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Bison Jumps, Public Archaeology, and the Great Plains with Chris Johnston - Ep 91

In this episode, we are joined by Chris Johnston who is the Operations Director and Project Archaeologist for the Paleocultural Research Group. As always, we kick off the episode investigating Chris's introduction to archaeology and how he turned in his Buffalo horns for Ram horns. We delve into the Paleocultural Research Group (PCRG), what it does, how it operates, and what it is like to work for them. We tie up the episode talking about how archaeology can often focus on the "micro-scale" of that past on how we, as archaeologists, can better bring back the "people-ness" to older archaeological components in our research and in the literature.

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Indigenous New England Tattooing Practices with Rebekah Lamb - Ep 90

In this episode, Carlton does a solo interview with Rebekah Lamb. Rebekah is pursuing her Bachelor's degree in Cultural Anthropology and Developmental Sociology and minoring in Archaeology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam-Zuidoost. Rebekah belongs to the Abenaki Tribe of the Wabanaki Confederacy as well as being a descendant of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Carlton and Rebekah talk about her research on Abenaki tattoo practices through apprenticeship ethnography, studying both the historical and contemporary significance and the revival of traditional tattooing culture within New England Indigenous tribes. We also discuss the challenges facing New England Indigenous Nation's cultural practices and history, issues of blood-quantum, decolonizing academia.

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Links

Rebekah Lamb on TEDxVUAmsterdam: Empowering Disabled Students in the University System

Literature Recommendations

  • Drawing with Great Needles by Aaron Deter-Wolf and Carol Diaz-Granados

    Aaron Deter-Wolf's Instagram: @archaeologyink

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  • Instagram: @appearingacademic

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Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

Pâripakûru’ with Zach Rice and Taylor Moore - Ep 89

In this special four-part episode we are joined by Zach Rice and Taylor to talk about how they are working on the reawakening of the Pawnee language. Both Zach and Taylor are citizens of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma and grew up in Pawnee, Oklahoma. We talk about growing up in Pawnee, where they went to school, what inspired them to pursue M.A.'s in Linguistic Anthropology at the University of Oklahoma. We dive into their M.A. Theses research, the relationships between Northern Caddoan Languages, working with the Pawnee Nation on the Pawnee Language Program, the challenges they face, and their goals for Pawnee language.

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Literature Recommendations

  • "A Dictionary of Skiri Pawnee" by Douglas R. Parks & Lula Nora Pratt

  • "We Still Live Here" a film by Anne Makepeace

  • "Bringing Our Languages Home: Langauge Revitalization for Families" by Leanne Hinton

  • "The languages of native North America" by Marianne Mithun

  • Volume 13 of the Handbook of North American Indians: Plains by Smithsonian Press

  • Volume 17 of the Handbook of North American Indians: Languages by Smithsonian Press

  • "When Languages Die" by K. David Harrison

  • "The Language Warrior's Manifesto: How to Keep Our Languages Alive No Matter the Odds" by Anton Treuer

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Annual Performance Review with Chris Webster - Ep 88

It's that time of the year again, Archaeology Podcast Network Director Chris Webster joins the lads for their annual "Performance Review". This episode doesn't cover much archaeology content but how the ongoing pandemic has affected the APN, what 2022 holds for the network, and how this podcast has been performing over the past year. Now, the annual review wouldn't be complete without Chris roasting Carlton, Connor, and David over their podcasting "ticks".

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Battlefield Archaeology with Ray Sumner - Ep 87

In this episode we are joined by Ray Sumner, a Ph.D. candidate in Anthropology at Colorado State University. Ray was a career U.S. Army officer prior to pursuing his Ph.D. in Anthropology, he reflects on his military experience and how it has shaped his research on Plains Indian Warfare during the late 19th century. Ray and Carlton find out they share a collegiate organization, we discuss the significance of Ray, and we conclude the episode with a conversation about Ray's continuing work for the Department of Defense's POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

Links

@The Julesburg Project on Facebook

@CampRankin1865 on Facebook

CSU Department of Anthropology and Geography and the Center for Mountain and Plains Archaeology (CMPA) Facebook sites

Literature Recommendations

  • Battlespace 1865: Archaeology of the Landscapes, Strategies, and Tactics of the North Platte Campaign, Nebraska (American Landscapes) by Doug Scott, Peter Bleed, and Amanda Renner.

  • Archaeological Insights into the Custer Battle: An Assessment of the 1984 Field Season by Doug Scott and Richard Fox, Jr.

  • A Sacred People: Indigenous Governance, Traditional Leadership and the Warriors of the Cheyenne Nation” and “A Sovereign People: Indigenous Nationhood, Traditional Law and the Covenants of the Cheyenne Nation by Leo Killsback.

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  • email

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Nor'eastern PaleoIndian Archaeology with Dr. Heather Rockwell - Ep 86

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Heather Rockwell, who is an Assistant Professor at Salve Regina University. Big surprise, she is another fellow University of Wyoming alum. We begin by asking about her developing years in archaeology and then delve into her choice of undergraduate and graduate programs. She explains how having a diverse committee for her Ph.D. at UW was ultimately helpful for her. We then ask Dr. Rockwell to do a deep dive into Northeastern Paleoindian Archaeology. We finish off talking about the academic job market and her upcoming paper with Dr. Madeline Mackie.

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A Conversation with Matt Reed: THPO for the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma - Ep 85

On this episode of A Life in Ruins Podcast, we interview Matt Reed. Matt is the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, We talk about how his families military service factored into his fascination with history and ultimately pushing him to study history as an undergraduate. We then talk about his academic career and how he got started at the Oklahoma Historical Society and what the goal of the society is. We talk about his change of careers and what he does as the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer. Matt and Carlton then detail their experience at the 2021 Plains Conference in Boulder, Colorado.

Links

Literature Recommendations

  • The Lost Universe by Gene Weltfish

  • Indian Sketches by John Treat Irving

  • An Unspeakable Sadness-The Dispossession of the Nebraska Indians by David Wishart

  • Some Things Are Not Forgotten by Martha Royce Blaine

  • Pawnee Passage by Martha Royce Blaine

  • 1491 by Charles C. Mann

  • 1493 by Charles C. Mann

  • Interpreting Our Heritage by Freeman Tilden

  • Pox Americana by Elizabeth Fenn

  • Encounters at the Heart of the World by Elizabeth Fenn

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  • Matt Reed's Twitter: @chauiboy

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The Anthropology of Castration with Dr. Kathryn Reusch - Ep 84

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Kathryn Reusch, who is a Conservation Technician in the Museum Conservation Department at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. We talk about her experiences in school in the UK, her graduate research, and then we take a deep dive into the painful topic of castration (and yes we mean human castration). Connor and Carlton pepper Dr. Reusch with questions about castration and learn more than they ever needed to know.

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Microfauna, Langmahdhalde, and being a Military Spouse with Dr. Gillian Wong - Ep 83

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Gillian Wong, who is an Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City, Missouri, and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Tuebingen. Dr. Wong chats with us about her early outdoor days, experiences at UC Davis, and how learning French has been useful for her in archaeology. We then delve into her thesis/dissertation work at the University of Utah and then in Germany. She pronounces the name of the site she worked on and Connor/Carlton fails to replicate her pronunciation. Dr. Wong then talks about her experiences being a military spouse and also some advice for those who are military spouses.

Literature Recommendations

Guest Contact

  • Twitter @GillianLWong

  • Email: gillian.wong368@gmail.com

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Bioarchaeology Across the World with Dr. Alex Garcia-Putnam - Ep 82

In this episode, we are chatting with Dr. Alex Garcia-Putnam who is the Assistant State Physical Anthropologist for the Department of Archaeology and History Preservation in Washington State. And how did we come across Dr. Garcia-Putnam? Well he is a UW graduate of course! We start out by recapping how we know each other and talk about Alex's awesome experience returning to US from Canada.

Alex talks about his experience growing up as a professors kid and how he got hooked on archaeology. We then discuss Alex's change of dissertation topic caused by the COVID19 pandemic and also discuss how bioarcheology can be used to talk about very relevant and interesting topics. We finish off talking about all the places he has worked as a bioarcheologist.

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Covid 19 Ruck Luck - With Lana Ruck - Ep 81

In this episode, we are joined again by Duel Ph.D. candidate in Anthropology and Cognitive Science, Lana Ruck. Lana first appeared on Episode 16, then Episode 41, and recently appeared on Episode 79. But on this episode, rather than talk about pseudoscientists or nerd out over paleo-anth with Ella, we’re going to catch up with Lana about her dissertation and the academic job market and why each pot and pan needs its own shelf in the kitchen. We recap her dissertation topic and talk about the effect the pandemic had on her data collection. Lana then talks about having to return money from the NSF and we finish out by talking about the academic job market and Lana's future trajectory.

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The "Mane" Event with Dr. William Taylor - Ep 80

For this episode, we are joined again by Dr. William Taylor, who first appeared on the podcast in episode 25. We start out by discussing Dr. Taylor's COVID experience as a new professor and how his museum projects had to change to adapt to the new COVID landscape. We then delve into the research surrounding the Lehi horse. Dr. Taylor explains his methods of analysis and how they can be used to tell us about individual specimens, while also contributing to the larger discipline. We then talk about his research on early horse domestication at the Botai site.

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"Seeing Red" Episode 14 Review with Emily Van Alst and Lana Ruck - Ep 79

In this episode of A Life in Ruins (originally recorded in the summer of 2020), Carlton chats with Rock Art Specialist Emily Van Alst and Lana Ruck, who teaches a course in Pseudoarchaeology. The three take a deep dive into Episode 14 - Our Ruined Lives with Bernie Taylor, to deconstruct Mr. Taylor's arguments and claims he made on the show. We review the individuals whom Mr. Taylor "name-drops" throughout his interview to sus-out their expertise and contextualize how they're being used in Mr. Taylor's arguments.

Lana illustrates the pseudoscience techniques and tactics that he employs, such as appeals to authority, inciting skepticism of the scientific process, and deflection of topics. Emily brings her expertise on Rock Art research to provide background and contemporary thought and method to the topic. The broad point that Carlton, Emily, and Lana make is that CONTEXT is important, and the purpose of this conversation is to respectfully provide context to Episode 14 and the claims that were made.

Guest Contacts

  • Lana's Twitter: @LanaRuck

  • Lana's Instagram: @LanaLately

  • ScIU's Instagram: @sciublog

  • Emily Twitter: @emilyvanawesome

  • Emily Instagram: @emilyvanawesome

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The Life of Bryon: An Interview with Dr. Bryon Schroeder and Connor Johnen - Ep 78

In this episode of A Life in Ruins, Connor does a solo interview with Dr. Bryon Schroeder. Dr. Schroeder was originally on Episode 15, where he discussed his career in archaeology and regaled us with tales about Texas archaeology that were sometimes, quite disturbing. Connor wanted to continue to talk with him about his research because it is very interesting. We talk about some of the work in caves he has been doing, his work with sloths, and catch up about the mummy we discussed in the original episode. This episode was originally recorded in July of 2020.

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The Gault in Our Stars: A Conversation with Dr. Robert Lassen - Ep 77

In this episode, we are chatting with Dr. Robert Lassen, a Principal Investigator for AmaTerra Environmental. Robert received his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee where he specialized in lithic technology and studied Clovis and Folsom archaeological cultures. He has worked at a multitude of sites throughout the Republic of Texas, including Gault. He's also worked at the Topper site in South Carolina. Robert is an expert flintknapper and was also David’s Human origins TA at the University of Tennessee. We talk about his inspiration from the goonies and his early years digging in the playground. Robert tells us about his experience with Texas archaeology and his love of lithic technology. We then delve deeply into why Texas archaeology is so cool and underappreciated and then close out with his experiences at the Gault site.

Literature recommendations

1) 2013 The Prehistory of Texas By Timothy K. Perrtula

2) 2010 First Peoples in a New World: Colonizing Ice Age America by David J. Meltzer

3) Texas Beyond History Website

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Something A-foot in White Sands National Monument with Dr. Shane Miller and Dr. Jesse Tune - Ep 76

Something's afoot. There is, yet again, another controversial preclovis find. This time, away from the West Coast and in New Mexico. The controversy surrounds human footprints found in White Sands National Park that are dated between 23 and 21 kya.

To discuss these possible pre-Clovis footprints, we invited Dr. Jesse Tune and Dr. Shane Miller on the show to contextualize the data. We begin with an open discussion about the recent published report and try to understand what the researches found at the site. We then chat about their controversy, how it’s hit the mainstream media, and what the ramifications of the repaint are for archaeology.

The conversation then turns into a open dialogue about scientific biases, as well as the role of Indigenous oral traditions and their incorporation into scientific theories.

Literature recommendations

  • 2020, Bennett et al., Walking in mud: Remarkable Pleistocene human trackways from White Sands National Park (New Mexico), Quaternary Science Reviews

  • 2018 Bustos et al., Footprints preserve terminal Pleistocene hunt? Human-sloth interactions in North America, Supplmentary Materials, Science Advances

  • 2021 Rachal et al., Lake levels and trackways: An alternative model to explain the timing of human-megafauna trackway intersections, Tularosa Basin, New Mexico, Quaternary Science Advances

  • 2021 Bennett et al., Evidence of humans in North Americaduring the Last Glacial Maximum, Science

  • 2020 Ardelean et al., Evidence of human occupation in Mexico around the Last Glacial Maximum, Nature

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Dr. Devin's Dissertation - Ep 75

Dr. Devin Pettigrew comes back on the show to talk about his doctoral dissertation on atlatl and bow weapon system ballistics. Devin first appeared on the show as a guest host back in episode 18.2 and then again as a guest for episode 19. You may also recognize him if you've checked out our YouTube channel.

We start off by talking about the dissertation process, what Devin's research question was, the methods behind his experiments, and data collection. We have an interesting conversation about the strengths and weaknesses of controlled vs uncontrolled experiments. Of course, that disgusting goat carcass gets brought up, but, Carlton is able to control his gag reflex. We close out the episode with a discussion on the results of Devin's doctoral research and how they relate to modern-day hunting practices in the West as well as raw material collection in the "Pre-white" times.

Literature recommendations:

http://basketmakeratlatl.com/

Guest Contact

Email: Devin.Pettigrew@colorado.edu

Instagram @ar.atlatl

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ARatlatl

Website: http://basketmakeratlatl.com/

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Tips, Tricks, and Dance Moves for Anthropology Undergrad and Grad Programs - Ep 74

In this episode of A Life in Ruins, we provide information about undergraduate and graduate school. We start off joking about our favorite episodes (all of them are our favorite) and then dive into things to consider when applying to undergraduate and graduate programs. We talk about our differing experiences in undergrad and the positives and negatives of each of our experiences. Importantly, we dive into how to research graduate programs, and factors surrounding how to choose a school are then discussed. We then wrap it up with other ridiculous conversations.

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Ancient Civ: Central America with Dr. David S. Anderson - Ep 73

On this episode of A Life In Ruins Podcast, we are joined by an early A Life in Ruins guest, Dr. David S. Anderson, to talk about the Origins of early states in Mesoamerica. Dr. Anderson first appeared on our show in episode 11 to talk about pseudoscience in archaeology, and we are excited to have him back on the show to discuss with us the real perpetrators of Central American megalithic structures and ceremonial centers. Dr. Anderson enlightens us about theories surrounding the emergence of complex civilization in Central America and then we delve into the Olmec and other Preclassic civilizations. We then get our minds blown about the size/scope of the El Tigre Pyramid and discuss some other Late Preclassic Maya sites. Dr. Anderson then teaches us about all things Maya.

Literature Recommendations

  • Olmec Archaeology and Early Mesoamerica by Christopher Pool

  • The First Maya Civilization: Ritual and Power Before the Classic Period by Francisco Estrada-Belli

  • Discovering the Olmecs: An Unconventional History by David C. Grove

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Arrrgh Ruined Lives with Maddy McAllister and Jamie Goodall - Ep 72

In this episode of we have the pleasure of hosting the most fan-requested crossover: The Shipwreck Mermaid and the Pirate Historian. Dr. Maddy McAllister, aka the Shipwreck Mermaid, is a Maritime archaeology Curator based out of Australia. Dr. Jamie Goodall is a staff historian with the US government. They are both popular social media personalities on Twitter and Instagram. We discuss their respective careers and how they use primary source data and archaeological reports. We discuss Black Jack Anderson and the lack of famous pirates near Australia. Dr. Goodall enlightens us with more information about Zheng Yi Sao and we chat about if it's possible to see evidence of piracy in shipwrecks. Dr. McAllister and Dr. Goodall end the episode with advice for students interested in maritime archaeology or maritime history.

Literature recommendations:

1) X Marks the Spot: The Archaeology of Piracy edited by Russell K. Skowronek and Charles R. Ewen

2) Pieces of Eight: More Archaeology of Piracy edited by Russell K. Skowronek and Charles R. Ewen

3) Why We Love Pirates: The Hunt for Captain Kidd and How He Changed Piracy Forever by Rebecca Simon

4) The Alliance of Pirates: Ireland and Atlantic piracy in the early seventeenth century by Connie Kelleher

5) Unfinished Voyages: Western Australian Shipwrecks 1622-1850 by Graeme Henderson

Guest Contact

Dr. Goodall's Instagram and Twitter: @l_historienne

Dr. Goodall's Website: jamiegoodall.com

Dr. McAllister's Instagram: @shipwreckmermaid

Dr. McAllister's Facebook

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