Museum Of Anthropology Research Articles

Cotton Production in Central Asia in the Photo Collections of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (1870 — the 1930s)

The paper endeavours to contextualize the photo collections of 1870 — the 1930s from the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (MAE), featuring cotton growing and production in Central Asia, that have until now played a preeminent role in the life of the region. Throughout centuries, this agricultural crop has had a particular significance in the development of the local trade and crafts. The crop gained an additional economic significance after Central Asia's incorporation into Russia. The MAE photo collections on cotton production in Central Asia include almost every stage of growing, cotton ginning and even cotton textile production. The earliest photographs mainly depict the pre-treatment steps of cotton processing, including boiling out, batting, scutching, and spinning (“The Turkestan Album”, F. Hordet). The primitive process of cotton ginning dominated in the region for years. The primary stages of cotton growing are depicted in the photographic materials of later years, specifically the 1920s and 1930s (including photographs of loosening the soil, sorting out and planting the seeds, weeding the young crops, picking the raw cotton, transporting, storing and ginning it.

Consultation, Collaboration, and Consent: Decolonizing and Indigenizing Archival Research

Abstract: Archival research that involves Indigenous-related collections should center and prioritize Indigenous interests and goals regarding the materials. Professionals within these spaces are responsible for taking actions to build safe connections between collections and the communities they represent. Archival materials are often overlooked as relationship-building opportunities. This paper explores collaborative efforts between the Indiana University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and Native partners whose histories are found in collections at the institution, as well as how policies and procedures are changing to be a more inclusive space. Though museums are often the focus of NAGPRA-related conversations, we also emphasize that archives may contain NAGPRA-eligible materials and discuss a few of those instances. Repatriation, whether or digital or physical, remains a valid strategy for returning archival materials but like all consultation, relies on the circumstance. Ultimately, we argue that professionals should return control of appropriate Indigenous materials to their source communities which takes steps towards indigenizing and decolonizing archival research. (158 count)

Experience in field research and collecting work in the Sinhalese environment in the 21st century

The Sinhalese people, the main population of Sri Lanka, have a rich and original culture, the study of which remains an interesting and urgent task. The author focuses on the experience of her field research in the Sinhalese milieu in the 1970s–80s and, in more detail, in the 21st century, when she made three expedition trips to Sri Lanka (in 2009, 2013 and 2014). Most interesting for her it seemed to uncover the possible innovations in everyday life, in material culture, in people’s mood. In addition, the author (partly in collaboration with colleagues from the Russian Ethnographic Museum and the State Hermitage) achieved some specific goals. In 2013, it was the search for the latest data on the status of the Veddas, the descendants of the island’s autochthons; in 2014 — a thorough acquaintance with the Sinhalese traditional handicraft production. This task was facilitated by the appearance in Sri Lanka of certain novelties interesting for the ethnographer — special original locations for studying and popularizing the Sinhalese folk culture and life, in particular, in the form of the “Ape Gama” Museum (Our village) and the ecological and ethnographic center “Gama Gedara” (Village House). The author also notes the significant assistance of her scholarly Sinhalese colleagues (historians, archaeologists, philologists) and some Buddhist monks. In the final part of the article, she shows how traditions and innovations coexist in the modern Sinhala craft (as visualized in the exhibits donated by her to the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) RAS).

Археологические коллекции эпохи дзёмон в фондах Музея антропологии и этнографии (Кунсткамера) им. Петра Великого РАН

Статья посвящена анализу и дополнительному освещению археологического материала эпохи дзёмон из коллекции А.В. Григорьева (№ 1294), которая хранится в архиве Отдела археологии Музея антропологии и этнографии (Кунсткамера) им. Петра Великого РАН (г. Санкт-Петербург). Акцент в работе сделан на описании декоративных сюжетов и определении стилистической принадлежности отобранных образцов керамики. За основу анализа взяты опубликованные данные по раковинной куче Оомори (г. Токио, о-в Хонсю), которую в 1878 г. посетил А.В. Григорьев в рамках научной экспедиции Императорского Русского географического общества. Рассмотрены вопросы по раннему этапу формирования археологии как науки в Японии в контексте раскопок раковинной кучи Оомори. Пристальное внимание уделено описанию археологического материала с акцентом на особенностях орнаментации керамики эпохи дзёмон. Точная географическая привязка сборов к памятнику Оомори дала возможность отнести отобранные образцы к стилям Касори Б и Хориноути. В основу работы положена стилистическая интерпретация материала, а не технико-типологическое описание, характерное для отечественной археологии. Комбинации из крупных элементов зонированного орнамента прямоугольной формы и спиралевидного мотива являются отличительной чертой керамики стиля Касори Б. Наличие подобных декоративных элементов на ряде фрагментов позволяет отнести их к этому стилю. На серии других образцов выявлены вертикальный и горизонтальный узоры из прочерченных дугообразных и прямых линий — особенность декоративной композиции стиля Хориноути.

Equivocal decolonizations. The Case of Anthropological Museums in Spain

El artículo revisa los debates generados en la prensa española sobre la presunta descolonización de los museos estatales, una idea presentada en público por el director de un museo nacional en octubre de 2022, pero negada desde el ministerio. Se comentan las reflexiones y actuaciones desarrolladas por el ámbito académico y el activismo político en torno a esa misma idea y se valoran las iniciativas llevadas a cabo por los dos principales museos antropológicos del país: el Museo Nacional de Antropología (Madrid) y el Museu Etnològic i de Cultures del Món (Barcelona). El texto concluye con sendas propuestas de futuro sobre el MNA.

Население Кумо-Манычской впадины эпохи средней бронзы: палеодемографический анализ (по материалам археологических раскопок на территории Республики Калмыкия 1965–2001 гг.)

Introduction. This work is devoted to research of the population living on the territory of the Republic of Kalmykia during the Middle Bronze Age. The object of the study was anthropological material from burials of the Catacomb culture excavated in the area of the Kuma-Manych depression, one of the landscape-geographical zones on the territory of the republic. The purpose of the study is a paleodemographic analysis of anthropological materials from four burial mounds: Eastern Manych, Chograisky, Ostrovnoy and Zunda Tolga. Materials and methods. The materials for the study were bone remains from the burial grounds of the Kuma-Manych depression, stored in the collections of the Kalmyk Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as data from a craniological series from the Vostochny Manych burial ground, stored in the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of St. Petersburg. The study used traditional anthropological methods, as well as programs developed for constructing mortality tables and assessing pathological conditions on bone remains. Results and conclusions. Research has shown that the population of the Kuma-Manych depression is similar in some paleodemographic indicators to synchronous groups living on the territory of the republic, which is expressed in the average age of death of the adult population and the sex ratio in the group. But it is distinguished by high rates of the final age cohort, a small difference in the average age of death in the male and female groups, which is not traditional for societies of that period. This work contributes to the introduction of new anthropological data into scientific circulation.

National Anthropological Museum: A Review of Sixteen Years of Experience

National Anthropological Museum: A Review of Sixteen Years of Experience

Fourth and fifth seasons of the Nubian Archaeological and Anthropological Expedition of the Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Lomonosov Moscow State University at the Sites of Deraheib and Onib (the Republic of Sudan). Part I. Survey

Introduction. The Nubian expedition of the Lomonosov MSU carried out survey in the Onib Depression in December 2022. The survey revealed several surface scatters and two stone age sites Onib-1 and Onib-Outcrop. Materials and methods. The materials for the article were artifacts (stone tools and debitage, fragments of ceramics) discovered at the surface scatters and sites as well as samples for OSL dating, loss-on-ignition and pollen analysis taken from sites. For comparison, we used stone tools discovered by the Nubian expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1961-1963. The artifacts found at the sites were documented (marked on a map, photographed and described). Several samples for OSL dating were taken at both sites. Sample preparation and gamma spectrometry, as well as OSL measurements, were conducted by standard methods. Analysis of the decoration of ceramic fragments found at the Onib-1 site was carried out. Also, based on the prepared thin sections, a technological and petroglyphic analyses of the obtained fragments were carried out. Samples were taken from different layers of the sites Onib-1 and Onib-Outcrop to determine the content of organic residues and spore-pollen analysis. Sample preparation and analysis were carried out following the standard procedures. Results and Discussion. Analysis of the finds made at the sites indicates that the entire Wadi al-Allaqi region from the Red Sea Mountains to the Nile Valley was inhabited during the Neolithic period. OSL dating for Onib-1 and Onib-Outcrop sites indicates that the sedimentary deposits were formed during the Neolithic Subpluvial. These data are also confirmed by the results of ceramic analysis. The layers in which the ceramic fragments were found can be dated back to the 3rd millennium BC. Petrographic analysis of thin sections of ceramics from Onib-1 site indicates the use of local material for the manufacturing of ceramics. The results of loss on ignition analysis did not reveal a sufficient content of organic residues for a comprehensive paleoecological study that overall indicates unfavorable conditions for the accumulation of organic matter in the studied deposits. Conclusion. The results obtained indicate high prospects of continuing field research in the Onib Depression aimed at discovering and excavating Neolithic sites. @ 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Каталог слепков палеонтологических находок приматов Музея антропологии МГУ

Natural science museum collections are an important source of materials for scientific research. The Museum of Anthropology has a collection of casts from paleontological finds of primates. This catalog has never been published before. This work contains information about the composition and history of the formation of the collection. Materials and methods. Documents from the Archive of the Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University and articles in journals became the basis for writing this work. Analytical and chronological research methods were applied in the study. Results and discussion. The section "Brief information on the history of the formation of the collection" contains information about the sources of replenishment of the paleoprimatological collection, the names of the scientists who transferred the items, the geography of receipts are given. The items were combined into collections on the grounds that they came from the same source at the same time. The "Collection catalog" is represented by a table. The finds are divided by geological periods, listed in alphabetical order within the period. Conclusion. A catalog of casts of finds of representatives of the order Primates (excluding the genus Homo) is presented in the article. In the course of working with the documents, we discovered that not all the accompanying papers were preserved. Work on reconstructing the history of the receipt of paleontological casts of primates will continue. @ 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Technological study of the “La Paya” ceramic collection from Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera, Russia)

Technological study of the “La Paya” ceramic collection from Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera, Russia)

Multi-method analysis of a historic wooden trough from Kentucky, USA: a case study in corroborating artifact oral histories with heritage science

Oral history indicates that a large wooden trough held in storage at the University of Kentucky’s William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology was a component of the saltpeter mining operation in Mammoth Cave in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, worked largely by enslaved persons. We used multiple heritage science methods, including radiocarbon wiggle-match dating, tree-ring dating, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDS), and optical scanning, combined with historical research, to examine the trough. Our analysis supports the oral history of the trough as an artifact of the mining system in Mammoth Cave. This case study illustrates how heritage science methods can provide corroboration for the origins and biographies of poorly documented historical artifacts.

«Rimpiango proprio che l’umidità m’abbia per sempre guastata una fotografia». Elio Modigliani, le fotografie dell’isola di Nías (1886-1889) e la colorazione automatica di immagini antropologiche. Spunti e ricerche

Elio Modigliani collected images from the island of Nías, which he then published in A journey to Nías (1890). Many of these images refer to materials held and exhibited by the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology of the University of Florence. Here we conducted some trials on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) not only to colorize them, but also to retrieve information from the images useful for restoration and conservation. Modigliani's photographs are of particular interest. They illustrate and integrate his reflections on the use of photography for anthropological field research, offer valuable information on shooting techniques and on the original condition and colors of the artifacts. Although AI may not always reconstruct with absolute fidelity the original colors, especially for clothing, our results provides important guidelines for analysis and allows a cogent discussion of the possibilities of AI technology in anthropological research.

Sopra un dagherrotipo conservato nel Museo di Antropologia di Firenze

The article tells the story of a daguerreotype conserved in the photo library of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology, SMA, of the University of Florence. It is the portrait of a young South American native, taken in a photographic studio in Tarija, Bolivia. The client was Paolo Mantegazza, founder of the Florentine Museum and the first scholar in Italy to establish the chair of Anthropology. After a historical reconstruction of the circumstances in which Mantegazza had the portrait executed, the theoretical assumptions underlying the scholar's convictions and writings are examined.

REVIEW ON THE BOOK "EAST EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS OF THE MAE RAS". SPB.: MAE RAS, 2022. 356 Р. (COLLECTED WORKS OF THE MAE. VOL. LXIX)

The review analyzes a collection of articles devoted to Eastern European collections from the collections of the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Kunstkamera, St. Petersburg). In it the museum's staff reviewed the history of collecting, exhibiting and studying materials on the Russian North, central regions of Russia, the Volga region and Belarus, presenting to the readers interested in the study of traditional culture of the peoples of Eastern Europe the rich ethnographic heritage of the museum, mainly related to the 19th - early 21st centuries.

Experimenting with museography: the Musée des Confluences in Lyon

ABSTRACT This article examines innovative forms of museography and their relationship to national narratives involving history, memory and locality. It seeks to assess how definitions of culture have shifted towards world culture and to what extent it can be argued that a radical approach to the anthropology museum or musées de société (also known as world culture museums) has emerged. The discussion is centred on recent exhibitions and iconic objects displayed by the Musée des Confluences in Lyon and the cultural imagination they seek to promote with both local and international visitors. New avenues in creating cosmopolitan civic forms of memories disconnected from colonial legacies will be examined.

Частота встречаемости внутреннего лобного гиперостоза у представителей адаптивных типов по данным краниологии

Introduction. Hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI) is a pathological condition characterized by the growth of the inner surface of the frontal bone. Most researchers describe HFI as a symptom associated with hormonal dysfunctions, which prevails in the modern population. This paper provides an analysis of HFI frequency on the craniological material of four adaptive types. Materials and methods. We have examined 2211 skulls (59 craniological collections from the Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, RAS and Federal Research Center of the Tyumen Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences). We have analyzed the total frequency of HFI, used a comparative intergroup analysis, and evaluated the degree of HFI expression and the distribution of the trait. Results and discussion. It was found that the frequency of HFI in groups of arctic, continental and temperate adaptive types ranged from 2.3% to 4.3%, which is significantly less than in the modern population (12-37%). In the group of the tropical adaptive type, HFI was not found. As a result of a comparative study of the severity of cases of frontal hyperostosis, type A was the most common, HFI type B was less common, and type C was recorded only for one individual of the Arctic adaptive type. The reasons for the relatively low prevalence of HFI in representatives of various adaptive types are discussed. Conclusion. According to a low frequency of HFI in studied adaptive types comparing to data in modern population can be considered that adaptation to environment and life style is more important than climate and geographical features. @ 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Краниологическое исследование черепов из двух гуннских погребений из Крыма (Усть-Альминский некрополь, IV–V вв. н. э.)

Introduction. The invasion of the Huns in Europe, which became the cause of the Great Migration of peoples, could not but leave a significant archaeological trace. However, only a small number of Hun burials are currently known, most of which were discovered accidentally in the middle of the 20th century, which makes each newly discovered burial unique, and their comprehensive study and publication of individual data is important for subsequent research. Materials and methods. During the excavations in 2021–2022, two Hun burials were discovered in the Ust-Alma necropolis. One of them belonged to a young man, the second to an elderly woman. The good preservation of both skeletons, in particular their skulls, allowed for a complete craniological examination. In addition, a children's Hun skull from the Belyaus settlement was examined, which is in permanent storage at the D. N. Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology. Results. As a result of the work carried out, it was found that both individuals from Ust-Alma have the same type of skull deformation – high annular (according to the classification of E.V. Zhirov). However, the deformation methods were probably different. The deformation of the skull of a child from Belyaus is defined as occipital with right-sided asymmetry of the occiput. Craniophenetic data do not indicate the relationship of individuals buried in the Ust-Alminsky burial ground. Craniometric data indicate a mixed origin of the crimean Huns. Conclusion. Due to the small number of Hun burials from Ust-Alma, as well as individual data on Hun skulls in the scientific literature, it is difficult to conduct a statistical analysis based on craniological data. Within the typological approach, for a number of features, the male skull was characterized as Caucasoid, and the female as Mongoloid. Thus, new craniological data on rare Hunnic skulls introduced into scientific circulation will increase the comparative base for further research. @ 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Из фондов Музея антропологии МГУ. Фотографии народов Северного Кавказа в экспозиции Антропологической выставки 1879 года: карачаевцы

Introduction. This publication is the second in a series of articles devoted to the description of the collection of photographs of representatives of the peoples of the Kuban region, and is devoted to the study of a part of the collection, including photographs of Karachays. Materials and methods. The basis of the work was a collection of photographs collected by E.D. Felitsyn (1848-1903), presented by him at the Anthropological Exhibition of 1879 in Moscow and kept in the funds of Anuchin Scientific Research Institute and the Museum of Anthropology of Lomonosov Moscow State University. Results and discussion. Photographs of the Karachays of the Batalpashinsky district (now the village of Batalpashinsky - the city of Cherkessk) are described and analyzed. Of these: two photographs of children (8 years old), four photographs of men (19, 37, 70 и 72 years old) and one photograph of a woman (57 years old). The authorship of the studied images has been established. All of them belong to the Russian photographer, the owner of one of the very first photo workshops in Tiflis, Vladimir Barkanov (1826-1892). A description is given of one of the famous dynasties of Karachay - the Krymshamkhalov princes, whose representative is depicted in the picture of the studied photo collection. A summary of literary anthropological information about the Karachavians of this period is presented. Conclusion. The presented materials are unique, have scientific, historical and documentary value and significance, allowing to determine the authenticity of the person depicted in the photo, and its dynasty, as well as to obtain a lot of information about the typical realities of the depicted era, in particular, the features of his life, costumes, customs, environment habitats, as well as the implementation of a comparative anthropological and historical and cultural analysis. @ 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Decolonizing Museums: Toward a Paradigm Shift

This review examines the discourses and practices that have produced a lively literature on museum decolonization created by scholars of museum practices and curators. We consider the trajectory of decolonization efforts in museums, focusing especially on the care of Native North American heritage, with comparison to similar trajectories internationally. We begin with a discussion of decolonizing moments in theory and practice, with particular attention to 1990s critique of ethnographic museums and developments after the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Following this discussion is a review of works on concerns regarding Native American representation and public displays, involvement in collections care, and the varied collaborations that are changing museum practices. The final section foregrounds the fluorescence of tribal museums and their contributions to the decolonization and indigenization of museums, as well as emerging paradigm shifts in both the anthropology of museums and anthropology in museums.

On stone tools and the ‘prehistoric’: The value of Tasmanian Aboriginality at the Smithsonian

ABSTRACT This article examines the meaning of Indigenous objects in cultural institutions. The 2019 research at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History out of which it emerged started with the one Tasmanian Aboriginal item in the online database, a single stone tool, and ended with the more than 230 Tasmanian stone implements in the collection. In approaching the ‘museum as method’ (Thomas, Nicholas. 2010. “The Museum as Method.” Museum Anthropology 33 (1): 6–10), my deep engagement with the various stages of meaning and value creation that occurred before, during, and after these objects entered the collection clarifies this central discrepancy. These processes gain clarity in relation to Shryock and Smail’s insights into containers (Shryock, Andrew, and Daniel Lord Smail. 2018a. “On Containers: A Forum. Introduction.” History and Anthropology 29 (1): 1–6; Shryock, Andrew, and Daniel Lord Smail. 2018b. “On Containers. A Forum. Concluding Remarks.” History and Anthropology 29 (1): 49–51) and Morphy’s on museums and infinity (Morphy, Howard. 2020. Museums, Infinity and the Culture of Protocols. London: Routledge). Despite associations with prevalent discourses of extinction and primitivity these objects, by virtue of being contained, have stories left to tell.