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Kaupp, P. Ann, Ed.; Selig, Ruth O., Ed.; Brooks, Alison S.,Ed.; Lanouette, JoAnne, Ed.AnthroNotes: Museum of Natural History Publication forEducators, Fall 2001.Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. Museum of NaturalHistory.National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA.2001-00-0022p.

Anthropology Outreach Office, NHB 363 MRC 112, SmithsonianInstitution, Washington, DC 20560-0112. Tel: 202-357-1592;e-mail: kaupp.ann@nmnh.si.edu. For full text:http://www.nmnh.si.edu/departments/anthro.html/outreach/anthnote/anthback.html.Collected Works Serials (022)AnthroNotes; v22 n3 Fall 2001MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.*African Culture; *Ancient History; *Anthropology;Elementary Secondary Education; *Maya (People); SocialScience Research; Social StudiesMayan Art; Multimedia Technology; Smithsonian Institution

This publication for educators offers in-depth articles onanthropological research, teaching activities, and reviews of new resources.The publication aims to disseminate recent research in anthropology; to helpthose teaching anthropology use new materials, approaches, and communityresources, as well as integrate anthropology into a variety of curriculumsubjects; and to create a national network of anthropologists,archaeologists, teachers, and other professionals interested in disseminatinganthropology, particularly in schools. Articles in the publication include:"The Ancient Maya: New Research on 2000 Years of Development" (Jeremy A.Sabloff); "Teacher's Corner: Maya Art and Writing" (Beverly Chiarulli);"Smithsonian Expeditions: A Museum Partnership" (Jane MacLaren Walsh; ToniaBarringer); "Two New Multimedia Tools for Teaching Archaeology" (Shannon P.McPherron); and "'African Voices': Smithsonian Project Brings Africa Alive"(Michael Atwood Mason). (BT)

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AnthroNotes: Museum of Natural History Publication forEducators, Volume 22, No. 3, Fall 2001.

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Kaupp, P. Ann, Ed.Selig, Ruth 0., Ed.

Brooks, Alison S., Ed.Lanouette, JoAnne, Ed.

Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.National Museum of Natural History.

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IMEYOLF.UM CT NATURAL ill 1101-MMT PUBLIICATECH rya& anucEfroms

VOLUME 22 No.3 FALL 2001

THE AhiCIIENT MAYA:

.NEW RESEARCH ON 2000 YEARS OF DEVELOPMENTby Jeremy A. Sabloff

INTRODUCTIONncient Maya civilization flourished formore than 2,000 years, lasting fromapproximately 5_00 B.C. until the 1540s

A.D., the time of the Spanish Conquest. Theancient Maya are renowned for their achievementsin art, architecture, writing, science, and urbanplanning in the varied and challenging environmentof the greater Yucatan peninsula and neighboringareas. Today, the ancient Maya civilization'scultural heirs, who number in the millions,continue to thrive in modern-day Mexico andCentral America.

In recent years, path-breaking archaeological,epigraphical, and ethnohistorical research is

providing significant new insights into thedevelopment and accomplishments of the ancientMaya. Scholars now understand that the Mayaterritory was an integral part of a wider culturalarea known as Mesoamerica, which includes theMaya area and most of MexicO to the north. Theancient Maya were not an isolated culture but hadnumerous economic, political, and ideologicalinteractions with peoples in other parts of Mexicosuch as the Gulf Coast lowlands, the Valley ofOaxaca, and the Basin of Mexico.

THREE GEOGRAPHIC ZONESThe Maya area covers 'over 300,000 squarekilometers that today includes southern Mexico,Guatemala, Belize, and parts of Honduras and El

Salvador. This huge area can be divided into threegeographic zones: the lowlands, the highlands, andthe Pacific coastal plain and piedmont. Today, awide variety of environments can be found in thesezones, which do not differ significantly from thoseof more than 2,000 years ago. The Mayasuccessfully exploited -these differing andchallenging environments but also had to cope withtheir fragility and the impact of short-term changessuch as drought, and natural disasters such asvolcanic eruptions. Ancient Maya civilizationreached its zenith in the lowlands, especially in thesouth, but all of the geographic zones played keyroles in the growth and flowering of thisfascinating, complex Pre-Columbian culture.Through time, the demographic, economic, andpolitical focus of ancient Maya civilization shiftedacross the landscape of this vast and variedhomeland area.

The beginnings of complexity emerged in thePacific coastal-and piedmont zone. This productivezone, which runs along the entire.southern marginof the Maya area, has relatively high rainfall and avariety of fertile agricultural regions. The coastalplain is crosscut by a, large number of small riversthat flow south from the adjacent highlands. Theshoreline and widespread rivers offered numeroustrade routes, which the ancient Maya exploitedthroughout their history. The low foothills of thehighlands to the north also supported intensivecultivation of such key crops as cacao.

SmithsOnian Institution

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AeoghffeNotio %Awe 22 No 3 llia XXV

Shortly after the beginnings of complexityemerged along the coastal plain, both the highlandsand the lowlands began to develop rapidly: writingfirst flourishing in the highlands and largemonumental architecture flourishing in thelowlands. The lowlands ultimately emerged as thecenter of Maya civilization, first in the south andlater in the north. The highland, Pacific coastal, andpiedmont zones also witnessed importantdevelopments throughout the later history of Mayacivilization. Although the Spanish conquered thewhole area, beginning in theearly sixteenth century A.D.,the timing and intensity ofthe Conquest differedsignificantly within andamong the geographic zones.

EARLY HISTORYWhat became the Maya areawas initially occupied soonafter the close of the last IceAge, more than ten thousandyears ago. Over the followingmillennia, small groups ofnomadic hunters andgatherers utilized the area'svaried animal and plantresources, leaving occasionaltraces of their short-term occupations in the formof stone tool fragments. The beginnings of thedomestication of the crucially important maizeplant currently can be traced as early as the middleof the fourth millennium B.C. (3,500 B.C.) withlater settled village life based on the productivityand storage of cultivated plants emerging by thesecond millennium. It is at this time that, the rootsof ancient Maya civilization emerged.

The chronology of ancient Maya civilizationhas traditionally been divided into threepartsPreclassic, Classic, and Postclassiceach withits own subdivisions. These chronological periodswere originally formulated to mark significantchanges in Maya history, especially what was seen

as the peak of Maya civilization, namely, the Clasicperiod in the southern lowlands.

Recent research has shown that the hallmarks ofthe Classic periodwriting, monumental art andarchitecture, the corbeled vault, and polychromepotterywere all present during Preclassic times.New research also demonstrates that the Postclassicperiod was not a time of Maya decline after the endof the Classic; other zones besides the southernlowlands witnessed significant culturaldevelopments as well. Nevertheless, the traditional

periodization of Mayahistory remains wellentrenched in both scholarly'

KAV (2tot4RApAy

and popular usage,avoid confusion,continue to use itarticle.

However, as Imaintained more than a

decade ago, it is useful togroup these traditionalperiods into three longerphases without internalsubdivisions: The Early Phase(2000B.C. 300 B.C.), The'Middle Phase (300 B.C. toA.D. 1200), and The LatePhase (A.D. 1200 to the

1540s). These period names use more neutral termsthan the word "classic," and, I believe, bettercorrespond to the general developmental trends inthe -ancient Maya world than do the traditionalperiod scheme. In this paper I will refer to both thetraditional periods, and the longer phases that Idesignate in italics.

and toI willin this

THE EARLY PHASE (2000 B.C. - 300 B.C.)This phase includes the Early and Middle Preclassicperiods, the time when scholars can trace thebeginnings of Maya civilization to settledagricultural villages, which cultivated a number ofproductive crops, including maize. The earliestvillages were in the Pacific coastal and piedmontzone, but the highlands and southern lowlands soon ,

Page 2 4

AmtemNoen *bow 2Z No 3 h7 Mil

followed. The -- rise of complex technological,economic, political, artistic, and religiousdevelopments,also can be traced to this time period.Thereafter, growing populations throughout theMaya area moved into previously unoccupied zonesand the size of individual farming villages expanded.

Between 1000 and 500 ,B.C., increasingpopulation together with decreasing lahd availablefor settlement and agricultural production led tolarger population aggregations. This- in turnbrought with it administrativedevelopments, more intensiveforms of agriculture to supportthe growing populations, andultimately the emergence ofcompetition and conflict overscarcer lands and resources.

The first highly visible signsof change began to appear by500 B.C., if not earlier, as severalpopulation centers began toincrease relatively rapidly insize, and large public buildingsburst upon the scene atpopulation centers such as

Nakbe, El Mirador, and Tikal inthe southern lowlands, andKaminaljuyil and El Portón inthe highlands. Monumentalcarved stones with depictions offirst appeared in the highland and coastal zonesduring this Early Phase. It is evident that rulerswere able to mobilize considerable labor forces toconstruct large public buildings and usemonumental sculpture to glorify' and consolidatetheir economic, political, and religious powers.

Moreover, even in these early times, the Mayaalready wereinteracting with groups in neighboringareas, such as the Olmecs from the Gulf Coast andthe Zapotecs from' Oaxaca. These interactions led totrade, as well as the introduction of new ideas andideologies. For example, the use of hieroglyphicwriting and calendrics were invented north of theMaya area in places such as the Valley of Oaxaca.The Maya built on these early innovations to

produce their own sophisticated writing systembefore the end of the Early Phase. Clearly, whatarchaeologists generally call "chiefdoms" emerged atthis time, as many Maya settlements grew incultural complexity, and the roots of Maya cities

, and states were planted.

THE MIDDLE PHASE (300 B.C.- A.D. 1200)This Middle Phase includes the Late Preclassic, the

the Terminal Classic, and the EarlyPostclassic _ periods in theolder classification. It is

during this long and criticalphase that Maya civilizationis widely perceived to havereached its height. Citiesattained their largest size;rulers had their greatestpowers; and artistic,architectural, and scientificachievements wereextraordinary. The locus ofwidespread culturaldevelopments during thefirst period of the MiddlePhase was in the highlandsand Pacific coastal andpiedmont zones and most ,

particularly in the southern highlands. However, inthe southern lowlands, sites such as El Mirador andTikal soon rose to prominence.

In recent years, scholars have recognized thatmany of the hallmarks of "Classic" Mayacivilization were present by the Late Preclassicperiod, if not earlier. In particular, the growth ofurban centers, political states, and dynasticrulership can be traced to this time in both thehighlands and lowlands. Hieroglyphic inscriptionswith calendric and historical information becamemore widespread in the highland and Pacific coastaland piedmont zones but soon spread into thelowlands. By the middle of Late Preclassic times,the people had also begun to utilize the uniquelyMaya calendric systemthe Long Countwhichwas based on a linear calendar that reckoned time

Classic,

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local rulers also

5Page 3

illlehbvNeen Waeofie 22 Ne 2 Mi Mall

from a start date of 3114 B.C. However, use ofLong Count dating did not become common in thelowlands until Classic times. Rulers at El Miradorconstructed some of the largest structures that wereever built in the Maya area, consisting of immensestone platforms supporting huge elite buildings.

Toward the end of the Late Preclassic period,the highland and Pacific coastal centers suffered amajor decline, as did some of the lowland centerssuch as.El Mirador, which had had close ties to thehighlands. The reasons for this decline remainunclear. It is at this time that the political andeconomic locus of Maya civilization shifted fromthe highlands to the lowlands. The idea of dynasticrule, which had been present in the highlands, tookroot in the lowlands and sboth older sites like Tikaland relatively newer ones like Copin near thesouthern frontier of the lowlands grew in size andimportance under dynastic political leadership.Although some highland sites recovered from theirdeclines at the close of the Late Preclassic period,they lost their pre-eminence to the lowlands.

The Classic Period (A.D. 300-800)During the Classic period, Maya civilizationburgeoned in all geographic zones. Populations atolder centers increased, while many new cities werefounded as the growing numbers of peoples filled inthe landscape. Although there is great scholarlydebate about the population figures, by thebeginning of the Late Classic period, the overalllowland population alone may have exceeded fivemillion and the larger cities such as Tikal hadpopulations in the many tens of thousands. The artsand architecture thrived; significant achievements inastronomy and mathematics were made; and anintricate ideological system involving numerousdeities with multiple personae evolved. Socialdivisions became exacerbated with a small elite classgrowing in wealth and power and a large peasantclass supplying the food and labor that supportedthe expanding cities. There is considerable scholarlydebate about whether the non-elite class was furtherdivided into a series of subclasses as well.

The Maya area was an important player in thelarger Mesoamerican cultural system during theClassic period. Cities such as Tikal, Copin, andKaminaljuyii had ties to Teotihuac6nthe great cityin the Basin of Mexicoand elite goods and peoplesmoved over relatively large distances.Archaeological and epigraphic data indicate thatTeotihuacin played an important role in thepolitical and economic development of Mayacivilization, although the- exact nature of this roleremains unclear and controversial.

Recent dramatic advances in the deciphermentof Maya hieroglyphic texts now allow scholars to

preciate the very complicated political landscapeduring Classic times in the lowlands and the waxingand waning of political fortunes of individual citiesand ruling dynasties. Important archaeologicalresearch at the great urban centers of Tikal andCalakmul, for instance, along with new historicalunderstandings from the texts, have illuminated therivalries between these two cities. Tikal and thenCalakmul and then Tikal again gained the upperhand with either direct or indirect influence over anumber of other lowland centers.

In addition, significant ongoing research atCoOn has been able to tie together dynastic rule,architectural growth, urban and rural settlement,and the ecology of the Copin Valley in a muchclearer picture of the city's rise and fall throughoutthe Classic period. As similar knowledge is gainedat other Maya cities, scholarly understanding of thiskey time period clearly will be significantlystrengthened.

Terminal Classic (A.D. 800-1000) and EarlyPostclassic (A.D. 100-1200) PeriodsToward the close of the eighth century A.D., aftera lengthy flourisl-iing, many of the principal cities inthe southern lowlands declined rapidly inpopulation and power. From this time on, thesouthern lowlands remained relatively lightlypopulated and drastically less important bothpolitically and economically. The causes of thisdemise were systemic and multiple withdemographic stress, a possible drought, trade

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AgmbroNoggy Vobeeme 22 No 2 hell 200.11

disruptions, and intercity conflicts all implicated inthis downturn.

Scholars used to believe that Maya civilizationcollapsed in the ninth century A.D., but recentresearch indicates that this was not the case. First,some southern lowland cities, especially thoselocated near water trade routes and rich cacao andcotton growing areas, continued to thrive whileother cities were declining. Second, cities in thenorthern lowlands, especially Chichen Itza andothers like Uxmal, began to thrive just as manysouthern cities were collapsing. Third, a mercantile,water-oriented Maya group from the Gulf Coastlowlandsthe Chontalwho had close economiccontacts with many areas of ancient Mesoamerica,began to spread their influence at this time in boththe highlands and lowlands. Ultimately theyfocused their attention on the northern lowlands.

Thus, just as the demographic, pOlitical, andeconomic focus of Maya civilization had shiftedfrom the southern highlands to the southernlowlands in the first part of the Middle Phase, so didthe focus shift again in the later part of the phase,from the southern to the northern lowlands.Contrary to previous understandings, Mayacivilization did not collapse, but continued toprosper, in a different and more restricted area.

This new northern florescence can be seen insuch zones as the hilly Puuc region, where denselypacked cities like Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, and Labnithrived at the end of the Classic period and the firsthalf of the Terminal Classic. The indigenous Mayapopulation of the region grew rapidly at this time,exploiting the best agricultural lands in thenorthern lowlands. The reasons for the rise of thePuuc region sites and their relatively brief heydayhave yet to be established. Recent research hasshown that a few Puuc sites developed much earlierin the Classic, while my colleagues' and myresearch at Sayil does not indicate any influx ofpopulation from the south at the end of the Classic.So the connections between the southern declineand northern florescence were not demographic butwere probably at least in part economic. The causesof decline of the Puuc sites also are unclear.

Drought and overpopulation are two of the factorsoften .mentioned in this regard.

However, new research at the great site ofChichen Itzi and elsewhere in the north is

beginning to shed new light on this hithertoenigmatic city and its relations with the Puucregion. This research indicates that Chichen Itzihad widespread political (including militaryconquest) and economic influence throughout thenorthern lowlands during the Terminal Classic andinto the Early Postclassic period. It may havedefeated the cities in the Puuc region, causing theirdecline, and appears to have had no rivals by theearly 10th century 'A.D. Chichen Itzi hadtremendous religious importance, and its sacredwell, or cenote, was a key pilgrimage destination. Itsruler, perhaps Chontal Maya, had closerelationships with groups elsewhere inMesoamerica, especially Central Mexico.

Most scholars now believe that this majorpolitical capital was not conquered by the Toltecsof Central Mexico. The similarities between ToltecTula and Maya Chichen Itzi likely resulted fromcommon cultural ties. Sometime toward the closeof the Early Postclassic period, Chichen Itzideclined for reasons that still are not fullyunderstood, and the northern lowlands split into anumber of small political entities.

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7Page 5

AeogbutpMptin Vohoome 22 M) 3 Fa 2CIVA

THE LATE PHASE (A.D. 1200 - 1540s)

The Late Phase witnessed some important culturalshifts in ancient Maya civilization. These includednew emphasis on mercantile activities, changingurban designs, significantly diminished investmentsby the ruling elite in large labor-intensivearchitectural projects to glorify themselves andtheir cities, and innovative forms of politicalcontrol. The latter is best illustrated by theemergence of an extensive political confederacy ledby the northern lowland center of Maya*, whichwas a walled city with a dense population of about12,000 people within its boundaries. Long-distance,water-borne Trade around the Yucathn peninsulagained greater importance with several tradingcenters becoming key nodes in the exchange of bulkgoods such as cotton, honey, and salt. In thehighlands, a series of regional centers that had firstemerged toward the end of the Middle Phase gainedadditional power and prominence. These cities werestill thriving at the 'time of the sixteenth-centurySpanish Conquest. However, Maya* had declinedby the middle of the fifteenth century and thepolitical scene throughout the lowlands when theSpanish arrived was one of small decentralizedpolities.

THE SPANISH CONQUESTThe Spanish Conquest of the Maya area began withthe early voyages of Grijalva, HernAndez deCOrdoba, and Cortes from 1517-1519 and wasessentially complete by the 1540s. Pafts of the arearemained unconquered, and some Maya remainedresistant to Spanish and then to Mexican controleven up to modern times. The Spanish Conquestdestroyed much of the Maya elite and their culturalpractices, and it decimated a significant part ofMaya population through introduced diseases suchas measles and smallpox. Military conquest, disease,and Spanish political control effectively brought anend to Maya civilization after more than twothousand years.

(Note: This article is a shortened and revisedversion of a heavily illustrated chapter published inMaya, edited by Peter Schmidt, Mercedes de laGarza, and Enrique Nalda [see the "For FurtherReading" section below for bibliographic details].)

FOR FURTHER READINGCulbert. T. Patrick. 1996. Maya Civilization. Exploring theAncient World Series, edited by Jeremy A. Sabloff.Smithsonian Institution Press.

Marcus, Joyce 1995. "Where is Lowland Maya ArchaeologyHeading?" Journal of Archaeological Research 3 (1): 3-53.

Simon Martin and Nikolai Grube. 1995. "MayaSuperstates." Archaeology 48 (6): 41-47.

Pohl, Mary D., et. al. 1996. "Early Agriculture in the MayaLowlands." Latin American Antiquity 7 (4): 355-72.

Sabloff, Jeremy A. 1985. "Ancient Maya Civilization." InMaya: Treasures of an Ancient Civilization. Ed. By C.Galenkamp and R.E. Johnson. Harry N. Abrarns, pp. 34-46.

Sabloff, Jeremy A. 1990. The New Archaeology and theAncient Maya. W.H. Freeman.

. 1998. "Ancient Maya Civilization in Space andTime." In Maya. Ed. by Peter Schmidt, Mercedes de laGarza, and Enrique Nalda, Bompiani, pp. 52-71.

Schele, Linda and David Freidel. 1990. A Forest of Kings: TheUntold Story of the Ancient Maya. William Morrow and Co.

Sharer, Robert J. 1994. The Ancient Maya. Fifth edition.Stanford University Press.

Jeremy A. Sable is the Williams Director, Universityof Pennsylvania Museum and former President of theSociety for American Archaeology.

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AmehmNoga Wow 22 No 311471 2Wil

TEACHER'S CORNER:MAYA ART AND WRHTENG

by Beverly Chiarulli

[Note: Some of the concepts in this lesson are basedon lessons in Intrigue of the Past A Teacher's A ctiviiyGuide for Fourth through Seventh Grades, United StatesDepartment of the Interior, Bureau of LandManagement (1993). This Teacher's Corner can beused in science, social studies, and art classes and isdesigned to improve skills in scientific method,synthesizing, and drawing. These lessons will engagestudents in using strategies such as classification,comparison, and interpretation.]

VocabularyGlyph: Shortened versiOn of hieroglyph. In Mayawriting, glyphs are more often equivalent to shortsyllables than single letters.Pictograph: A sign that pictures a real thing.Iconograph: A stylized ,symbol of a "real thing"used in a drawing or painting.Stela: A free-standing monument, either carved orplain; often paired with "altars" or large round flatstones in Maya sites.Stucco facade: Wet plaster, which could be carvedor molded, used as building decoration. A façade isthe front side of a building.Syllabary: A set of symbols used for syllables. Mayawriting is composed of combinations of syllablesrather than letters. The syllabary provides acomparison of the symbols to combinations ofletters.

INTRODUCTIONMaya art is found on almost everything made andused by the Maya and in every material with whichthey worked. Recent advances in the deciphermentof Maya glyphs have shown that many of the glyphs,paintings, and sculptures provide historical recordsof Maya kings and their interactions with each other.One of the ways that archaeologists first were ableto translate these glyphs was by comparing dateglyphs with symbols that seemed to be the names ofites. Other glyphs that are often seen on stela or

stone monuments are those that stand for the,accession of a king, the performance of a ritual, orthe capture of a rival king or lord.

Even before the Maya used glyphs to report theirhistory, they decorated their buildings with stuccofacades. Archaeologists can compare the symbolsand carvings found on the facades with those laterused on monuments with glyphs to interpret ordecode what the Mafa were trying to say with thefacades. In some cases, these interpretations can helpus understand why the Maya built the buildings andhow they used them.,

The Maya also used glyphs along with pictures ontheir pottery, in large paintings on the walls ofbuildings, and on small carved objects like pieces ofshell or jade. By comparing the pictures and theglyphs and the style of the painting or carving,archaeologists and art historians can sometimesidentify individual Maya artists or different versionsof the same scene. Through our studies of Maya artand writing, we can better understand how the Mayalived in their ancient cities.

Through the activities below, students willeXperience how archaeologists use artifacts, art andwriting to increase our understanding of Mayacivilization.

Exercise 1:Materials needed: .

o A copy of the 16ya syllabary for eachstudent. These are available in several bookssuch as Michael Coe's Breaking the Maya Codeor on-the internet. (A useful version is athttp://www.halfmoon.org/syllabary.html,along with directions for using the syllabaryto write names.)

oA piece of paper for each student andcolored markers, pencils, or paint.

1. Our writing system uses letters representingindividual sounds that are combined into words. TheMaya writing system is different in that words aredivided into syllables. Symbols are used to representthese syllables. In English, we occasionally use asingle symbol or "letter" to represent a syllable, likewhen we use "a" as a word as in "a horse." Forstudents to write their names using Maya glyphs, theymust first break their names into syllables:

Kate = "ka" + "te"

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AffighffeNameg Wow 22 No 3 MI 2M111

Some names are more difficult, because you mustadd an imaginary or silent letter:

Jon = "jo" + "ne"

Some names include sounds that are not found inMaya languages, like "r." You can use the syllabary tofind a substitute or you may leave that letter out ofyour translation, as shown in my name:

Beverly = "be" + "ye" + "li"

2. Have each student break his or name intosyllables.

3. Have the students match the syllables from theirname's to the syllabary.

4. The syllables are then combined into blocks toform word glyphs. Examples of word arrangementsare:

ka

tene be

ye

II

Have the.students use glyphs from the syllabary toreplace the English syllables in their own name inblocks on a sheet of paper.

Exercise 2:Materials needed:

o A picture or transparency of a Maya pot ormural showing a painted scene and glyphs. (Agood source of pictures of painted Maya potteryis the Foundation for Mesoamerican StudiesMaya vase database websitehttP/www.faMsi.org/mayavase.)

o A piece of paper, a small flower pot, or a pieceof clay for each student and a marker or paintand paintbrush.

0 Colored index cards or pieces of colored paper.

1. Brainstorm examPles of symbols that aremeaningful to us today. You might start thediscussion by providing examples of symbols on

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products. As a comparison, students could be askedto consider how symbols have changed through time.Have the students look at a dollar bill, identify thesymbols, and then explain the meaning of thesymbols. There are probably several symbols thatcannot be interpreted, like the "pyramid with theeye."

2. Give each student (or group of students) a piece ofpaper, or one of the flowerpots. Ask them to create asymbol of their culture or something important intheir lives. Have them draw the symbol on the pieceof paper or on the flowerpot.

3. Ask groups of students to look at a picture from aMaya pot or painting. Have the students identifyglyphs and iconographs in the picture.

4. Have the student groups look at the informationthat is contained in the Maya picture about the Mayalife and environment. Ask them to answer thefollowing questions about the picture:

a. What kinds of clothes are the Maya wearing?What does their style of dress tell you about theirenvironment?

b. Does the picture tell you anything about thenatural environment? Do you see any of theplants or animals that might have been importantto the Maya?

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ANANNotin Vd8ame 22 No 2 Fa ZOVil

c. List or draw pictures of five artifacts that you seein the picture. (Artifacts are things that were usedor made by people and might include pots shownin the picture, spears, bracelets, necklaces,headdresses, etc.).

Give each group of students a set of five coloredindex cards or a piece of colored paper cut into fivepieces. (Each group should get a different colored setof cards.) Have each group write the name of ordraw one of the artifacts on each card. Ask thegroups to give as much detail as possible about theartifacts they choose. Collect the Maya pictures andplace them on a table at the front of the room. Thenhave each group pass their set of cards to one of theother groups. Each group should try to match the setof cards to one of the pictures.

As a variation, the cards can continue to be passedon to the other groups, with each group removingone card from the set they pass. A set of five cardsworks best with five groups. Larger numbers ofgroups may need more sets of cards.

Exercise 3:Materials needed:

(DA roll of wrapping paper or butcher's paperoMarkers or paint and paintbrush

1. Use the roll of paper to make a large "stela" forthe classroom. It should measure at least 18" x 48"or more. Have each of the students transfer his orher name glyph blocks to the "stela." You can addother glyphs to the panel. For example, the websiteat http://www.halfmoon.org/date.html contains adate calculator that you can use to translate any dateinto a Maya calendrical date. Leave a blank space inthe center of the picture for a drawing.

2. Have the students design or draw a picture for thecenter of the "stela". As part of the process, have thestudents brainstorm about the information thatmight be included, such as the information they sawin the Maya paintings. They might want to includeinformation on the school or on favorite activities.Ask the students to incorporate the symbols theydeveloped into the drawing.

3. Create a translation of the information on thestela. It should include the information in the glyphsas well as the story shown in the picture andsymbols.

Exercise 4:When archaeologists investigate a Maya site, they doso with the permission of the government of thecountry in which the site is located. They carefullyrecord information on the location and artifactsfound in the excavations. They leave the artifacts inthe host country, since these belong to the peopleand government of the country.

Many Maya sites have been "looted" in recent years."Looting" is a term used to describe unauthorizedexcavations at a site in which the objective is torecover only valuable artifacts for sale in the UnitedStates, Europe, or Japan. Few records are kept of theexcavations, and artifacts are scattered among manyowners. Sometimes small artifacts like pottery,,Jewelry, and stone tools are found in theseexcavations, but other times large carvings or stonestela are cut into pieces by looters and sold.

Using the stela created by the class, cover sections ofthe stela with irregularly-shaped pieces ofconstruction paper. These repfesent sections of thestela removed by looters. Or make Xerox copies ofsections of the stela that can be given to groups ofstudents to interpret. Have the class discuss howmuch information is lost when only part of the stelacan be studied and why it is important to protectarchaeological sites.

(A version of this last exercise involves actuallycutting out or defacing parts of the stela. However,students who have put so much effort into creatingthe stela can find this to be very upsetting, so Irecommend that teachers only simulate thedestruction of the stela.)

Versions ofthese lessons were developed for a Workshop forTeachers in Maya Archaeology and Tropical Ecology held in

Belize in 1997 and for several Maya Weekends at theUniversity of Pennsylvania Museum.

(Continued on the page 14)

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halm-Won %Avow No 3 Foil MOB

SMITHSONIAN EXPEDITIONSA Museum Partnership

by Jane MacLaren Walsh & Tonia Barringer0 4.

smithsonian Expeditions, Exploring LatinAmerica and the Caribbean is a 3,200 squarefoot exhibition in Miami, Florida; which

showcases the Institution's 150-year history ofpioneering contributions to the study andpreservation of the natural history and cultures ofthe Americas.

The exhibition at the Miami Museum ofScience is designed to invite visitors to trace thesteps of scientists through time and space as theytraveled to remote regions to explore desolateshores, tropical jungles, archaeological ruins and aMayan ruler's tomb. Ancient artifacts,ethnographic objects, photographs, fieldnotebooks, and drawings of early scientists andexplorers allow visitors to discover how theSmithsonian!s National Museum , of NaturalHistory amassed one of the largest and mostimportant collections in the world.

The exhibit begins on a mid-19th-century docksomewhere in Latin America, with a display ofsome of the Smithsonian's earliest collections,ready to be loaded aboard a ship - bound forWashington City: Some of the objects on the dockhave catalogue numbers in the low hundreds,accessioned when the Institution was onlybeginning to entertain ideas about collections andexhibitions. The National Museum of NaturalHistory maintains over 120 million objects in itscollection with the Anthropology Departmentcaring for 2.5 million artifacts of its own.

e first half of the 19th century was, anexciting time for our newly independent country,with American scientists and researchers eagerlycompeting with Europeans to inventory anddocument the natural and cultural history of theAmericas. The earliest artifacts collected in LatinAmerica come from the first governmentsponsored, collecting and research voyageThe'United States Exploring Expeditionthat set sail in1838 and for four years circumnavigated the globe.The naturalists on board collected more than 40tons of natural and cultural history specimens:

THE ERST EXPLORERSThe exhibit's First Explorers section features fourlarge stone monuments found-by Ephraim Squierin 1849 off the coast of Nicaragua. The stones

Monoliths found by Squier in 1849 on Zapater'o and other Islands

date between 900 and' 1500 A.D., with the largestweighing nearly a ton. Scjuier hoped they wouldform the core of a new Smithsonian museum on theMall dedicated to American archaeology; theyeventually did become part of a U.S: NationalMuseum display. Drawings and objects of naturalhistory as well as a variety of gourds collected byLieutenants Herndon, and Gibbon are also onexhibit. The two naval officers traveled theAmazon River and its tributaries in the mid-19thcentury to explore the possibility of steam travel onthe waterway.

TRADENG TREASURESThe Trading Treasures section describes exchangenetworks created by the Smithsonian to encouragetravelers in Latin America to work with localauthorities, scientists, and residents to collect ortrade specimens. Spencer Baird, the Smithsonian'ssecond secretary, corresponded with numerousNorth _Americans traveling for diplomatic andeconomic reasons to involve them in the task ofbuilding the national collections.

Many museum objects also were acquired bymeans of exchange with museums throughout theAmericas. A good example of this can be seen inseveral archaeological objects from Costa Rica, afew of many -hundred sent to the Smithsonian byJose Zeledon, as part of an exchange program.ZeledOn was a Costa Rican ornithologist trained atthe Smithsonian, who eventually returned to hishomeland to help found a national museum there.

THE- SCHENTESTS' CAMPSSmithsonian researchers spent extended periods inthe field, building their own native style housing orrenting a local house. Expeditions displays a replica

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of a native house in Mexico, similar to one thatnaturalist Edward Nelson stayed in, as seen in aphotograph taken by his assistant. The house,which you can walk into, features the work ofmany pioneer scientists, such as Mary AgnesChase, who studied grasses throughout SouthAmerica. She was a pioneer feminist sometimesjailed for political activity, who also was a mentorto many South American women seientists.Alexander Wetmore was the sixth Secretary forthe Smithsonian and an important ornithologist,who traveled extensively in Latin America andPanama. His personal collecting kit, whichcontains, among other things, arsenic for treatingthe skins of bird specimens, is on display. Lucilleand William Mann traveled throughout LatinAmerica trading North American animals forspecies found in the tropics. William Mann wasthe director of the National Zoo, and when thereptile pavilion opened in the 1930s, he and hiswife traveled as far as Argentina fo exchangeanimals. They traveled on ocean liners with cratesof American buffalo, reptiles, birds and otherspecies that required extensive care and feeding onthe long voyage.

Another scientist, some of whose collectionscan be seen in the native house, was William.Henry Holmes, artist, geologist and archaeologist,who traveled widely in Mexico. He collectedartifacts wherever he went and arranged tradeswith collectors in Latin America. One of the mostinteresting pieces in the Holmes case is the Aztecobsidian knife, which may have been used to cutout the heart of sacrificial victims. The Aztecsbelieved that human hearts were food for their sungod, and that daily sacrifices would ensure that thesun would rise.

Beyond the scientists' field camp are artifactscollected on various islands of the Caribbean, longthe crossroads for people and ideas. In prehispanictimes the ritual ball game spread from Mexico andCentral America throughout the Caribbean andwas shared by many cultures including the Taino.Various artifacts from the ball game are on view inthe exhibition.

Jesse Fewkes, a Smithsonian archaeologist,made comparative studies of cultures andarchaeological sites among the islands, andcollected many of these artifacts. Also of note inthis region was the scientific collecting voyagearound western Cuba and the Colorados reefs ona vessel called the Thomas Barrera in 1914. ThisSmithsonian sponsored expedition was acooperative venture with Cuban scientist Carlosde la Torre, from the University of Havana, and

the results of the study on marine flora of theislands were published in 1916 in The Cruise of theThomas Barrera.

EARLY ARCHAEOLOGYStanding out at the entrace of the Early Archaeologysection is a large carved stone portrait of an Olmecindividual known as El Rey, or the King. It is anexact replica of the original colossal head found atLa Venta, an archaeological site in Mexico, byMatthew W. Stirling, another Smithsonianarchaeologist. At 9.5 feet high, this one is the largestexample of a total of 13 heads found. Somearchaeologists think that these heads were portraitsOf ball players or important rulers.

This replica of "El Rey" was carved from Styrofoam, and though light asa feather, it is quite accurate

A continuous video, filmed by the NationalGeographic Society in the 1940s, shows MatthewStirling, his wife Marion, and his crew of workersin the field at various Olmec sites in Mexico.Marion Stirling's narration was added later. OtherOlmec objects are on display, such as jade figures, acarved basalt ax, and figurines.

THE PALENQUE TOMToward the close of the exhibition is a re-creationof an archaeological dig where young children cantry their hand at finding shark's teeth and potteryfragments. The grand finale of the SmithsonianExpeditions exhibit is an interpretation of the tombof King Pakal discovered at the site 'of Palenque ihthe jungles of Chiapas, Mexico. The tomb wasfound inside the base of the Temple of. theInscriptions, the tallest building at Palenque. Toreach the tomb in Palenque requires climbing to theupper platform of the temple and then descending80 feet down steep stairs to the tomb. MiamiMuseum of Science visitors can enter directlythrough the temple piers into the tomb chamber. It

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The replica of the tomb of King Pakal within the pyramid called theTemple of Inscriptions

took three years for archaeologists to excavate thestairs leading to the tomb in Palenque.

THE HNTERACTIVESThe exhibition concludes with a laboratory sectionand two interactive virtual exhibits. In the lab,visitors call view marine specimens throughmicroscopes and with computers can go online tovisit sites at the Smithsonian Institution. Thecomputer interactive, called The ExpeditionContinues, allows visitors to see what Smithsonian,Miami Museum of Science, and other Miami-basedscientists are working on today in the Americas.Another computer interactive invites buddingarchaeologists to continue exploring ancientAmerican cultures using Smithsonianpre-Columbian objects to illustrate artistic stylesand artifact types.

Smithsonian Expeditions is the first largeexhibition in the nation to result from aSmithsonian Affiliations partnership. It celebratesmore than a century and a half' of scientificresearch and collecting in Latin America and theCaribbean, and exhibits the fruit of our labors toinform the public, at every age level, about thereasons for collecting and the true nature ofmuseum science. The exhibition presents sciencein an adventurous and entertaining way.

To see the exhibition online, visitwww.miamisci.org. Biographies of the manyscientists featured in the exhibition are available atwww.mnh.si.edu/online_exhibits.html

Jane Walsh, anthropologist in the Smithsonian'sDepartment of Anthropology, and Tonia Barringer,former exhibit director at the Miami Museum, co-curated "Smithsonian Expeditions."

THE SMETHSONEAN APELNATEONPROGRAM

Since 1996 not-for-profit museums, historicalsocieties, and other cultural organizations haveparticipated in the Smithsonian AffiliationsProgram. Through this program the Smithsonian issharing its collections through long term loans anddeveloping relationships with "affiliates" Who payan annual fee and may use a Smithsonian logo andthe tag line "in association with the SmithsonianInstitution" along with their own name.

The National Affiliations Conference convenesrepresentatives from all the affiliates for two days ofdialogue and brainstorming, introducing theaffiliates to a myriad of Smithsonian programs theycan take advantage of, including co-brandingaffiliate merchandise and national affiliatememberships to the Smithsonian. Jointly fundedinternships and fellowship's are also offered.

The Miami Museum of Science, described in thearticle by Walsh and Barringer, is one of the mostextensive Smithsonian affiliations. This affiliationdemonstrates the way in which' the NationalMuseum of Natural History has created ongoing,in-depth linkages with communiiies across thecountry, such as in San Antonio, Texas; Anchorage,Alaska; and San Diego, California. In the case ofMiami, there is both a major research-basedmuseum exhibition and a research consortium intropical biology (CETroB), demonstrating theeffectiveness of science partnerships in bringingSmithsonian research and public program resourcesto communities outside Washington.

During 2000-2001, the National Museum ofNatural History co-organized with the MiamiMuseum of Science six teleconferences fromWashington, D.C. for 150 university professors andeducation professionalsirom six southeastern states.Part of a program called STARTSoutheasternStudent Teachers Are Revitalizing TeachingThrough Technologythis Miami Museumof Science initiative was developed with a grantfrom the U.S. Department of Education.

The affiliations program is an opportunity forsharing Smithsonian resources across the country.The Smithsonian Department of Anthropology hasbeen an active partner in this program.

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AffidwoNotiog Maw 22 No 2 MI 2(01g11

TWO NEW MULTHWEDEATOOLS FOR TEACHIING

. ARCHAEOLOGYby Shannon P. McPherron

Investigating Olduvai: Archaeology of Human OriginsCreated by Jeanne SeptPublished by Indiana University Presshttp://www.indiana.edu/ origins/teach/Olduvai.html

Virtual Dig:A Simulate d Aithaeological Excavation ofaMiddle Paleolithic Site in FranceCreated by Harold L. Dibble, Shannon P. McPherron,and Barbara J. Roth ,

Published by Mayfield Publishing Companyhttp://www.virtualdig.com

IcnvestigatingOlduvai and Virtual Dig are two relativelynew multimedia CDs specifically geared tolassroom use. Both CDs are based on

archaeological Materials from actual excavations,bringing the excitement of archaeology right into yourclassroom.

INVESTIGATING OLDUVAIInvestigatingOlduvai is based on decades of research intothe famous African gorge with its early hominids andOldowan stone tool industries. In addition tointroducing the broad paleoenvironmental andevolutionary picture, this excellent presentationfocuses, in particular, on the excavations of the Bed IFLK site, dated to over 1.8 million years old, and theissues of interpretation surrounding it. For instance,the CD explores stone tool making and animalbutchery, using a series of graphics and video clipssupplemented by text narrative.

Navigating the program is similar to movingthrough a web site. Words are hyperlinked todefinitions, there are forward and backward buttons,and topics are selected from pull-down menus.Students can follow a series of pre-arranged screens ona particular topic or they can use the index to jumpdirectly to a screen. The disc comes with an extensiveseries of short essay questions and worksheet exercisestied to the material presented on the CD. Thequestions and exercises require students to work

through the CD and gather the necessary informationto reach a conclusion. The emphasis is clearly on theinvestigative and scientific process rather than onobtaining a particular "right" or "wrong" answer. Thisapproach follows naturally from the use of realarchaeological data with all their ambiguities andlimitations.

..11.1 MCitt-Orit:15 STONIU.T2:01.- RPRION164 ANY,pomAt. Sviztparw.. "

VIRTUAL DIGVirtual Dig is based on recent excavations of Combe-Capelle Bas, a Middle Paleolithic Mousterian site in theclassic region of southwest France. The CD includesmost of the data recovered from this site, including allthe locations of all recorded artifacts and the stone toolanalysis for each piece. Virtual Dig allows students tore-excavate the site using their own research designand excavation methods and then to analyze the stonetools recovered from their excavations. Through thisprocess, students learn archaeological methodologywith all its challenges, including deciding how to feedthe crew, where to place the units, what dig tools touse, how many buckets will be screened, and how tointerpret a collection of stone tools.

Virtual Dig comes with a 150 page workbookessential to using the program. The workbookintroduces topics related to archaeological method andtheory and then directs students to the prograrn in aseries of exercises that put the principles into practice.After learning about sampling strategies, for example,students design an excavation strategy that could beused to determine the bouridaries of the site. After

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learning some of the basic kinds of measurementsarchaeologists make on stone tools, students are givena chance to take actual measurements by clicking onimages of stone tools. One of the more creativesections of the program lets students knap and thenretouch flakes from a virtual core. They control theshape of the core ,and where it is struck and getimmediate feedback on the resulting flake. LikeInvestigating Olduvai, Virtual Dig emphasizes thearchaeological process over the achievement ofparticular results and very much requires students tothink through what they are doing at each step ratherthan simply pushing buttons to get results.

Both CDs have a place in the archeologycurriculum. Beyond their obvious application toPaleolithic and hominid origins courses, the CDs workwell in introductory world prehistory courses. VirtualDig is particularly well suited to archaeological methodscourses and can also be used in courses focusing ongrant and proposal writing or stone tool analysiscourses. Likewise, Investigating Olduvai can be used toteach method and theory and might make aninteresting case study for a class on faunal analysis.Both are suitable for both upper high school orundergraduate students.

Virtual Dig _requires a PC with a Pentiumprocessor, CD-ROM drive, Windows 95/98,_ 16megabytes of RAM, and minimally 800x600 32k colorresolution. InvestigatingOlduvai requires at least an Intel486 PC, CD-ROM, Windows 3.1/95/98, 16 megabytesof RAM, and 640x480 265k color resolution or a68040 (including Power Mac) Macintosh with a CD-ROM drive, System 7.1, 640x480 256 color resolution,and 12 megabytes of RAM.

Shannon P. McPherron is visiting assistant professor ofAnthropology at the Univenity ofNorthCarol* Greensboro.

(Teacher's Corner, continued from page 9)

FOR FURTHER RIEADINGCoe, Michael. 1993. Breaking the Maya Code. Thames &Hudson.

Coe, Michael D. and Justin Kerr. 1998. The Art oftheMaya Scribe. Harry N Abrams.

Harris, John F., Stephen K.Stearns. 1997. UnderstandingMaya Inscriptions: A Hieroglyph Handbook. Univ. ofPennsylvania Press.

Reents-Budet, Dorrie, Linda Schele, and Michael P.Fezzatesta. 1993. Painting the Maya Universe: RoyalCeramics of the Classic Period. Duke Univ. Press.

A useful source about the looting of Maya sites isfound in the reports of the Foundation forMesbamerican Studies. The report is Surviving in theRainforest The Realities ofLootingin the Rural Villages ofElPeten, Guatemala by Sofia Paredes Maury. It is at:http://www.famsi.org/reports/paredesmaury/paredesmaury.htm

Beverly Chiarulli is an Assistant Professor and Director ofArchaeological Services az Indiana Univetsity ofPennsylvania

and Chair ofthe Society for American Archaeology PublicEducation Committee.

Dear Readers,

For more than 20 years, AnthroNotes has beenproduced and mailed free of charge to thousands ofreaders each year. To cut costs, in 1998 we reducedthe number of annual issues from three to two. Due tofunding cuts and administrative reorganization, weagain are experiencing pressures. Unfortunately, thissituation has impacted the timing and the quality ofprinting production (in our last issue, in particular). Weintend to do everything possible to continueAnthroNotes.

The Editors

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Attaitnt Nova Vohnow 22 No 3 Fa 200ll

"AFRICAN VOICES"Smithsonian Project trings Africa Alive

by Michael Atwood Mason

the centuries, Africans have devel-oped cities and empires, philosophies andreligions, technology and trade. Africa's

influence today reaches virtually every country andevery culture. Humanity began in Africa, and todayAfrican voices speak from every corner of the earth.We are fortunate that some of those voices speakthrOugh the Smithsonian's African Voices Project.

The year 1999 inaugurated the NationalMuseum of Natural History's much anticipatedAfrican Voices exhibition. After six years of work, theMuseum kept its promise to open a hall developedwith communitY input and state of the art museumpractices. Key to this effort was a uniquecollaboration between curators and museumprofessionals, on the one hand, and an internationalgroup of specialists from a wide spectrum ofinstitutions, on the other hand. The new permanentexhibition with, its outreach components touchingstudents and teachers throughout the United Statesexpresses a broad consensus on how to representAfrica and the African Diaspora. Through theAfrican Voices Project, African voices, originalresearch, and community collaboration united tocreate a unique and powerful portrait of Africa.

The African Voices title reflects a fundamentalshift: rather than simply telling the public aboutAfrica, the exhibition and its outreach componentsliterally resound with the words, songs, poems, andproverbs of African peoplecontemporary andhistorical. We meet African people and hear theirinterpretations of their varied histories and cultures.At_ the same time, the museum exhibition features'more than 400 objects, most of which now belong tothe Museum's collections, but many of which werecollected or commissioned for the exhibition.Objects join with African voices to tell the story ofAfrica's long and dynamic history as well as itscontemporary relevance and vitality. Case studiesalso present Africa's diversity and global impact. Awide variety of techniques delivers these themes toour audience, primarily families and especiallyAfrican and African-American families.

A PROCESS OF INCLUSIONIn 1993, the Museum organized a series of planningmeetings for the new hall of African history andcultures and invited Africanists, African Diasporanscholars, educators, and museum professionals from_local, national, and international institutions to

bring their ideas to the table. An intense and livelydiscussion ensued. Panelists argued that Africanhistory had to be central to the exhibition, a historyreflecting the fact that African societies were neverself-contained enclaves frozen in time or cut off fromwider regional. or global systems of knowledge andeconomy. Participants underscored the critical needfor the Museum to create an exhibition that wouldbegin to counterbalance the widespread publicperceptions of contemporary Africa as a continent ofpassive victims," helplessly plagued by famine, war,

poverty, and epidemics.The panel recommended that the Museum

create not only a new permanent exhibition ofAfrican history and cultures, but a morecomprehensive African Voices Project that wouldinclude changing exhibitions, a resource and studycenter, a web site, and broad outreach throughpublic programming including a traveling exhibit.Both the Museum and the panelists agreed that thenew permanent exhibition and the larger AfricanVoices Project must be- developed with the activeparticipation of a broad range ofAfricans and peopleof African descent in order that it continue to meetthe local, naiional, and international audiences'cultural and educational needs.

IDEALS INTO REALITYThe first priority of the African Voices Project was torealize a new exhibition at the National Museum ofNatural History that would communicate thefollowing messages to visitors:o Africa has a long, rich history.o Africa today is a dynamic and vital place.o Africa has always been connected to the rest ofthe world.As the project team developed the exhibition, wesought to surprise visitors about Africa and to showAfricans as the primary actors in their own lives.

The process ensured thern development of aconsensus on our representation of Africa and theDiaspora. With exhibition designers, we planned aphysical layout that would address our goals. Thedesign of the hall revolves around a conceptually andphysically central history pathway of ten keymoments in African history, beginning with theemergence of human life in Africa and ending with amoment about contemporary challenges in Africa.Off the history pathway, thematic galleries exploretopical issues in African culture that have been andpromise to remain important in African life.

We had a clear sense of what we wanted tocommunicate to the public, but the challengeremained: How to tell the story of an entirecontinent in a 6,500 squarefoot hall? We repeatedlyran up against the physical limitations of the space

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and the endurance of the family visitors we hadtargeted as our primary audience. In the end, wechose to illustrate key concerns with case studies, butthe brevity of exhibition texts created realconstraints. As happens in many exhibitions, onlykey ideas could remain in the script, while anotherset of interpretive ideas remained present but notfully articulated in the exhibition. There were farmore stories than we could tell in great depth, andmany of the details in the end dropped out of thelabels. However, the main messages of the exhibitionand 'the more specific set of interpretive ideas formedan essential part of the conversations during theexhibition development process and informed manyof the team's choices for the final script.

The 'remainder of this article explores the mainideas of each gallery in African Voices but alsopresents this interpretive frame that is onlysometimes described in the exhibition text. Thisarticle thus brings the content of the exhibition toreaders who might not be able to travel to theNational Museum of Natural History, and it alsoelucidates certain interrelationships between storieswithin the exhibition. In addition, web sites andpublic programming also bring the exhibitionexperience to those living far from Washington,D.C.

TWO ORIENTATION ENTRANCESVisitors enter the hall from two places, with eachentrance creating an Orientation section. Theseorientation areas introduce visitors to the mainmessages of the exhibition and the-physical layout ofthe hall. Large maps and wall panels stress Africa'sdiversity. In both Orientations, a large video wallpresents a program that has three sections, eachstressing the key messages of Africa's diversity,creativity, and global influence. Thevideos' quick pace communicates thecontinent's vitality. "Traditional" musicfades into cOntemporary Afro-Pop.Factory workers smile and women withpainted faces move to the rhythm.Africans narrate the videos with shortstatements in the first person.

HISTORY PATHWAYThe two orientations are connected by along history pathway, titled "A WalkThrough Time." This pathway runsdown the "spine" of the hall. The tenmoments along the pathway traceAfricans developing cities and empires,philosophies and religions, andtechnology and trade through time.Although this open design makes it

difficult to make explicit comparisons between themoments, there are important juxtapositions. Forexample, the second moment focuses on thedevelopment of economic, social, and culturalexchange along the Nile from 3100 B.C. to A.D. 350including ancient Nubia and Egypt. The thirdmoment explores the emergence of a similar areaalong the Niger River in West Africa from 200 B.C.to A.D. 1400. Both these moments werecharacterized by river-based exchange, dynamiceconomics, the development of specialized labor andnew knowledge, and the production of stunningworks of art.

Several moments overlap between 1800 and1900. The "Money Drives the Slave Trade" momentexamines the causes and effects of the Atlantic slavetrade between 1500 and the 1860s. "TradeTransforms Africa" presents the dramatic changes intrade in central Africa from the early 1800s throughthe early 1900s. Both these stories demonstrateAfrica's connections to the rest of the world, andboth show how events on the world stage shiftedlocal economies in Africa toward exports. Thistendency was intensified under colonialism, and"Colonialism Yields to Independence" showsEuropean powers setting the rules for the scramblefor Africa at the Berlin Conference (1884-1885) andAfricans responding to colonialism in a variety ofways from the late 1800s through 1990. As acounterpoint to the colonialism moment, "EthiopiaPrevails over Italy" tells the inspiring story of theEthiopian army's stunning victory over Italianinvaders at Adwa in 1896. Because the last twohundred years have seen so much change in Africa,several moments on the history pathway presentdifferent aspects of this complex history.

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WORKING IN AFRICA GALLERYImages of contemporary work in Africa illustratethree important, long-standing technologiesmetallurgy, pottery, and agriculturethat havechanged the face of the continent. These play andcontinue to play important roles in Africa. Thepresentation of agriculture explores the culturalvalue of agricultural work through headdresses thathonor Ciwara, the mythical antelope who taughtfarming to Bamana people in Mali. The headdressesare used in annual festivals to commemorate theimportance of agriculture and the ideal qualities of afarmerstrength, tenacity, and grace. Similarly, theexhibition explores African rice cultivation, showingWest African farmers who have cultivated a uniquevariety of rice (07yza sativa) for over 3,000 years,experimenting to create strains that thrive on.hillsides, swamps, flood plains, and coastal estuaries.In the 1700s, African rice farmers were enslaved andtheir expertise exploited to work rice plantations inthe Americas. In addition to the presentation onmetallurgy, pottery, and agriculture, a video andphoto murals show the diversity of modern work inAfrica.

MARKET CROSSROADS GALLERYRather than create a generic and timeless market asseen in many museums, this installation recreates the"31 December Makola Market" in Accra, Ghana, asit existed in 1996. Visitors meet four vendors whoworked in the market at that time and hear them talkabout the importance and value of their work. Forexample, Ernestina Quacoopome and her daughterMarjorie Botchway sell Ghana's classic blue-and-white cloth. Marjorie uses skills she learned insecretarial school to help her mother manage thebusiness. They make a monthly contribution to arevolving credit organization and every two yearsreceive about $5,000 to buy cloth in bulk. Womenselling yams, housewares, and kola nuts each discusstheir work, as a large video screen fills the gallery withthe sounds and movement_ of the market.

WEALTH IN AFRICA GALLERYIn Africa, walth takes many forms: money,knowledge, and connections among people. Thesedifferent notions of wealth as well as the movementof goods and ideas are important concepts forunderstanding African cultures. A brightly colored,jumbo jet coffin used by Ga people celebrates variouskinds of wealth and is a major feature of this sectionof the exhibit. A luxury item costing approximately$400, the coffin represents a significant expense tohonor important people who have "joined theancestors.' While these coffins take many forms,

This image from an Akan gold weight from Ghana represents two crocodiles

with one stomach. It alludes to a proverb:"They share the same stomach yet

they fight over frod"

.each one reminds the family, friends, and colleaguesof the accomplishments of the deceased. A successfulinternational business person might be buried in ajumbo jet. The mother of many children might beburied in a chicken coffin, complete with manychicks. At the funeral, the coffin is carried by friends,family, and supporters through town to the cemeteryfor a Christian burial. The greater the number ofpeople in the funeral procession, the greater theevidence for the deceased's "wealth in people." Theprocession makes real the Akan proverb: "Everyonehelps carry the burden of a funeral."

LIVING IN AFRICA GALLERYThe diverse living spaces people create and inhabit inAfrica tell us a great deal about their values and theirdaily lives. Portable' nomadic houses from Somaliaare contrasted with longstanding stone architecturein Zanzibar. Today in easternmost Africa about 60percent of Somali people are nomadic herders.Central -to the culture that has evolved aroundherding are the portable houses called aqal. The-houses belong to women, and a Somali proverb says"A man without a wife is a man without a house. "Next to the aqal on display stands a life-size videofeaturing two Somali-Americans discussing theirmemories ofliving in aqals and the meanings of thesehouses in their lives. The next installation featuresmassive wooden doors from Zanzibar, Tanzania. Inthis coastal city, which dates from the 18th century,merchant families commissioned massive, intricate,hand-carved doors to display and enjoy their wealth.Many of the historic buildings in this ancient city arebuilt from coral bricks. Rural and urban, nomadicand sedentary, these contrasts underscore thediversity of living spaces and ways of life in Africatoday.

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KONGO CROSSROADSConnecting the "Living in Africa" and "GlobalAfrica" galleries, this crossroads space focuses onimportant values that sustained Kongo people inAfrica and the Americas. Kongo-speaking peoplehave long lived in a region north and south of themouth of the Congo River. Their religion, like manyin Africa, revolves around venerating the ancestors.The gallery floor has a brass circle cut by a cross: Thisdikenga symbol embodies a crossroads where theliving can meet the ancestors. It also represents thesun's daily movementssunrise, noon, sunset, andnightand the soul's journey through lifebirth,adulthood, death, and ancestorhood. This symbolcan be seen in the cylindrical medicine pack on thebelly ofa female minkisi, a power figure used to directthe ancestors' powei into solving everyday problems.

This gallery also shows Africa's connection to therest of the world. A Kongo crucifix from the early19th century shows Christianity's long-standinginfluence in Central Africa; in fact; Kongo KingAfonso I converted to Christianity in 1509.Similarly, because Central Africa was the source forapproximately 40% of all people enslaved in theAtlantic Slave Trade, traces of many Central Africancultures, including Kongo, appear around theAmericas. A Brazilian metal sculpture collected forthe exhibition in 1996 clearly shows the dikengasymbol. Identified as a Kongo symbol by Brazilianfollowers of the African-based religion Candomble,'the symbol is incorporated into altar sculptures usedto honor the indigenous spirits of Brazil. While' themeaning of the symbol has changed somewhat, theform remains unchanged and is still used to call uponthe ancestors.

GLOBAL AFRICA GALLERYFor millennia, Africans have dispersed around theworld, creating a community called the AfricanDiaspora. While the dispersion of Africans had itstragic peak in the Atlantic Slave Trade (1502-1860s), a map in this gallery shows major historicalAfrican journeys. The map begins with Hanniballeading his North African army aga'inst Rome and

- ends with the recent migration of Africans toEurope, Australia, and the United States.

Another installation tells of the horrors of beingenslaved: visitors can hear the voices of people

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people.

enslaved in the United States. Their stories werecollected by the Works Progress Administration(WPA) in the 1930s, and former slaves speak of theviolence, indifference, and cruelty of slavery.

For generations, scholars believed that thehorrors of the Middle Passage destroyed all Africanculture in the enslaved. However, recent research hasshown conclusively that enslaved people broughtwhole cultural systems with them to the Americas.One example is the Afro-Brazilian religionCandombli, and the hall includes a large displayabout this complex tradition thriving in Braziltoday. The installation introduces visitors to theAfrican deities through objects and narratives.Quotes from a leading priestess and a young artist inthe tradition convey its meaning and vitality.

The Freedom Theater includes two dramaticvideos that convey stories that we could not tellthrough any other means. The Atlantic Slave Tradetells the story of the "Other Mayflower," a slave shipthat brought enslaved people to Virginia in the1720s, and a Muslim rebellion in Bahia, Brazil. Bothstories focus on the ways in which enslaved peoplecreated community and resisted their oppression.The Struggle For Freedom presents the story of thePan-Africanist movement's struggle and ultimatetriumph over European colonialism. It also exploresthe commonalities between . the Civil RightsMovement in the United States and the LiberationMovement in South Africa. The videos emphasize

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the human dimension of these powerful storiesthestruggle for freedom and self-determination.

FOR TEACHER AND STUDENTSTo guarantee that African Voices remains fresh foryears to come, the exhibition design includes threechanging exhibitions within the hall. From thebeginning, the African Voices Project staff recognizedthat the exhibition alone could not tell the wholestory of Africa. Therefore, public programming andoutreach efforts complement the exhibition.Through films, lectures, hands-on workshops,teacher training opportunities, performances, websites, and a smaller poster version of the exhibit, themuseum is bringing the rich resources of the projectto a broad audience. Through these multipleopportunities, Americans throughout the countrywill be able to meet Africans and people of Africandescent to learn about their lives, their cultures, andtheir histories.

o African Voices Web Site: This web site, already thesubject of much praise, combines a great deal ofcontent with a very interactive design. The sitereproduces most of the content of the exhibition: A"History" tab leads to the stories on the historypathway, and the "Themes" tab opens onto thegalleries presented here. Visit the site at http://mnh.si.edu/africanvoices

o Curriculum Materials: Public school teachers areworking with exhibit developers to designeducational materials for grades 6-12.

Michael Atwood Mason is an anthropologist andexhibit developer at the Smithsonian's NationalMuseum ofNatural Histoiy. He served as co-curator onthe African Voices Project team. His research focuses on

African-based religions in Cuba and Brazil.

NEW TEACHING PUBLICATION

Histoiy Beneath the Sea: Nautical Archaeology in theClassroom. Edited by KC Smith and Amy Douglass.Society for American Archaeology. 28 pp. 2001.$4.95 for SAA members, $5.95 for non-members.

Histoiy Beneath the Sea is a new teaching module thatexplores the role watercraft played'' in the globalspread of people, products, ideas, and animal andplant life through the research of nauticalarchaeologists. Nautical archaeology is the study of`material remains, technologies, and traditionsrelating to ships and the seasfrom wrecks andvessel Construction to lighthouses, trade routes, andcoastal communities."

The volume provides an overview of nauticalarchaeology, followed by short articles about fournotable shipwrecks, including the Civil Warsubmarine the H.L. Hunley, located off the coast ofCharleston, South Carolina in 1995. Onepagereadings, "Dive into Details," on such topics asartifact conservation and the Titantic, are designedto help students improve literacy skills through theuse of historical content.

Histoiy Beneath the Sea is a valuable educationalresource for secondary-level educators who teachhistory, social studies, and science. Classroomactivities, including a strategy for conducting asimulated excavation; recommended books andteaching manuals; a glossary; and a list of relatedorganizations and web sites round out thisintroduction to nautical archaeology for educatorsand students.

The Society for American Archaeology (SAA),Public Education Committee prepared this Teachingwith Archaeology education module. To order HistoryBeneath the Sea, contact:Brandi Riley, Membership ServicesSociety for American Archaeology900 Second St NE, Suite 12Washington, DC 20002-3557tel: 202/789-8200; Fax: 202/789-0284email: brandi_riley@saa.orgWWW: www.saa.org

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066,11i/kr; P=2,170.1

AnthroNotes offers in-depth articles on currentanthropological research, teaching activities, andreviews of new resources. AnthroNotes wasoriginally part of the George WashingtonUniversity/Smithsonian InstitutionAnthropology for Teachers Pro gram funded bythe National Science Foundation. It is publishedfree-of-charge twice a year:

ANTHRONOTES has a three partmission:

1. To more widely disseminate original,recent research in anthropology in orderto helpreaders stay current in the field;

2. To help those teaChing anthropologyutilize new materials, approaches, andcommunity resources, as well as integrateanthropology into a wide variety of subjects; and

3. To create a national network ofanthropologists, archaeologists, teachers,museum and other professionals interested in thewider dissemination of anthropology,particularly in schools.

AnthroNotes is now available on the WEB:www.nmnh.si.edu/departments/anthro.html

This publication with its cartoons may bereproduced and distributed free-of-charge byclassroom teachers for educational purposes.

AnthroNotes Staff: P. Ann Kaupp, managing editor;Ruth 0. Selig, Alison S. Brooks, JoAnne Lanouette,editors; Robert L. Humphrey, artist. Illustrations,Robert L. Humphrey, ©2000. Kathleen Sims, designer.

HAVE YOU MOVED RECENTLY?Please don't forget to notify AnthroNotes editors. If youhave not notified us or your forwarding order hasexpired, the issue is returned marked "ForwardingOrder Expired" or the Post Office returns a copy of theback page, discarding the rest of the issue. To keep ourexpenses down, we will no longer automatically send asecond copy of the issue to you. Please help by sendingyour change of address as soon as possible:email:Anthroutreach@nmnh.si.edu.

To be added to the mailing list, write:

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