir and his son, Andy Weir, have set up the Commonwealth Heritage Group Diversity Scholarship Award in Archaeology at MSU for undergraduate and graduate students who are or who have been enrolled in archaeology courses offered by the Department of Anthropology.
“Diversity is a big issue in archaeology and anthropology, especially in archaeology,” he said. “When I went into the profession, it was 90% white male, and it’s now probably 60% female, 40% male, but still 90% white. So I want to encourage diversity in the profession, and I think the profession lacks that, and it will be to the betterment of society, and it’s important to have diversity in archaeology especially with indigenous archaeologists.”
“We appreciate Don’s support of our department and support of our students,” said Todd Fenton, Ph.D., and chair of the MSU Department of Anthropology. “He has given generously of his time to talk with our students and by providing funding to support their education and development.”
Through Weir’s company, which he ran until 2017 when he retired, he is proud to have hired MSU graduates and mentored young archaeology professionals.
“I’ve mentored a lot of those young professionals in the company to be able to function in the business world in addition to the world of archaeology,” he said.
Weir has also been an advocate for archaeology, visiting state and federal representatives to share how policy impacts the field. This year, he visited Washington D.C. to share about Biden’s infrastructure bill.
“I talked with our senators, representatives and their staff about how important it is that infrastructure projects are done in a way to protect historical and archaeological resources,” he said.
In October 2021, Weir received the Distinguished Career Award from the Michigan Archaeological Conference (MAC) which recognizes archaeologists who have demonstrated excellence and contributed significantly and regularly to the advancement of Midwestern archaeology.
“Throughout his career Don has mentored many students and employees through professional development opportunities, and he has shared his knowledge and passion for stewardship of the past at universities, professional organizations, government agencies, and other nonacademic organizations,” said Janet Brashler, MAC president. “He continues to support students through scholarships and always has a kind word for students and colleagues. We are pleased to acknowledge Don for his contributions to Midwest archaeology by awarding him the Distinguished Career Award.”
Caption: Don Weir (right) receives the Distinguished Career Award presented by Janet Brashler (right), MAC president.
This award is the highest one made by MAC and honors someone with a lifetime commitment to Midwestern archaeology and achievement in areas such as research, publication, collection and site preservation, program development, and education.
“The award was really special because I received it in East Lansing where I studied for my career,” Weir said. “It’s an organization that is strictly an archaeological organization, historically they are primarily academics in it, so it was special to be recognized by that group.”
Weir has received multiple awards for his contributions to the field. He was awarded the 2010 McGimsey-Davis Distinguished Service Award by the Register of Professional Archaeologists, the 2017 ACRA Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Cultural Resources Association, and the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Michigan Historic Preservation Network.
As evidenced by widespread recognition in the field, Weir has had a far-reaching impact on the field of archaeology. He has been looking back on his legacy and reflecting on his achievements.
“I’m really proud of starting and running one of the largest and most successful CRM companies in the country,” he said. “I’m also proud that we’re able to do that and also do excellent work. Also, that I’ve given back to the profession: I’ve also encouraged my employees to be active professionally and provided professional development opportunities for them.”
Doctoral student Sarah Meinekat working with other graduate students at the Cuncaicha rock shelter archaeological site.
The intersection of archaeology and geology tells the story of human connection and interaction with the earth. What if we could go back in time to understand how people lived in the highest altitudes in the Americas across time? The archaeological and geological record has left behind clues for MSU Department of Anthropology Assistant Professor Kurt Rademaker and his team.
“People at the end of the last Ice Age managed to live in the high Andes, an extremely challenging environment where modern nighttime temperatures drop to -10 C (15 degrees F) and where there is only 60% of the oxygen pressure relative to sea level,” Rademaker said.
“This highlights how incredibly adaptive our species is. This archaeological site records evidence of wet and dry climate phases over the past 12,000 years, and it shows that people shifted their settlement strategies according to those changes. Archaeology can be a powerful tool to learn about the relationship between people and their environments.”
Most recently, Rademaker and his team have published a new paper in the journal Geoarchaeology called “A site formation model for Cuncaicha rock shelter: Depositional and post-depositional processes at the high-altitude keysite in the Peruvian Andes” Rademaker and co-author Christopher Miller advise Sarah Meinekat, who is a doctoral student at the University of Tübingen and the publication’s lead author. The paper presents a detailed sequence of site formation processes and environmental change recorded in the highest-elevation Pleistocene archaeological site in the Americas. At 4480 m (14,700 feet) above sea level, the Cuncaicha rockshelter is the highest-elevation Pleistocene (Ice Age) archaeological site in the Americas
“The site contains a well-preserved record of episodic human occupations over the past 12,300 years,” Rademaker said. “Our team applied cutting-edge techniques to study the natural and human processes that formed the site’s sediment sequence. These methods have been applied to very early few sites in South America, but doing so is important for making reliable interpretations about past human behavior.”
The team learned two key insights during this phase of their research.
“One, we gained insights on the intensity of occupation through time, which tells us how people were using the site,” he explained. “The sediments show that people generated large quantities of ash from campfires and dense accumulations of artifacts and plant and animal remains, consistent with using the site as a residential campsite. Two, the timing of site occupations and abandonments is not accidental. The high resolution of our radiocarbon dating and stratigraphy links the site occupations with wetter climate phases and abandonments with arid phases.”
Rademaker has enjoyed being an advisor and mentor to Meinekat, doctoral candidate at the University of Tübingen.
“Sarah has done outstanding work on one of South America’s most important early archaeological sites! She is currently conducting similar investigations on other early sites in the Andes and Pacific coast of South America.”
To read their publication, visit http://doi.org/10.1002/gea.21889.
The timing of humans’ first arrival in the Americas south of glacial ice remains a topic of heated debate in archaeological circles. In the summer of 2020, a team working in Mexico claimed discovery of evidence for human occupation of a remote highland cave beginning over 30,000 years ago. Because this announcement was made in the journal Nature, it was disseminated broadly and thus rapidly became accepted doctrine in the public mind before it had been vetted by the scientific community. Today in the journal Paleoamerica, which focuses on first Americans issues, a group of 20 researchers from the US and Mexico, including MSU Anthropology Assistant Professor Kurt Rademaker, challenge the Chiquihuite claim on the basis of their review of the evidence.
They found that the Chiquihuite authors failed to consider the alternative hypothesis that the objects were the result of natural processes. Chatters et al. examined both hypotheses (human vs. natural agency) and determined that the Chiquihuite assemblage is probably composed of limestone broken through natural processes, or “geofacts.” Relevant data included fracture mechanics, where the stone pieces more closely match geofact expectations and the geochemical analyses which failed to distinguish purported artifacts from naturally occurring rocks. Thus, Chiquihuite Cave does not represent very early human occupations in the Americas, and does not support human arrival before the Last Glacial Maximum.
This September, the MSU Forensic Anthropology Laboratory (MSUFAL) participated in Operation UNITED in collaboration with the FBI’s Evidence Response Team, the Detroit Police Department (DPD), and several other local universities and law enforcement agencies. Operation UNITED is an acronym which stands for “Unknown Names Identified Through Exhumation and DNA.”
Operation UNITED began as a grassroots effort between DPD Sgt. Shannon Jones and FBI Special Agent Leslie Larsen to solve as many cold case homicides in Detroit as possible. By exhuming the remains of unidentified homicide victims and comparing their DNA with family reference samples, Operation UNITED seeks to make identifications and jump start cold case investigations. This is the third season of the project and participants have successfully exhumed the remains of over 100 unidentified homicide victims, several of which have ultimately led to positive identifications.
Dr. Carolyn Isaac, Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology and MSUFAL Laboratory Director, as well as graduate students in the Department of Anthropology Clara Devota, Rhian Dunn, Micayla Spiros, and Alex Goots attended the three-day excavation. Each graduate student joined an interdisciplinary team and worked to locate and excavate remains based on cemetery records and autopsy details. Dr. Isaac rotated between the teams, providing her expertise in forensic anthropology and confirming whether or not the remains matched the demographic details of the person in question.
According to Special Agent Leslie Larsen, “Forensic anthropologists on scene are the instrumental piece that we need to make sure we are exhuming the correct bodies from the ground. They review the case files and autopsy reports then match those findings with the human remains uncovered by our dig site teams. Without on-site forensic anthropologists working with us, we would not be able to do these body recoveries.”
Over the course of the three day excavation, Operation UNITED was able to recover human remains from 21 individuals, bringing the running grand total of DNA samples to 121 individuals for the whole project. In short, 121 individuals who have been missing, some for decades, finally have the opportunity to be identified and properly laid to rest, thanks to the tireless efforts of everyone involved in Operation UNITED.
The Department of Anthropology is pleased to announce that the inaugural Whiteford Cultural Anthropology Field Work Scholarship was awarded to PhD student Juan Carlos Rico Noguera. With the financial support of MSU Anthropology alumni Aaron and Jill Whiteford, the Whiteford Cultural Anthropology Field Work Scholarship has been established to support graduate students in sociocultural anthropology in their field work endeavors, with preference given to those students conducting research in Latin America.
Rico Noguera’s research involves different ways of understanding the human experience, including the conceptual definition of the State, the role experts have in modern politics, and the way collective memory is produced by political agents. In particular, his research focuses on the Colombian armed conflict, which began in 1964. According to Rico Noguera, after almost 60 years of political violence, it is difficult to find a common understanding over questions such as: what are the causes of the Colombian political violence? Who is responsible for massive human rights violations, such as forced disappearing, targeted killings, massacres, forced displacement, torture, and kidnapping? Paintings in walls across the country, like the one pictured below, dispute pervasive narratives suggesting Colombia is a regular and stable democracy by reminding people of the prevalence of targeted killings that have become hallmarks of political violence.
A mural in Colombia reads, “They are disappearing us.”
Rico Noguera is interested in contributing to a better understanding of Latin American social processes and the Colombian politics associated with how its violent past is collectively evoked. Further, Rico Noguera intends to explore how communities with very different experiences and understandings of the Colombian past engage with transitional justice mechanisms. His research will involve institutions such as the Truth Commission and other organizations who have a legal obligation to clarify human rights violations and the causes of those violations.
The funds from the Whiteford Cultural Anthropology Field Work Scholarship will enable Rico Noguera to cover research expenses for the first phase of his dissertation research in Colombia. This phase of research will explore how three different communities engage with the Colombian State and its duty to remember 50 years of armed conflict. The first phase of this ethnographic study will take place in the offices of the “Institutional Memory” group, belonging to the Colombian National Police.
Rico Noguera would like to express his gratitude to Aaron and Jill Whiteford, as their generosity is enabling Rico Noguera to begin his dissertation field work in Colombia. Rico Noguera notes that the Whiteford scholarship has provided him with a vital asset in the scholarly world: a vote of confidence. He plans to use both the funds and confidence gained from the Whiteford scholarship to seek further funding and successfully complete his dissertation field work. Additionally, Rico Noguera expresses his appreciation for the guidance and support of his dissertation committee: Dr. Elizabeth Drexler (chair), Dr. Lucero Radonic, Dr. Mindy Morgan, and Dr. Edward Murphy.
The Department of Anthropology is pleased to announce that the National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Department of Anthropology Assistant Professor Joseph T. Hefner (Co-PI) and colleagues at the University of Kentucky (PI: Dr. Melissa Clarkson) a five year $1,447,281 grant to develop a standardized graphic library to assist clinicians and biomedical researchers in communicating anatomical concepts and patient-specific anatomy.
The project—Developing standardized graphic libraries for anatomy: A focus on human craniofacial anatomy and phenotypes—began Summer of 2021. The purpose of the graphic library is to support rapid and anatomically-accurate communication in clinical practice, medical education, and clinical research. The graphics will depict craniofacial anatomy, variation in phenotypes, and anomalies of clinical importance (such as orofacial clefting) and serve as standardized visual representations for information systems and software applications. The research team will develop graphical representations of both adult and developmental anatomy. Their work will include developing prototypes for two web-based tools—one incorporating graphics into the Human Phenotype Ontology and the other documenting craniofacial phenotypes and malformations in clinical settings.
As a biological anthropologist, Dr. Hefner brings both his knowledge of global human craniofacial variation and his understanding of biometric methods to this work. Dr. Hefner notes that his contribution to the project “will provide a more nuanced understanding of craniofacial anomalies to the clinician, based in part on a better understanding of human variation.”
Project PI, Dr. Clarkson, explained, “I am very happy to have Dr. Hefner on this project. Our goal is to clarify the definitions and classifications used to describe craniofacial phenotypes and malformations. Many definitions are based on population-level data. For example, ‘wide mouth’ is defined as the distance between the corners of the mouth greater than two standard deviations above the mean. But what does that look like in a living individual? Drawing that phenotype will depend on population-level data, and that data should reflect different ages and populations. Dr. Hefner will help us to understand population-level differences in phenotypes and how to incorporate craniometric and macromorphoscopic datasets into our work.”
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Hefner on this exciting, collaborative, and important new project!
“The National Institutes of Health is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, investing nearly $43 billion in fiscal year 2021 to enhance life, and reduce illness and disability. NIH-funded research has led to breakthroughs and new treatments helping people live longer, healthier lives, and building the research foundation that drives discovery.” For more information, visit www.nih.gov.
