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The Illinois State Archaeological Survey, a division of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, proudly announces the release of their latest publication: Studies in Archaeology No. 07, Archaeology of Illinois: The Deep History of the Prairie State

☛ Illinois Archaeological Survey 2025 Grant Opportunities

☛ William (“Bill”) L. Mangold Obituary

☛ Death of Indiana's second State Archaeologist

☛ Read James (Jim) Skibo's obituary 

☛ Two new rules on NAGPRA from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (https://cam.illinois.edu/policies/rp-14/ and https://nagpra.illinois.edu/procedures/)

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

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

☛ Check out the book series Midwest Archaeological Perspectives

Death of Indiana’s second State Archaeologist 

It is with great sadness that the Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology (DHPA) shares the news that Dr. James R. “Rick” Jones III, Indiana’s second State Archaeologist, passed away yesterday. Dr. Jones retired from the DNR’s DHPA at the end of August 2014. He had been with Indiana’s State Historic Preservation Office, since 1987 and was appointed State Archaeologist in 1991, making him Indiana’s longest serving State Archaeologist to date.

On his last day of work before retirement, he was awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash by then Governor Mike Pence. The DNR director and State Historic Preservation Officer at the time stated that the award honored “his many decades of dedicated service to the archaeological resources of our state, the discipline of Midwest archaeology, and the people of Indiana.”

Dr. Jones will certainly be missed by his DHPA colleagues, current and former, as well as many others in the archaeology and historic preservation communities. The DHPA Archaeology Team members specifically will remember him for his over 25 years of mentorship, guidance, friendship, and sharing of Indiana archaeology knowledge.

He was a true friend to many, and an influential teacher to quite a few professionals practicing in our field today.

Indiana has lost an important archaeologist.

Amy L. Johnson
State Archaeologist, Archaeology Outreach Coordinator, and Team Leader for Archaeology
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology

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

Dear Colleagues:

I hope this finds you in good health and spirits. 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 the 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 announcement 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

ISAS Latest Publication

Studies in Archaeology No. 07 

Archaeology of Illinois: The Deep History of the Prairie State, edited by Thomas E. Emerson, Dale L. McElrath, and David J. Nolan with contributions by Dana N. Bardolph, Michelle Berg, Alice Berkson, Sarah E. Boyer, Tamira K. Brennan, Lawrence A. Conrad, Kjersti E. Emerson, Thomas E. Emerson, Duane Esarey, Madeleine G. Evans, Kenneth B. Farnsworth, Andrew C. Fortier, Christina M. Friberg, Joseph M. Galloy, Douglas K. Jackson, Mera A. Hertel, Jason L. King, Brad H. Koldehoff, John M. Lambert, Thomas J. Loebel, Rochelle Lurie, Floyd Mansberger, Terrance J. Martin, Robert Mazrim, Andrew L. Mallo, Marcia L. Martinho, Mary T. McCorvie, Dale L. McElrath, G. Logan Miller, Alice Muntz, David J. Nolan, Timothy R. Pauketat, Robert J. Reber, Kevin Roberts, Mary L. Simon, B. Jacob Skousen, Michael E. Smith, Mark J. Wagner, Elizabeth Watts Malouchos, and Julie A. Zimmerman with a Foreword by Logan Pappenfort. 

This comprehensive, collaborative volume contains 16 chapters with over 40 authors and contributors from multiple institutions and organizations throughout the state, including a forward by Logan Pappenfort, Director of Tribal Relations at the Illinois State Museum.

No matter the origin of [the] passion and curiosity, there is solace in the thought that as long as humans exist, we will not cease attempting to understand one another, past, present, or indeed into our future. This volume will likely become a resource for many people from different walks of life with one thing in common: a yearning to understand the past and the lives of those who walked this landscape before us. However, I hope that this is the beginning of that journey.... This is the nature of archaeology and human curiosity; we seek to know the obfuscated past and, as a result, will be able to gain a deeper holistic understanding of who the Indigenous people of Illinois were in the deep past and who they are today.

CONTACT: Sommer Martin, ISAS-publications@illinois.edu