Renew your MAC Membership for 2020

**2020 Business Meeting over Zoom on Oct 7 (see details - Must be a current member of MAC)

Recent passing of two giants in archaeology: W. Raymond Wood on October 2 and George C. “Doc” Frison on September 7, 2020. 

☛ University of Illinois NAGPRA Update: Moratorium

☛ New Videos on Archaeology of Personhood and by Pre- and Post-contact Indians of the Eastern Woodlands (direct link to videos, full notice with symposium details)

☛ Announcing 7th Grant Cycle for SPARC Funding Dedicated to Promote Geospatial Research in Archaeology

☛ Elizabeth Baldwin (Betsy) Garland obituary (Read here)

☛ MCJA Moves to a New Publisher

☛ Larry Dean Grantham passed away on June 23, 2020 (Read obituary)

☛ Online guide to “Talking About Race,” designed by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (webpage)

☛ MAC Occasional Paper Volume 4 now available (webpage)

☛ Deadline for Summer Fellowship for Native American Students Extended to April 3 (PDF Flyer)

☛ SIU Summer Field School in Historical Archaeology (PDF Flyer, More Info)

☛ Outcomes from the 2019 Geophysics Student Workshop (webpage)

☛ Announcing 2020 MAC Student Paper Competition (PDF Flyer, 2020 Annual Meeting page)

☛ Editor Position Announcement for the Midwest Archaeological Perspectives 

☛ The latest volume of the journal Indiana Archaeology is now available from the Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology (DHPA)

☛ First Notice for The Mississippian Conference at Cahokia Mounds on July 8, 2020

☛ MAC member Lynn Goldstein will be this year's recipient of the SAA Lifetime Achievement Award!

☛ Introducing a new book series Midwest Archaeological Perspectives

University of IllinoisNAGPRA Update: Moratorium

Effective September 15, 2020, as part of our commitment to NAGPRA and to the concerns of Tribal Nations, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will implement a moratorium on research, teaching, display, imaging, and circulation of human remains and cultural items that are potentially subject to NAGPRA at the University, including all on-site collections in the University's custody or collections that the University has loaned to other organizations. 

More information can be found on the University's NAGPRA web page.

New Videos on Archaeology of Personhood and by Pre- and Post-contact Indians of the Eastern Woodlands

It is a pleasure to announce the online posting of a set of videos that present research on the topics of personhood and soul-like essences as conceived by pre- and post-contact Indians of the Eastern Woodlands and as used ritually and strategically by them in their lives.

The videos include nine researchers’ and two discussants’ presentations written for a symposium for the 85th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Austin, Texas, April 23, 2019.  When the meetings were canceled, we constructed the videos as an alternative means of sharing our ideas with the profession.

The contents of the symposium videos and contact information for the participants are summarized in this linked PDF.

The videos have applicability to subjects beyond Eastern Woodland Indians archaeology and ethnography.  They will be of interest to those who study the archaeology and ethnography of New World indigenous peoples, the archaeology of religion, mortuary archaeology, bioarchaeology, identity, folklore, performance, comparative religion, and the “ontological turn” movement in archaeology.

The videos can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLq8AGDwGZC7qHiXWlE3mTXpt52D9fxDLP

Feel free to show all or any of the videos for teaching purposes in your college and/or professional classes.

Please pass on this email to colleagues of yours who might have an interest in it for their research or teaching.  Thank you. 

Wishing you the best,
Chris Carr

Christopher Carr
Professor Emeritus of Anthropology
School of Human Evolution and Social Change
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85281-2402

Mailing address:
5428 Valinda Drive
Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Email: christopher.carr@asu.edu

Announcing 7th Grant Cycle for SPARC Funding Dedicated to Promote Geospatial Research in Archaeology

SPARC (SPatial Archaeometry Research Collaborations) is an NSF-funded Archaeology and Archaeometry program dedicated to promoting geospatial research in archaeology, hosted by the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies at the University of Arkansas, Dartmouth College, and University of Glasgow. Now in its 7th year, SPARC offers direct support to archaeological projects through awards in three categories:

  • Fieldwork: On-site data collection
  • Data & Analytics: Preparation, processing and analysis of geospatial data
  • Publication: Presentation, publication and archiving of complex geospatial datasets

For this solicitation, we will be prioritizing Data & Analytics and Publications proposals due to uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and those which align with our analytical development priorities such as microCT and imagery analysis (see the https://sparc.cast.uark.edu/ homepage for full list). However, we will consider other projects on a case-by-case basis.

We particularly encourage applications from scholars underrepresented within the field of archaeology, early-career scholars, and those working in the public sector or at public institutions. Late-stage PhD students are eligible for SPARC submissions. The Program sets no priorities based on time period, geographic region or specific research topic, but projects should have an anthropologically relevant focus and qualify for NSF archaeology funding.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through April 2021. Pre-application consultations are required before submission. Please visit our website at https://sparc.cast.uark.edu/ for more information about the Program and the application process.

Regards,
Carla Klehm, Jackson Cothren, and W. Fred Limp, University of Arkansas
Jesse Casana, Dartmouth College
Rachel Opitz, University of Glasgow

The SPARC Team
SPatial Archaeometry Research Collaborations
http://sparc.cast.uark.edu/

MCJA Moves to a New Publisher

With the advent of 2020 MCJA will be moving to the University of Illinois Press as its new publisher.  During most of my service as Editor, the journal has been in transition, moving from AltaMira, to Maney, and most recently to Taylor and Francis.  This transition has seen the journal production move from snail mail to email to a fully electronic editorial and delivery system.  While creating a sometime abrupt learning curve for the editor and editorial assistant, these changes have brought production up to modern standards that allows MCJA to fully function in the digital world.  Many of these changes have been positive such as the ability to employ a completely electronic editorial system and the welcome opportunity to post articles online as soon as they accepted, rather than waiting for the printed issue to be published.  Other changes such as the movement of the publisher to the UK and the production process to the Far East have made aspects of publishing the MCJA challenging.  These issues caused the MAC Board to reconsider the current arrangements for journal publication and explore other opportunities.  The result of this process led to the signing of a publishing agreement with the University of Illinois Press in July, 2020.

While this transition to a new publisher will change how the editorial office interacts with the production process, MAC members should observe little difference.  The journal will continue in its current format and style consisting of three issues (Spring, Summer, and Fall) per volume with a annual length of about 312 pages, and continue to provide early online digital access to accepted articles.  Institutional subscribers, however, will notice a pleasant change as annual subscriptions drop from the T&F rates of $205 to $241 to a new UIP rate of $110.  This should encourage our readers to request their libraries continue or initiate new subscriptions to the MCJA.  The individual member rates will continue to be $45.00 per annum.

Authors and reviewers should also notice a pleasant change.  Many found the T&F Editorial Manager to be cumbersome and difficult to navigate.  Unfortunately, the MCJA editorial staff had little ability to manipulate the system and had to rely on production staff in the Far East to address problems, thus entailing long time-delays to achieve solutions.  With the move to the UIP we will now be adopting the Open Journal Systems, Editorial Software ver. 3.   While we have just begun training on the new system it is clear that it is user-friendly and generally straightforward, especially for authors and reviewers.  Furthermore, MCJA editorial staff will have much greater control over manipulating the software.  This is also true for the production process housed at the UIP.  The Press does not outsource any part of the process.  It also helps that the UIP offices are located two blocks south of the MCJA editorial office on campus!

Of course, what the MCJA depends on to thrive are manuscripts and willing reviewers.  As this current situation continues we hope that researchers will continue submitting their works to MCJA.  For all those past contributors and reviewers, a Big Thank You.  We appreciate your past and future support.

Thomas E. Emerson, Editor <mcjaeditor@gmail.com>
Sarah Boyer, Editorial Assistant

Deadline for Summer Fellowship for Native American Students Extended to April 3

View/print PDF flyer

The newly formed IU Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is offering a summer fellowship for Native American students.

The extraordinary reaction to the global COVID-19 pandemic has and will continue to cause disruption to daily life. To allow as many as possible the opportunity to apply, the IUMAA is extending the application deadline to April 3. Please review the attached document which outlines submission guidelines and distribute to your students, staff, faculty and/or colleagues as appropriate.

If you have any questions, please contact Edward Herrmann, Executive Director IUMAA, edherrma@indiana.edu.

SIU Summer Field School in Historical Archaeology in Southern Illinois

The Southern Illinois University archaeology summer field school is a six-credit course designed to provide students with instruction in archaeological excavation and analytical methods. This six-week course will involve day-long investigations at two important historic period archaeological sites—Ft. Kaskaskia and Miller Grove—in southern Illinois. Ft. Kaskaskia is a French colonial fort (1759-1763) that is also associated with the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1803-1806). Miller Grove (1844-1930) is a freed slave, African-American community associated with the Underground Railroad.

Students will learn basic mapping, surveying, and excavation techniques. They will also have the opportunity to work with ground penetrating radar (GPR) and gradiometric instruments that can locate archaeological features below the ground.

View/print PDF Flyer

More details and application form: http://cola.siu.edu/anthro/undergraduate/field-school 

Contact Dr. Mark Wagner for questions at mjwagner@siu.edu.

Outcomes from the 2019 Geophysics Student Workshop

View the results of the student workshop from 2019 (/annual-meeting/previous/workshops).

2020 MAC Student Paper Competition

Submission Deadline: Friday, September 18th, 2020

The Midwestern Archaeological Conference Student paper competition was created to promote scholarly excellence among students conducting archaeological research in the Midwestern U.S.

See PDF Flyer or 2020 Annual Meeting page for complete details. 

Editor Position Announcement for the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Inc. and University of Notre Dame Press Midwest Archaeological Perspectives Monograph Series, MAC, Inc. and UND Press Dissertation Prize

The MAC, Inc. Executive Board and UND Press are now soliciting applications for Editor of the Midwest Archaeological Perspectives (MAP) monograph series, a partnership between the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Inc. and the University of Notre Dame Press.  We seek an experienced editor to continue growth and cultivation of the series, which will begin its fourth year with the onset of the new Editor’s tenure.   We anticipate the successful candidate will begin their term as Editor by October 2020 to ensure a seamless transition. The series editor for the MAC, Inc. and UND Press book series performs duties completely independent of the Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology editorship. This is an unpaid position, although the Editor shall receive copies of MAP series books and, as appropriate, a stipend from UND Press for review work.  The Editor position carries an expected term of three years, potentially renewable by negotiation. 

Details about the series and Dissertation Prize can be found on this page: https://www.midwestarchaeology.org/midwest-archaeological-perspectives

The Editor is responsible for oversight and management of all aspects of the MAP monograph series and selection of dissertation prize recipients.  These activities are accomplished through close interaction with an Editorial Board composed of respected professionals in the archaeology of the Midcontinent, as well as regular consultation and interaction with the UND Press Editor.  The Editor, in consultation with the Editorial Board, manages identification and selection of dissertations and other manuscripts for review, provides oversight and direction for the systematic review and balanced selection of manuscripts for publication, dissertations for the dissertation prize, and is otherwise responsible for efficient and timely work flow.  Further, the Editor has responsibility for Editorial Board member selection and replacement, augmentation of the Editorial Board as appropriate, and the capture of external expertise as may be necessary for the conduct of reviews.  The Editor attends the MAC, Inc. Annual Meeting in October, reports to the MAC, Inc. Executive Board at its annual meeting, and with the UND Press Editor participates in the Awards Ceremony where the Dissertation Prize is conferred.   The Editor is the primary communications conduit for the MAP series.  Editorial work load is variable dependent upon the number of manuscripts and dissertations in various aspects of review, as well as the scheduling of decisions based on review results. 

Letters of interest should be addressed to MAC, Inc. President John Doershuk (john-doershuk@uiowa.edu).  Submissions should indicate prior editorial experience, a demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with multiple boards, and other activities pertinent to the position.  Please submit application materials by March 15, 2020.

The latest volume of the journal Indiana Archaeology is now available from the Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology (DHPA) 

Volume 14, Number 1 includes articles about archaeology at:

  • Anderson Mounds
  • Fort Ouiatenon
  • Indiana’s first penitentiary site
  • and in Benton County

Per state statute (Indiana Code 14-21-1-12), one of the duties of the DHPA is to develop a program of archaeological research and development, including the publication of information regarding archaeological resources in the state. This journal is one of the ways that their office continues to address that mandate, and they hope you enjoy reading the interesting articles

First Notice for The Mississippian Conference at Cahokia Mounds on July 8, 2020

This is the first notice for The Mississippian Conference, which returns to Cahokia Mounds this summer and is scheduled for Saturday, July 18. As usual, we hope to have 16  20-minute presentations on current Mississippian research in the Midwest/Southeast. More notices will go out in future months as reminders. Submitters should include their name and how they wish to be listed; title of the presentation; and a short abstract. These should be sent to Lori Belknap (the new site superintendent) Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, 30 Ramey Street, Collinsville, IL 62234, or emailed to her at lori.belknap@illinois.gov.

SAA Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Lynne G. Goldstein

For her pivotal theoretical and empirical contributions to our field, in the areas of mortuary archaeology, Midwestern prehistory, historical archaeology, archaeological ethics and repatriation, and public engagement, as well as professional and institutional leadership.

View this listing on the SAA website

Introducing a new book series Midwest Archaeological Perspectives

A Book Series edited by William Lovis and Timothy K. Pemula 

The American Midcontinent, stretching from the Appalachians to the Great Plains, and from the Boreal Forests to the Gulf of Mexico, is home to a rich and deep multiethnic past that even after 150 years of exploration continues to fascinate scholars and the public alike. Beginning with colonization by the first Native American big game hunters, through the origins of domestic food production and construction of the largest earthen monuments in North America, and ultimately the entry of multiple colonial empires and their varying interactions with native populations, the story of the region is an exciting one of changing cultural and environmental interactions and adaptive strategies. The diverse environments that characterize the region have fostered a multiplicity of solutions to the problem of survival, ranging from complex sedentary agriculturally intensive societies to those with highly refined seasonal resource strategies keyed to timed movement and social flexibility. 

To explore this region from new and different vantage points the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Inc. and the University of Notre Dame Press are pleased to announce the launching of Midwest Archaeological Perspectives, a unique collaborative book series intended for a broad range of professional and interested lay audiences. The books published in Midwest Archaeological Perspectives will be the most compelling and current works of archaeological narrative and insight for the region, with a temporal scope encompassing the span of human use of the region from the first colonizing Paleoindian cultures to the more recent historical past. The series will explore both old questions tackled from new perspectives, and new and interesting questions arising from the deployment of cutting edge theory and method. 

MAC, Inc. Dissertation Prize

Unique to this series is the MAC, Inc. Dissertation Prize. MAC, Inc. and Notre Dame Press will sponsor the prize, awarded by MAC, Inc. The prize winner will be offered a contract with Notre Dame Press, a $500 award, and will work with the editor and editorial board to develop the dissertation into a compelling book manuscript for scholarly publication. Manuscripts outside the Prize category will be vetted and considered by both MAC, Inc. and Notre Dame Press. 

To be considered for the Prize, please contact Series Editor William Lovis (lovis@msu.edu, 517.355.3485), Assistant Editor Timothy K. Perttula (tkp4747@aol.com, 512-312-0812) or University of Notre Dame Press Senior Acquisitions Editor Eli Bortz (ebortz@nd.edu, 574.631.4912).