A Rising Star: What We Currently Know About Homo naledi

Artistic rendition of Homo naledi (Image Source: National Geographic)

 
The subfield of physical anthropology is one of the most diverse of the anthropological subfields, but one division of that subfield is getting quite a bit of notice as of late.  In the past few years several new discoveries of hominids have brought a great deal of attention to physical anthropology and paleoanthropologists, as well as caused a shift and reanalysis in our current understanding of our ancient human origins.  The most recent announced discovery of Homo naledi is the topic of today's blog post, which will discuss what this hominid species means for our current understanding of both human biological and cultural evolution.

The discovery of Homo naledi is actually due to two adventurers, Steven Tucker and Rick Hunter, who in 2013 were exploring the Star cave system in South Africa.  They had heard that there was potential for great discoveries to be found in those caves.  Their explorations led them to a very narrow crevice that seemed to have been unexplored.  The two men, who were lithe in build, were able to squeeze through the crevice, which led to the discovery of bones on the cave floor.  The men thought they had discovered a recent burial, and they brought this find to the attention of local paleoanthropologist, Dr. Lee Berger.  Berger had previously discovered Australopithecus sediba.  He realized that there were more to the bones than what the two novice explorers had believed, but he also recognized that he could not explore the cave himself.  So he put out a call on Facebook seeking small bodied individuals with extensive knowledge of physical anthropology and paleontology, tolerance of being in small and confined places for extended periods of time, etc.  Surprisingly enough, he got over fifty applications but ultimately chose a select few-all women-to join his excavation team.
  
This team worked over two field seasons and collected over 1500 skeletal elements that represent at least 15 individuals, ranging in age from infancy to adulthood.  This discovery was thoroughly analyzed by Berger, the excavation team, and several other scholars, and they all reached the same conclusion: these remains belonged to a whole new and unknown species of hominid.  The species was named Homo naledi, receiving its namesake from the caves that yielded their discovery.  This species exhibits diagnostic traits found in both Australopithecine and Homo species.  A break down can be found in Table 1.  Despite sharing traits with species found in both genera Homo naledi was ultimately classified in the Homo genus due to its systems of locomotion, mastication, and manipulation being so closely related to the Homo species.  Ultimately, this decision is not without heated debate, primarily due to a lack of date associated with this species.  A date cannot be determined at this time because the sediments found in situ (in association) with the skeletal remains are unable to be dated as the best dating techniques require volcanic rock, which was not present.

Table 1: Traits of Homo naledi (Similarities by Genus)

Also under debate is the cultural assertions that Berger has made.  Berger claims that the species were found in such a pristine and complete condition that they must have been intentionally left there.  Further analysis of the remains seems to support this notion as the remains do not exhibit predator marks, which would be suggestive of these individuals having been killed and dragged away.  Berger, who currently believes that the physiological evidence of the species puts them at existing as early as 3 million years ago,believes that Homo naledi would be the earliest species to practice intentional burials.  Again, no definitive date can be assessed at this time, and some scholars believe that this species can be as young as 100,000 years old, which would make it contemporaneous with other hominid species that intentionally buried their dead.  At the present time, it is unclear if the species did indeed intentionally bury their dead and if this is the first incidence or further evidence of a systematic trend among hominid species.

Ultimately, the discovery of Homo naledi enhances our current understanding of hominid evolution and human origins.  As suggested by Berger hominid evolution may not be similar to a tree branch in the sense that a linear progression of species gave rise to the next generation of species that ultimately led to Homo sapiens.  Instead hominid evolution was more similar to a braid, which is where multiple species interbred and different traits were selected for, ultimately producing Homo sapiens.  This idea is supportable regardless if this species is 3 million or 100,000 years old.  As well, the discovery of Homo naledi demonstrates that there is more yet to be discovered in regards to hominid evolution, and that there remains many questions and hopefully someday the answers.  

 

Bibliography

Bascomb, B.  2015.  “Archaeology’s Disputed Genius”.  Nova Next.  Website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/evolution/lee-berger/

Berger et al.  2015.  “Homo naledi, a new species of the genus Homo from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa.”  eLife 4: 1-35.  Website Accessible: http://elifesciences.org/content/4/e09560

    

Keep, S.  2015.  “Is There Anything Truly Surprising About Homo naledi?”  Understanding Evolution: http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/news/151009_homonaledi

Shreeve, J.  2015.  “This Face Changes the Human Story.  But How?”  National Geographic Magazine. Website Accessible: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150910-human-evolution-change/

Say What? The Nitty Gritty of Cultural Idioms

“Bye, Felicia” is a phrase that has become very popular both in online forums and verbal communication.  This simple phrase is catchy and rolls easily off the tongue (or is easy to say without much thought), and it is typically stated as a means of dismissing someone disrespectfully or to signify the end of a conversation that one wishes to discontinue.  The popular use of this phrase has led many, particularly members of the mass and popular media, to speculate as to the origins and original meanings of this rather simple phrase.  It has since come to light that this phrase originated from the movie, Friday.  According to the one of the film’s writers, Ice Cube, the phrase was added and intended to be a dismissive statement that while directed to a specific character (named Felicia) could be applied to any individual who was deemed by the user as no longer worthy of further conversation.  The popular use of this phrase and the general public’s curiosity has led to today’s post, which will explore what cultural idioms are, as well as examine the origins and meanings of three popular American idioms.

Cultural idioms are “expression[s] whose meaning [are] not predictable from the usual meanings of [their] constituent elements, as kick the bucket or hang one's head, or from the general grammatical rules of a language, as the table round for the round table, and that [are] not a constituent of a larger expression of like characteristics” (Dictionary.com).  Put simply, these are phrases that are not meant to be taken literally as they convey a separate meaning than the literal interpretation.  There are simple cultural idioms, such as “to blow one’s mind”, that convey an entirely different meaning from the literal one conveyed in the wording of the phrase.  In the case of the former, “to blow one’s mind”, the literal interpretation fosters ideas of a mind exploding or being destroyed, but the idiomatic meaning is that someone is surprised or taken aback.  Cultural idioms are culturally specific, and one typically needs to be a member of the culture in order to understand the true meaning of the idiom. 

But some cultural idioms convey more than just a meaning and provide a more systematic understanding of the culture.  This allows cultural idioms to be a topic of study among cultural and linguistic anthropologists who wish to learn more about the social aspects of language and more about the specific culture that employs that idiom.  This is definitely the case for three such cultural idioms popularly used in American language: “to kick the bucket”, “on the rag”, and “to go cold turkey”.  Each will be discussed further in the remainder of this post.

Figure 1: Kick the Bucket Illustration by Turquoise Luck

Kick the Bucket

The phrase "kick the bucket" may bring to mind ideas of literally kicking a bucket (with one's foot), or perhaps you are familiar with the more colloquial meaning, which refers to one passing away.  The phrase originated in the 16th century in England.  It is not completely clear as to why the phrase came about, with some scholar citing its origination with the convergence of the French and English languages, but most people believe that the phrase refers to the act of committing suicide.  The idea of kicking a bucket is related to individuals' who would hang themselves and use a bucket to elevate the body and the removal of the bucket would lead to strangulation.  The phrase eventually was applied to all acts of death, which is what it refers to today.

Figure 2: On the Rag Illustration (On the Rag Magazine)

On the Rag

"On the Rag" is a phrase that does not refer to literally standing or sitting on a rag but instead refers to menstruation.  It is a phrase that originated in the late 19th century, and it refers to how women traditionally (as well as in many cultures continue to do) managed menstrual blood, which was through layering absorbent cloth in the vaginal area to catch the menstrual blood.  While menstrual pads and tampons came about in the early 1900s, thereby removing the need to utilize layers of cloths (or rags), the term did not fade and continues today, much to the distaste of many women.

Figure 3: "To Go Cold Turkey" Illustration (Google Images)

To Go Cold Turkey

If images of cold Thanksgiving dinner comes to mind when you hear this phrase you are actually not too far off.  This phrase refers to individuals who quit doing something, such as smoking or drinking, without any assistance or weaning.  This late 20th century phrase originated out of the reaction to those who quit through this method as they are described as looking like "cold turkeys" as they appear very pale, shiver even when they are not cold, and develop dimples and goosebumps.  All of these are symptoms of withdrawal and to some apparently resemble uncooked turkeys.


In conclusion, cultural idioms provide a great deal of insights into culture and language.  As demonstrated here in this post historical, cultural, and linguistic perspectives can and are gleaned from these three common phrases.  So next time you catch yourself saying a cultural idiom you may want to take a moment to determine and discover what you are actually saying versus what the phrase seems to say.

References

Cornforth, T.  No Date.  "What Does the Phrase "On the Rag" Mean?"  About.com  http://pms.about.com/od/myths/f/8428_on_the_rag.htm

Dictionary.com.  "Idioms." http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/idiom


Mackie, D.  2015.  “Friday Hit Theaters 20 Years Ago-And Gave Us ‘Bye, Felicia’.”  People Magazine.  http://www.people.com/article/friday-20th-anniversary-bye-felicia-origin

Martin, G.  2016.  "Kick the Bucket".  The Phrase Finder.  http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/218800.html

No Author.  2016.  "20 Essential English Idioms for Sounding Like a Native."  Fluent U. http://www.fluentu.com/english/blog/essential-english-idioms/

This post was inspired by the public interest in language but is dedicated to my friend, Katie Vogel, who initially brought to my attention the cultural complexities of language.  You are no longer able to read this, but I hope that you are smiling down on those who are.  You are forever in our hearts and memories.