Anthropologist Profile: Dr. Paul Mullins, Applied & Research Historical Archaeologist

Paul Mullins (Source: American Anthropological Association)

 

There is a popular saying that gets batted about frequently: history is written by the victors.  This phrase conveys that the powerful in a society or cultural group control the narrative about what is written and spoken about the past.  This notion, however, is being upended in various ways, not just within the discipline of history itself, but also by contributions of archaeologists.  A previous blog post addressed the role of archaeology in uncovering the truth of the Tulsa Race Riots, and today’s blog post is dedicated to discussing an archaeologist who dedicated his career to making right previous and current historical injustices.  This blog post will discuss the contributions of historical archaeologist, Dr. Paul Mullins.

 

Dr. Paul Mullins was a historical archaeologist who was employed by Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis.  He started working as a faculty member at this institution in 1999 and continued until his death in April 2023.  During his tenure at the university he served as Department Chair, associate editor for Historical Archaeology,  and President of the Society of Historical Archaeology.  He also received a number of awards and accolades, including the Society of Historical Archaeology’s John Cotter Award (2000), which is awarded to early career historical archaeologists who made an outstanding contribution to the field, and was a 2016-2017 Charles R. Bantz Chancellor’s Community Fellow, alongside his colleague Susan Hyatt. 

 

Mullins and Hyatt received this fellowship due to their collaborative work showcasing misrepresentations of African American history in Indianapolis, which are the foundations for prejudice and racism against not only African Americans but other minorities throughout the city.  This was just a small part of Mullins dedication to righting historical injustices.  He dedicated much of his career to studying the intersections of material culture and race.  He concentrated on better understanding the roles of racism and urban renewal in razing African American neighborhoods throughout Indianapolis and how this led to the foundations of misrepresenting their history.  He conducted archaeological excavations, historical research, and collected oral histories all to provide an accurate history of vibrant African American neighborhoods that previously existed throughout Indianapolis.  He also did not shy away from revealing his institution’s role in these injustices.  His work was praised by several African American community members, who stated that they finally felt heard and valued after decades of having their communities taken from them.

 

Mullins’s work did not just include racism as it related to urban renewal.  He was also instrumental in correcting the historical record when it came to the death of George Tompkins.  Tompkins was buried in an unmarked grave due to presumption that he committed suicide, but the reality was far more sinister than that.  He had actually been lynched in 1922, but his murder was erased from the historical record.  Or so people thought.  Mullins uncovered this injustice and pushed for a correction, leading to a memorial being erected to accurately convey what happened to Tompkins.

 

Mullins’s work was widely published in scholarly books and articles, but he made sure his work was accessible to the public.  He published two blogs for the public.  One was dedicated to archaeology and materiality, and the other was focused on urban renewal, race, and prejudice in Indianapolis.  As Mullins’ son, Aidan, stated: “He was a scholar and an advocate.  He viewed his work is being necessary to not just document and understand the past, but to recognize these injustices that had been done ... so that we can begin working towards rectifying them.”

 

Mullins passed away in early 2023 after a long battle with brain cancer.  His life and contributions to righting historical wrongs will live on in his work and among the students, colleagues, and community members he mentored, worked with, and inspired.  His contributions are a testament to how one individual can make a huge difference.

 

References

Mullins, P. (2011). About. Retrieved from Archaeology and Material Culture: https://paulmullins.wordpress.com/about/

No Author. (n.d.). Featured Scholar: Paul Mullins, PhD. Retrieved from IUPUI: Translating Research Into Practice: https://trip.iupui.edu/Translational-Scholars/Featured-Translational-Scholars/Featured-Scholar?id=cc347d3e-1fdd-4778-88f0-3c64bdcd1c08

Rafford, C. (2023, April 18). 'He's changed my life:' IUPUI professor remembered for commitment to Black community. IndyStar, p. 1.

Schablitsky, J. (2023, April 17). Paul Mullins (1962-2023). Retrieved from Society for Historical Archaeology: https://sha.org/announcements/paul-mullins-1962-2023/

 

 

 

 

What is Sociolinguistics?

Have you ever heard something along the lines of the following: “It is not just about what you say but how you say it?”  This phrase is very relevant to the topic that is going to be discussed in this blog post: sociolinguistics.  While it has never been outright addressed in this blog series there are various posts that have fallen under the umbrella of sociolinguistic study.  This is why this topic is being addressed today.  This post will address what sociolinguistics is and how it relates to anthropology and the study of culture.

 

Sociolinguistics is an interdisciplinary area of study that draws upon various disciplines, including but not limited to psychology, sociology, anthropology, and more importantly linguistics.  It is defined as the study of how cultural values, beliefs, ideas, etc. affect communication patterns and language use.  Sociolinguistics also acknowledge that language use is a reflection of culture, meaning how we speak, what we say, and all aspects of language use conveys cultural rules, standards, expectations, and more for our individual selves and the cultures we occupy.  This makes sense when you remember and/or realize that language is a key aspect of culture.

 

We can see the cultural values imbued in communication and language in various ways, which is why sociolinguistics is such a broad area of study.  Sociolinguists study language ideology, code switching, gender differences in language, racial and/or ethnic differences in language use, the creation of pidgin and creole languages, focal languages, lexicon (e.g., various meanings of words or how word choices impart specific meaning, e.g., salutations), syntax (sentence structure), phonology (e.g., dialects and pronunciation), and more.  Any way in which either a social situation affects language use or a language demonstrates individual or group identity falls under the umbrella of sociolinguistic study. 

 

Sociolinguists must have a keen understanding of the culture they are studying in order to discern the cultural and social aspects of the language(s) used by the cultural group.  Therefore, sociolinguists use a variety of ethnographic methods in their studies.  The most common are surveys/questionnaires, as well as direct observations.  Ultimately, studying language in its various forms, be it through written or oral communication, provides those necessary insights for sociolinguistic study.

 

This also makes sociolinguistics a widely used area for applied anthropological work.  As previously discussed on the blog there are various sociolinguists who are actively working in various fields.  This includes Dr. Sarah Carson, who applies her linguistic expertise to helping women in politics, and Dr. Mackenzie Price, a sociolinguist who has worked for various public and private organizations.  There are also examples of past sociolinguists who have made their marks in bilingual education and linguistic profiling within housing, which have been used to improve educational settings and rental policies.  All in all, an understanding of sociolinguistics is important to any and all career fields since communication is essential in any position.

 

Works Cited

Eble, Connie. "What is Sociolinguistics? Sociolinguistics Basics." 2005. Do You Speak American? PBS. Electronic. 7 June 2023.

Welsch, Robert L., L. Vivanco and Agustin Fuentes. Anthropology: Asking Questions About Human Origins, Diversity, and Culture. New York: Oxford University Press, 2020. Print.

Wolfram, Walt. "Sociolinguistics." n.d. Linguistics Society of America. Electronic. 7 June 2023.

 

 

 

Homo heidelbergensis

Artist rendition of Homo heidelbergensis (Source: Smithsonian)

In this blog post you will learn about a hominid species known as Homo heidelbergensis.  This species existed about 600,000 to 500,000 years ago throughout Africa and Europe, as well as in small pockets of Asia and the Middle East.  Despite its initial discovery in 1907 outside of Heidelberg, Germany, where it received its namesake, and the numerous specimens discovered of this species there still remains various unknowns about this species.  This post will discuss what is currently known and what remains a mystery about this species.

 

The exact evolutionary origins of Homo heidelbergensis are unclear.  Some scholars believe that it was a descendent of Homo erectus, specifically the African varieties (also known as Homo ergaster), but other scholars believe heidelbergensis is a descendant of Homo antecessor.  Because its evolutionary origins are questioned so are its first geographical origins.  The earliest specimen of Homo heidelbergensis that has been discovered to date was from Ethiopia, suggesting an African origin, but its presence throughout Europe could mean it originated there and migrated to various other locations. 

 

There is a great deal of morphological variation within the species, which is attributed to sexual dimorphism or geographical and temporal distance among the specimens.  There are, however, some similar characteristics.  Males averaged in height at 5 foot 9 inches, whereas females were quite shorter at an average of 5 foot and 2 inches.  Weights were not too different as males weighed more (average 136 pounds) and females average 112 pounds.  They had a cranial capacity of 1100-1400 cc.  This is larger than Homo erectus species but smaller than modern humans’ cranial capacities.  There was a greater cranial breadth compared to previous species and the presence of an occipital bun.  The facial area had large, pronounced brow ridges, which may have been a sexually dimorphic feature; prognathism; large noses; swept back cheek bones; puffy faces due to enlarged frontal and maxillary sinuses; and a lack of a chin.  Their teeth were similar in shape and size to Homo neanderthalensis, which makes sense since heidelbergensis is cited as their ancestor, as well as to modern humans and potentially Denisovans.  Inner ear morphological traits suggest that this species had a similar level of hearing to that of modern humans.

 

Homo heidelbergensis developed various early cultural features that are present in subsequent hominid species.  They had controlled use of fire, created the Levallois stone tool tradition, were avid hunters and fishers, as well as constructed temporary structures made of stone and wood.  They also made use of rock shelters and caves for sheltering purposes.  At the site of Sima de los Huesos in Spain is sufficient evidence to support their use of mortuary traditions.  Several dozen specimens appear to have been intentionally placed into a pit, along with the potential intentional depositing of geological specimens that may have acted as burial goods.  Interestingly enough, this species is also the first to inhabit colder climates despite not necessarily having the physical characteristics that would have benefited them, which are seen among Neanderthals.

 

As continued collection of new specimens occurs there will hopefully be a clearer understanding about this specific species.  Currently, the wealth of information available about Homo heidelbergensis provides us a great deal into their morphological and cultural characteristics, but more information about them only helps us better understand what specifically makes humans unique and how specifically we came to be who and what we are today.

 

References

Haviland, W. A. (2005). Human Evolution and Prehistory. Toronto: Thomson Nelson.

No Author. (2001). Origins of Humankind: Homo heidelbergensis. Retrieved from PBS: Evolution: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/humans/humankind/m.html

Smithsonian Institution. (2022, July 1). Homo heidelbergensis. Retrieved from Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/homo-heidelbergensis

Welker, B. H. (n.d.). The History of Our Tribe: Homini. Open Educational Resource.

 

Yanomami Politics: Conflict, Feasts, and Chest Pounding Duels

Screenshot of a Yanomami feast as provided in a documentary film (Source: Alexander Street)

 

 The Yanomami people of the Amazonian rain forests of Brazil and Venezuela are a widely discussed group within the field of anthropology.  This is in part due to the work of Napoleon Chagnon who studied them, followed by various other works by other anthropologists (some of whom agreed with Chagnon's assessments and others who did not).  There is a great deal of debate about what is true and untrue about Yanomami way of life, but today's blog post is going to address some aspects of their political systems that help maintain alliances among Yanomami villages.

 

The Yanomami are primarily horticulturalists who supplement their diet through hunting and foraging activities.  Yanomami villages are made up of anywhere between 40 to 300 people.  The size of the village is not based on the ability of the villagers and their leader, the headsman, to sustain the village population.  It is actually based on the ability on the headsman's ability to sustain his people and any guests they may host.  As such the headsman must maintain larger and more productive horticultural endeavors as it is his responsibility to host guests.  

Guests may come to the village on a short term or long term basis.  Typically long term guests are the result of warfare that requires a village to permanently move to a new space, and they rely on the generosity of their allies to host them as they rebuild the village structures but also their horticultural gardens.  Maintaining allies with neighboring villages is key to this relationship, which is dependent on a series of favors and debts maintained by all parties.  One way to secure a favor and pay debts is to host a feast.

 

Feasts are initiated by the headsman, who will direct his villagers to perform the preparatory duties for the impending feast.  This can take several weeks of preparatory work.  Men are responsible for hunting, gathering, and cooking the meals that will be served for the feast, while women are responsible for cleaning and taking care of guests.  Part of the cleaning requires them to weed and clear an area within the center of the village for dancing and celebration.  Men go out and procure enough meat resources to sustain the feast and ensure no one is left hungry.

 

The day of the feast is when the neighboring village receives their invitation to the feast.  All parties, hosts and guests, don elaborate costumes and paint their faces and bodies to show their appreciation and lack of hostility in the festivities. The visiting village marches in a parade to the host village, and the leader of the parade wears the most elaborate decorations.  His role is also to engage in a series of song and chants with the host headsman to signify the visiting village's appreciation and acceptance of the invitation.  Once the opening festivities, which are demarcated by the singing and chanting between the parade leader and host headsman, end the host villager families invite a specific visiting village family into their home to eat the foods that was cooked for the feast.

 

As the evening goes on the host villagers and the visiting villagers exchange a series of gifts.  The visiting villagers can request specific gifts from the host villagers, but they must make an unequal trade for that gift. This means that the visiting villagers provide a less valuable gift for trade for the more valuable gift the host villagers provide.  The purpose of such an exchange is to create debt that will be repaid in the future, be it through a different feast or through the temporary housing in the event of a conflict.

 

Unfortunately, conflict may break out at the feast.  If and when this occurs the conflicting parties engage in a chest pounding duel.  Both individuals must agree to the duel, which involves the hitting, slapping, and punching between both parties.  Each party can inflict no more than four blows to the other, and each blow is expected to be with the striker's full force.  No weapons are supposed to be used unless they are used in nonlethal ways and on the sides, not the front, of the body.  The duel ends when either or both parties are unable to continue with strikes due to mortal wounding or death.

References Cited

Peters-Golden, H.  (2011).  Culture Sketches: Case Studies in Anthropology. 6th Edition.  Mc-Graw Hill Education.