Elements Of Material Culture Research Articles

Material ethnicity: Maya textiles and Guna molas as sources of cultural distinctiveness and intellectual property

ABSTRACT In this article, we coin the concept of ‘material ethnicity’ when thinking about the centrality of certain elements of material culture in present redefinitions of ethnic boundaries, especially when these elements are misappropriated by outside actors and become subjects of legal regulation. By analyzing the cases of the Guna (also referred to as ‘Gunadule’) molas in Panama and Maya textiles in Guatemala, we aim to understand the role of Indigenous textiles in the fluid construction of ethnic identities. We explore the reasons why molas and Guatemalan textiles have become ethnic identifiers, drawing attention to their importance in the construction of corporeality, framing of gender relations, creation of knowledge, perception of appropriation, and temporality – five symbolic practices linked to the ownership of territory. Finally, we present several of the debates about the intellectual property of these textiles and conclude with some considerations on the significance of materiality for political constitution.

CULINARY GEOGRAPHY SCIENTIFIC DIRECTION NEW WORLD OF TOURISM

The article considers the importance of culinary geography in the training of specialists in the specialty 242 Tourism and recreation. Obtaining a higher education in the specified specialty in our country is directly relating ding to the activities of the departments that ensure the graduation of specialists - tourism experts for the needs of the country. The study of issues, problems and the nearest prospects of obtaining a professional higher education in tourism and recreation in Ukraine were intensifying by the authors' research due to the appearance of publications approximately since 2015. The analysis of curricula shows the introduction of culinary geography and the justification of the tourism education model at the departments of the Faculty of Geography of Ivan Franko Lviv National University, Yuri Fedkovich Chernivtsi National University, Volodymyr Hnatyuk Ternopil National Pedagogical University and other universities. As a resulting of the conducted research, new aspects of culinary geography were established. In recent years, interest in the "geography of nutrition" has grown rapidly. Reflecting the great popularity and public interest in all aspects of nutrition - from health issues, global hunger and malnutrition to climate change environmental destruction and animal welfare. The availability of a significant number of journal articles and books on various aspects of food geography creates prerequisites for teaching this subject in universities and colleges. The popularization of scientific research on the geography of food allows activating interest in the development and improvement of one's "geographic ideas" about food. Dishes and methods of their preparation are specific features of the national characteristics of each nation. Culinary geography is a systematic, multidisciplinary, integrated approach to the study of folk food as an important element of material culture. Folk food is an important element of material culture. Its composition and quality characteristics depend on many factors. These are primarily historical, socio-economic, cultural and household, geographical living conditions of the ethnic group, traditions, directions and degree of development of agriculture. Dishes and methods of their preparation are specific features of the national characteristics of each nation. A broad understanding of the study of everyday life, traditions of the material and spiritual culture of peoples, their origin (ethnogenesis) is engage ding in by a number of sciences that have their own unique research methods. In a narrow sense, culinary geography is a component of cultural geography. The geography of culture examines culture in geographic space, studies the spatial differentiation and diversity of its elements, their expression in the landscape and the connection with the geographic environment, as well as the reflection of geographic space in the culture itself. Thus, the arguments listed above for establishing the scientific direction of culinary geography allow us to outline its main definitions. First, we note that there is no single interpretation of the name of the scientific direction (academic discipline) of the problem of culinary geography. It is necessary to state that two main approaches have historically developed in the literature: 1) Food geography (quite a wide range of subjects); 2) Culinary tourism, culinary geography, nutrition in tourism, gastronomic tourism. Keywords: culinary geography, geography of food, culinary tourism, geography of tourist food.

Objects of Visual Representation and Local Cultural Idioms

ABSTRACT In this paper, I reconsider the meaning of decorated objects like painted pottery and seal impressions with geometric and image-bearing motifs in prehistoric contexts. In northern Mesopotamia, the 6th millennium b.c., known more broadly as the Halaf Period, is a time when pottery with intricate painted motifs and stamp seals of a remarkably uniform style comprised a notable component of the cultural assemblage across a wide expanse. Following Alfred Gell, and using the site of Tell Kurdu, a peripheral Halaf Period 6th millennium b.c. site located in the Amuq Valley of Hatay, I highlight the ways in which such wares were used, and I strive to view them within their context-dependent settings. The region, on the fringes of this cultural entity provides a unique opportunity to identify a local Amuq identity and the nuances of hybridity that come with the appropriation of new elements of material culture, including Halaf Period painted pottery.

PARADIGMS IN CRISIS: THE COVA DE MARCÓ (TIVISSA, TARRAGONA, CATALONIA) AND THE COEXISTENCE OF INCINERATION AND INHUMATION FUNERARY PRACTICES IN THE NORTHEASTERN IBERIAN PENINSULA DURING THE LATE BRONZE AGE

ABSTRACTParadigms such as the coexistence of incineration and inhumation funerary practices in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula during the Late Bronze Age are supported by the association of human remains with elements of material culture as guiding fossils. One example is the association established by Salvador Vilaseca in 1939 between the human remains and grooved pottery discovered in the Cova de Marcó in Tivissa (Ribera d’Ebre, Catalonia). This association has been accepted until today and even become a paradigm for the mixing of autochthonism (inhumation rites) with the introduction of material novelties such as grooved pottery and incineration rites during the first period of the Late Bronze Age. Direct radiocarbon (14C) dating of human remains from the Cova de Marcó shows that the remains originate from the Chalcolithic period. This indicates that there is no relationship between the sepulchral episode and the grooved pottery associated with it and used to date it. This disputes the paradigm regarding the coexistence of these two funerary practices during the Late Bronze Age and invites scholars to conduct a critical review using absolute dating techniques directly on the human remains of similar cases in order to verify or disprove the paradigm’s validity.

SEYİTÖMER HÖYÜK ERKEN TUNÇ ÇAĞI KİL FIRÇALARI

Abstract
 Seyitömer Höyük, located in Central Western Anatolia, emphasises the station settlement model, which is a transitional location in terms of geography and cultural-commercial relations via intensity of production both with its architectural structure template and material culture elements and in the 3rd millennium BC. Considering the lack of a detailed study on other samples of this archaeological find group in Anatolia, the evaluation of the clay brush handles belonging to the Early Bronze Age II and Early Bronze Age III levels that was found at Seyitömer Höyük can be considered as a unique study. The Seyitömer Höyük brush handles, which constitute the subject of this study, are the samples found in Levels V and VI. Various evaluations have been carried out on this group of finds in line with their typological classification, spatial context analysis and intended use. Seyitömer Höyük brush handles are typologically represented by three types. In the spatial context analysis, the necessity of evaluating the brush handles together with a finds package and therefore the association of finds within the sites has been taken into consideration. Thanks to the analyses carried out on this group of finds, the deficiency in the literature regarding to the intended use of the brush handles was tried to be overcome. Finally, analogical analyses of clay brush handles have been carried out in order to make comparisons with other examples in Anatolia, and thus to reveal the harmony or differences of the brushes among the material culture items of Seyitömer Höyük with other settlements. Initially, as a result of the comparative analysis, it can be observed that the brush handles from Seyitömer Höyük are similar in form and find context to the brush handles found in Western Anatolia. Secondly, the existence of common similarities with examples from regions other than Western Anatolia is also revealed. In this context, it is thought that the evaluation of the brush handles will contribute to the understanding of Seyitömer Höyük's cultural ties with the region and more distant regions.

Russian Sources of Qur’ānic Ethnography. III: Hajj from Russia in Russian intelligence Reports (Late 19th — Early 20th Centuries)

Archival material related to the activities of Russian intelligence in the late 19th — early 20th centuries that aimed at suppressing the spread of pan–Islamic and pan–Turkish propaganda within the Russian Empire and tracking hajji road networks continues to be of serious academic importance. Being the little–studied primary source to the history of Russian Islam they allow us to see the true goals of official St. Petersburg in its policy towards the world of Islam both within the empire and beyond its borders. The article is based on materials related to a series of trips of Russian intelligence officers to the Middle East (Staff Captain ‘Abd al–‘Aziz Davletshin (Istanbul, Jeddah, Mecca, Medina, 1898), Captain Boris Shelkovnikov (Baghdad, Mosul and Basra vilayets of the Ottoman Empire, 1902—1903), Captain Nikolay Terletsky (the Hejaz railway, 1904, 1910), Staff Captain Ilyas Chanyshev (Turkey, Afghanistan and India, 1909—1910), Panteleimon Antaki (Istanbul and Cairo, 1911). The title of the article may seem misleading, but at this stage our task is to present the possible sources of Qur’anic ethnography in all their completeness and originality. Specialists in Arabian ethnography are well aware of the phenomenon of long–term preservation of deeply archaic elements of material culture and economic activities in the region. In this regard, the material of those trips often turns out to be important for Qur’ānic ethnography as well. The commented publication of such material will be the second part of our work. Such British sources are very well known, and their texts are cited, among other things, for historical and ethnographic purposes. Meanwhile, the Russian sources in question remain virtually unknown.The results of Chanyshev and Antaki's trips go beyond the scope of the Qur’anic ethnography proper, but they are important for understanding the problems associated with the hajj from Russia in their entirety.

Migracje ludności morawskiej w kierunku północnym u schyłku IX i w X wieku i ich kulturowe konsekwencje

Migrations are an intangible phenomenon in archaeological research. However, relocations of larger groups of people may be of key significance to the development of older communities. The article is an attempt to indicate the elements of material culture that may be related to the relocation of people from various parts of Great Moravia to Bohemia, Poland and perhaps also Rus’. Possible similarities and differences will be indicated between the specific regions, accompanied by considerations of the way in which these migrations could have changed the cultural picture of the area in the 10th century.

KOKOSHNIK: A FEMALE HEADDRESS IN THE TRIANGLE OF TRADITION, TALISMAN, AND GENDER ROLES

Folk costumes, which are among the elements of material culture and concrete indicators of the lifestyle of individuals, carry the reflections of the life shaping beliefs from generation to generation. Because of these aspects, they are the target of Westernization movements while being embraced by a certain group as a symbol of national values. Kokoshnik, a traditional headdress worn by women, goes through a similar transformation process from the time it is first used to the date when it is pushed out of daily life due to ideological concerns. The headdress is named after the Old East Slavic word kokosh meaning “chicken”, because of its form similar to that of poultry’s comb. The tailors with specialized training in sewing this flamboyant headdress adorned with precious stones and embroidery, called kokoshnitsa, which also comes from the same root. In this review article, it is aimed to contribute to the international literature, which has been determined to be quite limited in terms of content and quantity. Studies that deal with kokoshniks both as a traditional headdress and an indicator of women’s marital status and social position, are evaluated through comparative method. This study, which compares the etymological studies of Russian ethnographers, folklorists, art critics, and linguists such as G. S. Maslova, N. I. Gagen-Torn, D. K. Zelenin, V. V. Stasov, V. I. Dal’ and S. I. Ojegov on kokoshnik, also includes current research. In all these studies, it is revealed that two basic tendencies gain importance: In early studies, the emergence of the headdress due to the religious superstition about uncovered hair brings bad luck is discussed and its function as a talisman is emphasized. The values symbolized by kokoshnik in the social status of women and in distribution of responsibilities within the family are also examined in the light of ethnographic data. However, in current studies, a critical perspective draws attention that the kokoshnik is reflected as an accessory that symbolizes traditional costumes in a stereotypical way, and thus, the Russian clothing culture, which has a very rich history indeed, is reduced to a monotonic image.

Oyunun Sakalı Bitmek Deyimi ve Anlamları

Deyimler ve kalıp yapılar konusunda Türkçenin zengin bir dil olduğu genel kabul görmüştür. Türkçenin bu deyim zenginliği geçmişten günümüze her edebî gelenekte karşılık bulmuştur. Bu geleneklerin en önemlilerinden biri de kuşkusuz klasik Türk edebiyatıdır. Klasik Türk edebiyatı şairleri şiirlerini mecaz, kinaye, tevriye, iham gibi pek çok sanata kapı aralayan deyimlerle yoğurmuş, bununla anlatımlarını daha etkili kılmışlardır. Klasik Türk edebiyatı geleneğinde bir dönemler kullanılan ve bugün kullanımdan düşmüş pek çok deyime tesadüf edilebilmektedir. Ayrıca bugün bildiğimiz ancak geçmişte bugünkünden farklı anlam özellikleri gösteren deyimlere de bu gelenekte tesadüf edilmektedir. Yine bazı deyimlerimizin bugün bilinmeyen maddi kültür unsurları ile ilgili kökenleri de bulunmaktadır. Bu yazıda bugün kullanılmayan ve anlamı konusunda genellikle eksiklikler görülen “oyunun sakalı bitmek” deyiminin anlam özellikleri üzerinde durulmuştur. Deyimin “sakalı bitmek” şekline dair örnekler de verilmiş, bunun yanında özellikle deyimin çıkış noktası, gerçek hayatla bağlantısına dair çıkarımlar yapılmıştır. Deyimin klasik Türk edebiyatı metinlerinin yanında masallarda da yer bulduğuna dikkat çekilmiştir.

Archers from Rag-i Bibi. Notes on the equipment depicted on Rag-i Bibi relief (Northern Afghanistan)

The rock relief discovered in Rag-e Bibi in Northern Afghanistan in 2002 remains an archaeological sensation. The archery equipment depicted there has not yet been studied. The article describes the bow cases combined with quivers and associates them with the same type of kit popular in Eurasia related with spread of the recurved bows with stiff bone or horn extensions of Xiong Nu/Hunnictype. This type of bows replaced shorter 'Scythian' type of bows in 1st-2nd century CE. The integrated bow case and quiver went out of use soon before the rise of the Sasanians therefore Rag-e Bibi cannot be linked with this dynastic art, based also on the depicted elements of material culture, as well as on stylistic grounds.

Женские погребения IV в. до н. э. со змеями из могильника у с. Лятошинка

Introduction. The article presents the results of the study of two burials of the 4th century BC with snakes from the Lyatoshinka burial ground in the Volgograd Transvolga region. Methods and materials. In the process of investigation, an interdisciplinary approach was used with the inclusion of a typological method, the method of analogies and cross-dating, methods of craniological research (craniometry and cranioscopy), as well as methods for analyzing skulls pathological states. Ethnographic data were used to draw conclusions about semantics. The sources of the study are the paired burials 8 and 10 of kurgan 5 of the Lyatoshinka burial ground and three female skulls. Analysis. As a result of studying the funeral rite and elements of material culture, both burials were linked to the 4th century BC. The analysis of the anthropological material makes it possible to attribute the craniological type of women to the type of ancient Eastern Caucasoids, which is widely represented in the synchronous materials of the Southern Urals and the Lower Volga region. The morphological feature of this skull group is the presence of traces of deliberate fronto-occipital cranial deformation. The pathological state study of the skulls revealed that all the three women had chronic periodontal disease and severe tooth wear. Results and their discussion. The comprehensive analysis of the features of the funeral rite and grave goods, as well as the presence of traces of artificial cranial deformation, which at that time is very rare, suggests the lifetime function of these three women as female clergy.

Architect Е. А. Aschepkov and Field Research in Altai and the Upper Ob Region in 1940–1950s: The Contribution into Ethnography of Russian Long-Term Residents (On the Materials of His Personal Fund of the State Archive of Novosibirsk Region)

Purpose. The research reveals the time and routes of field research expeditions of doctor of art history, architect Е. А. Aschepkov in Altai and the Upper Ob region, gives the assessment of conditions and methods of field research, as well as evaluates the source potential of documents of his personal fund in the State Archive of Novosibirsk Region for ethnography of Russian long-term residents. Results. The first expedition of Е. А. Aschepkov evidenced by the documents took place in the South of Western Siberia in the year 1943. The primary attention of the architect was concentrated on long-term residents' architecture characteristic of the Russian population of Rudny Altai. The second expedition in the territory of the present Kamensky district of Altai krai took place in August 1944. The choice was determined by the dominance of groups of the longterm resident Russian population. The result of both expeditions was gathering of significant selection of materials characterizing the elements of material culture of the Russian population connected with the settler body, serviceutility pictures of life in the period of conducting the expeditions, as well as the processes of development of peasant architecture of the years 1930–1940s, considered as consequences of Soviet state policy of influence that changed the layout of the village. Conclusion. The routes of surveyed villages of Altai and the Upper Ob region described in the article allow us to reveal the ethnographic heritage of the material culture of the long-term resident population of two regions – Rudny Altai and Kamenskaya Ob territory. Е. А. Aschepkov’s archive fund has a great source potential both on the ethnic groups of these regions and the methods of his field research work. The results of the research allow us to speak about the necessity of more active use of archive documents containing the information that is not fixed in field research. The interpretation of the expedition work of specialists from interconnected scientific spheres from the ethnographic point of view expands the capabilities of ethnography.

Trends and Trajectories in the Software Industry: implications for the future of work

In this study, we explore prominent contemporary technology trajectories in the software industry and how they are expected to influence the work in the software industry. Consequently, we build on cultural lag theory to analyze how technological changes affect work in software development. We present the results from a series of expert interviews that were analyzed using the Gioia method. Moreover, we identify a set of technology trends pertinent to software development from which we derive four main changes affecting the future of work in software development: (1) a shift toward scalable solutions, (2) increased emphasis on data, (3) convergence of IT and non-IT industries, and (4) the cloud as the dominant computing paradigm. Accordingly, this study contains insights into how technology (as an element of material culture) influences non-material culture, as exemplified by the work involved in software development.

Наименования деталей верховой упряжи коней в хакасском языке

The purpose of the study is to identify the composition of the vocabulary denoting details of the riding-horse harness in the Khakass language. The study is novel in that it is the first in Khakass linguistics to carry out a systematic analysis of the specified vocabulary. As a result of the study, the main word-formation models of the vocabulary have been identified. The etymological analysis of the names of details of the riding harness has shown that the basis of simple names are words of Turkic origin. The fact that there are many names of this small element of material culture indicates its importance in the economic and household activities of the Khakass people associated with the nomadic lifestyle.

ЖІНОЧІ ОБРАЗИ У ТВОРЧІЙ СПАДЩИНІ МИКОЛИ ПИМОНЕНКА

Ukrainian realistic painting became a symbol for the embodiment of the features of the traditional culture of the second half of the 19th – beginning of the 20th century. Mykola Pymonenko was one of the most striking painters among the outstanding artists who in their work turned to the development of themes and motifs from the everyday life of the peasantry. He skillfully depicted the color of the Ukrainian village, transferring the features of the profane and sacred times into traditional culture. His creative activity was closely connected with observation, and therefore the works demonstrate a high level of accuracy and reliability in the reproduced elements of material and spiritual culture. One of the important aspects that can be studied from Mykola Pymonenko’s paintings is the image of a woman in traditional culture. Pymonenko paid a lot of attention to depicting the feminine experience within the established system of social life in the Ukrainian village. Various age categories of women with different social status in individual contexts are presented among his creative works. The high level of the artist’s skill and his commitment to the standards of realistic painting allow us to compare the female images embodied in art with the realities of that time, showing, in parallel, a visual picture of a woman’s life in traditional society. Pymonenko reveals such aspects as family and relative ties, socialization, work, holidays and others, actually covering all components of human life. At the same time, detailing the elements of material culture allows to supplement the received information and form a clearer picture of a woman in traditional Ukrainian culture. Mykola Pymonenko managed to form a stable image of a woman in his work, at the same time, preserving its variability and demonstrating the uniqueness of each of them. Taking into account the fact that in traditional culture women often played a passive role, had to obey the patriarchal attitudes of the society of that time, Pymonenko in his works focuses mainly on female images, trying to reveal them as multifaceted and extraordinary.

TUNCELI'S HISTORY IN STONE: A RAM-SHEEP-HORSE SHAPED TOMBSTONE AND THE BALBAL TRADITION

Gravestones, which fall into the material dimension of cultures, are very important cultural objects. They are monuments that give important information about the cultural world to which they belong, with their shapes and some symbols engraved on them, rather than the objects erected on the graves materially. Especially for the old Turkish cultural world, which does not leave much in terms of written sources, tombstones, objects bearing the traces of traditions, are first-hand sources that provide information about the character of the culture and the history of the people. This situation is valid in Tunceli region, about which there are not enough written sources. In this sense, within our study, firstly, ram, sheep, horse shaped stones and the historical dimension of the balbal tradition were examined, then the traces of these material artifacts in the Tunceli region were examined and their historical evaluation was made. Finally, the examples and historical depths of the ram, sheep, horse shaped tombstone and balbal tradition in different geographies are discussed. As a result of the study, it has been understood that the ram, sheep, horse shaped tombstones and balbals in Tunceli region are concrete examples of old Turkish material culture elements and Eurasian animal style. Again, the similarities of the motifs on the tombstones with the works in the Central Asian geography and Eurasian steppes were determined.

Greek History

I commence this review with a major contribution to the social history of classical Athens. Athenian social history is traditionally focused on polarities of class, status, and gender; while these polarities were obviously important, it is equally significant to adopt an interactionist approach and explore the shape of encounters between people belonging to the same or different groups. Rafał Matuszewski has chosen to focus on the interactions and communication between male Athenian citizens: in particular, the various spaces in which those interactions took place, as well as the means of communication. As regards the spaces, he explores in detail the noisy streets, the Agora, the various shops, workshops, and places of commensality and entertainment, the baths, the gymnasia, and the palaestrae. This is an excellent synthesis of a large number of social spaces in classical Athens, which have never been explored in the same detail as, for example, sanctuaries and cemeteries. Equally fascinating is the second part of the work and its detailed exploration of the body as a means of communication, alongside elements of material culture like clothes, houses, and graves. The wealth of material that is collected and examined and the interactionist framework employed have the potential to revolutionize how we study Greek social and cultural history; it is to be hoped that Anglophone readers will make the effort to engage seriously with this important German book.

Особенности традиционного костюма карачаево-балкарского народа

The study aims to identify similarities and peculiarities of the Karachay-Balkars’ national costume and that of the neighboring peoples of the North Caucasus region. The article discusses certain differences of the Karachay-Balkars’ national costume, which is many generations’ heritage. It is quite rightly noted that it is possible to determine a costume wearer’s ethnicity by its decoration, cut, jewelry. Scientific novelty of the study lies in carrying out a comprehensive analysis of the Karachay-Balkars’ traditional costume, its comparative analysis with the neighboring peoples’ costume, which will add to the knowledge of all those who are interested in ethnic culture issues. As a result, it is proved that social differences were expressed more vividly in the national costume than in other elements of material culture. At the same time, prestige played an important role, great attention was paid to the costume during various festive events.

THE LATE MEDIEVAL CITY OF THE CHU VALLEY (XIII-XVI CC.)

This article examines the role of the Aspara settlement. The article provides archaeological data on the topographic features, found elements of material culture, the possibility of reconstruction of cultural, social life, based on historical, archaeological, ethnographic data about the medieval city. Archaeologi­ cal research in recent years has largely clarified the state of sedentary culture in the Shu­Talas valley. The circle of monuments of the late Middle Ages expanded, collections of material culture were replenished. In the cities of the late Middle Ages, the cultural layers are not very pronounced; they are of certain inter­ est as an indicator of the general state of the sedentary culture of that period. In addition, the archaeo­ logical materials of the 13th­16th centuries, despite their paucity, deserve attention, since the presence of a local agricultural population in medieval sources and folk was noted in the absence of cities. Aspara is a city surrounded by long walls with dimensions strikingly different from other settlements that existed at that time. Long walls were a kind of indicator of economic and political influence. According to this and other criteria described in this article, Aspara is a unique archaeological site of medieval urban culture on the territory of Kazakhstan. Key words: late Medieval age, culture, archaeology, the Shu Valley, Aspara, Andas Batyr.  

Historical Memory of Ainu through Material Culture in Japanese Literary Text: An Analyses of Tsushima Yuko’s Work

This research discusses the elements of material culture in the literary text of Jakka Dofuni Umi no Kioku no Monogatari by Tsushima Yuko in presenting historical memories of the Ainu as one of the indigenous people in Japan. Material culture is a study carried out through objects (artefacts) to see social markers, historical traces, social knowledge, and the identity of a particular nation or society. This research aims to reveal the history and identity of the Ainu as shown through material cultural objects and how the characters in the text interpret these objects. Qualitative approaches and narrative structures as research methods are used to analyze this literary text. Besides, memory theory is also used to reveal collective memories related to Ainu history and identity. The results show that the Jakka Dofuni museum with various artefacts presents historical memory and Ainu identity through the narrator's discussion and figures in narratives text. The spirit consolation monument (ireihi), which was built in the area of the Jakka Dofuni museum, is an object of memory of remembrance for local people from the Ainu and Uilta tribes who were victims of war during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1945). The collection of cultural artefacts and the life history of Gendanu as the owner of the museum with the identity problems he experienced can be interpreted as a form of markers that confirm Ainu's identity.