nature granted 'legal personhood'

At the moment 24 countries have already established the "rights of nature" as a legal person in cases against injury by corporate "persons" or governments or private individuals. With the sustained dumping of raw sewage in rivers across Britain by the privatized water authorities, this legal concept is gaining ground there, too.

Today announced via Twitter, @kcllegalclinic have launched a 130-pp toolkit for change.

See the PDF at https://www.kcl.ac.uk/legal-clinic/assets/rights-of-nature-toolkit.pdf

King's Legal Clinic RIGHTS OF NATURE RIVER TOOLKIT

Linguistics going "open access"

Viewable online with no subscription required:

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

You can now read more than 1,000 open access linguistics articles from Cambridge University Press journals including the Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, Language and Cognition, Studies in Second Language Acquisition, the Journal of Linguistics, the Journal of Child Language, and many more.   Browse all Open Access articles in language and linguistics here.   From 2024 the Journal of Linguistics, the Journal of the International Phonetic Association, the Journal of Child Language and Bilingualism: Language and Cognition will be open access publications.

Engaging the public by archaeology excavations at Must Farm

Volume 1 of the excavation report at Must Farm, a bronze age site compared to the Pompeii of Britain, is now free to read in PDF (full image sizes or as reduced image version for smaller download time) at https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/items/400b29d5-2e22-4321-878c-cb122d291660

This screenshot comes from the sidebar about the intent, reflections of the efforts, and the reverberating results of inviting the public to be part of the discovering and interpretation process along the way. In other words, communicating the excavation and its resulting puzzles pieces coming together to form a picture was by design and integral to the whole undertaking, rather than an afterthought or secondary shadow of the work.

More and more science and its funding are designing the public-facing side to be part of the whole plan, rather than to be relegated to a few choice morsels casually thrown to the crowd. What the lasting effect on cultivating public interest and involvement has yet to be seen in the generations growing up now, and in the efforts of colleagues at other excavations.

See the full passage from which this screenshot comes on page 48 of the "reduced size PDF" at the link above.

junior anthropologist award

New opportunity from the American Anthropological Association, https://forms.americananthro.org/junior-anthropologist-award

Intended for young people in elementary, middle and high school.

Captivating and Curious Careers of Anthropology

See YouTube channel for the American Anthropological Association

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1Cm3MgpQ14

languages - English word order

Compare fixed meaning of word order in English versus the languages with word-endings to give grammatical meaning (case endings: Latin or Russian, say).

documenting Consumerism in decline

This illustrated account of a derelict shopping mall in Owings, Maryland is representative of many more around the USA and probably other highly consumer-oriented societies, too.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-life-and-death-of-the-suburban-american-mall

The story makes a nice complement to the concepts connected to Affluenza (affluence+influenze: illness from having too much stuff).

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affluenza

[screenshot]

Native language and lives then and now

Quoting from the annual festival of languages, https://mothertongue.si.edu/

The Smithsonian's Mother Tongue Film Festival celebrates cultural and linguistic diversity by showcasing films and filmmakers from around the world, highlighting the crucial role languages play in our daily lives.

       Where and how do we find balance? To create balance is to connect the many branches of our existence, and to connect is to reach an enduring harmony. In 2024, the Mother Tongue Film Festival will showcase films that record personal journeys and explore the drive to find balance and harmony within our world, communities, families, and selves.

       All events are free and open to the public, although some require advance registration.

About 20 or so trailers are embedded in the above website.

Learning Blackfeet language in public schools

Radio story about actor beginning award acceptance speech recently in Blackfeet language (fostering Native American languages in an ocean of English):

https://www.npr.org/2024/01/22/1226019196/the-effort-behind-getting-the-blackfeet-language-taught-on-the-tribes-reservatio

The effort behind getting the Blackfeet language taught on the tribe's reservation When Lily Gladstone became the first Indigenous person to win a best actress Golden Globe, she said some words in Blackfeet. Her mother was behind efforts to get the language taught in classes. www.npr.org

Uses in fieldwork for a Bird's eye view

Thinking about flying more? See "Drone Views for Visual Anthropology" https://link.medium.com/RZnFDCy66Fb

every year, "World Anthropology Day" & precollege visits

For the February 15, 2024 event (annually the 3^rd Thursday), https://americananthro.org/events/anthropology-day/

-as seen on Twitter-

Anthropology Day - The American Anthropological Association When is Anthropology Day? Help us celebrate what anthropology is and what it can achieve by hosting an event in your community, on your campus, or in your workplace. Anthropology […] americananthro.org

teaching anthropology - YouTube channel from "AnthroDorphins"

crossposting from message service of the American Anthropological Association in December 2023:

Anthropology teaching video series entitled "Anthrodorphins". These videos, geared towards undergrads, teach a range of relevant basic anthropology concepts utilizing a variety of materials- from ethnographic films to documentaries to different graphic styles, all combined with original footage from over 25 years of ethnographic film production. https://www.youtube.com/@anthrodorphins

AnthroDorphins AnthroDorphins is an anthropology video channel that eases the pain and elevates the pleasure of learning anthropology by making key ideas accessible and engaging. From funeral rites to extreme sports, ghost marriage to gender identity, AnthroDorphins fuels your spark of curiosity about cultures around the world and brings concepts alive through ethnographic film, animation, and expert insights. Created and led by Rob Lemelson, a UCLA anthropologist and ethnographic filmmaker with decades of experience in the classroom and the field, AnthroDorphins videos are perfect for teachers looking to invigorate their lectures, students looking to reinforce their learning, and anyone interested in anthropology. www.youtube.com

librarian (Austin, TX) tailors the rooms based on observing the students

This pre-recorded presentation was made for the international conference in Toronto for anthropology (15-19 Nov. 2023).

Jain Orr, the author of this recording, credits her college anthropology classes with tuning her eye to observed and unobserved behavior.

Now she modifies the school library lighting, furniture, collections and so on.

Very refreshing approach and suitable for sharing far and wide among those who run or care about libraries.

---with Jain's permission, here is the link

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 

Shhh! I'm a School Librarian Using My BA in Anthropology to Radically Transform the Library

https://youtu.be/ibZivy80iAM

World Council of Anthropological Associations, WCAA - video list

Thanks (?) to Covid more and more conversations among researchers take place online, thus reducing the carbon footprint and making it practical for a much, much wider audience to participate. As well, when conversations are recorded for public playback, then future audiences can also search and discover the ideas found there.

The WCAA, together with the WAU (World Anthropologies Union), has hosted many of these scholarly online get-togethers, including October 2022 (Human Rights 1) and December 2022 (Human Rights 2, livestream on Dec. 14; upload to follow). The events are meant to bring anthropologists to engage is current issues, emerging problems, and perennial questions about understanding and communicating insights of human life on planet Earth.

WAU/WCAA website: www.waunet.org/wcaa/videos

in the month of November - focus on Indigenous people today

The newsletter from the American Anthropological Association is featuring the "Native American month" of November with several links to stories, careers, lives, and resources. This collection comes from the AIA (Association of Indigenous Anthropologists), a section withing the American Anthro. Assoc.

Resources A Year of Survivance, Anthropology News Decolonizing US anthropology, American Anthropologist Recognizing and Respecting Tribal IRBs, Anthropology News Rethinking Land Acknowledgments, Anthropology News

Watching New Insights: Native American History in the Colonial Period, YouTube Royal Anthropological Institute Playlist, Kanopy Reservation Dogs, Hulu Mekko, tubi Dark Winds, Amazon Prime Who Gets To Be An Indian, YouTube   Listening Neaese Wado Tigwicid, All My Relations Podcast Spooky time stories, Native America Calling Indigenous Education, Climate Change, and Technologies of Care, Heritage Voices   Reading Sovereign Entrepreneurs: Cherokee Small-Business Owners and the Making of Economic Sovereignty Assimilation, Resilience, and Survival: A History of the Stewart Indian School, 1890–2020 Inside/Outside: Adventures in Caribbean History and Anthropology Rights in Rebellion   Doing November 2022 Native American Heritage Month, National Park Service | Throughout November, Online and Various In-Person Locations Native American Heritage Month, The Library of Congress et al. | Throughout November, Online and Various In-Person Locations in Washington, DC Native New York, National Museum of the American Indian, NY | Ongoing Developing Stories: Native Photographers in the Field, The National Museum of the American Indian, NY | November 3, 2022 - March 12, 2023

Community members are actively contributing their anthropological knowledge to important public conversations.

 

• Analysis: How well-meaning land acknowledgements can erase Indigenous people and sanitize history, PBS News Hour
• Despite historical elimination efforts, stickball &  empower Native Americans in DFW, KERA News
• In Colorado, a storied valley blooms again, High Country News

Watching ethnographic films online (Kanopy streaming service via many libraries)

Just announced from the Royal Anthropological Institute - a selection of film titles now available on the streaming service at Kanopy:

https://www.kanopy.com/en/category/63039

=-=-= original announcement from the RAI film officer:

We are happy to announce that a selection of films from our extensive catalogue of enthnographic and anthropological films is now available on the educational streaming platform Kanopy. 

Films are available to stream for free through subscribing institutions, including public libraries and many universities. Log in via your institution and start watching now. 

spotlight on Archaeology - people & their environment via material traces recovered & posited

The American Anthropological Association features a different one of its 3-dozen plus Sections. This time it is the Archaeology Division.

See the recommended things to hear, watch, and read:

Watching

• Community as Rebellion: Surviving Academia as a Woman of Color, YouTube
• Reclaiming Our Heritage: The Monacan Indian Nation of Virginia, The Archaeology Channel
• Diving for the Clotilda: The Archaeology, History, and Legacy of the Last Known Slave Ship, YouTube
• White Hill Plantation: Excavation Units, YouTube

 

Listening

• The Sounds of Borders, AnthroPod
• Classic Tides | Peasants and the Medieval Countryside, Tides of history
• The New Science of Archaeoecology, The Archaeology Show
• More Parts of Cladh Hallan, The Dirt

 

Reading

• Rastafari: The Evolution of a People and Their Identity
• Archaeology from Space: How the Future Shapes Our Past
• Reflections of a Transborder Anthropologist
• Making Livable Worlds; Afro-Puerto Rican Women Building Environmental Justice
• After Stories: Transnational Intimacies of Postwar El Salvador

 

Doing

• DHR Virginia Department of Historic Resources Threatened Sites Program Ongoing
• Fairfield Fridays Fairfield Archaeology Park, Hayes VA | Fridays 10 - 4:00pm EDT
• "A City Built on Ships: Reconstructing 18th-Century Ships Excavated from the Alexandria Waterfront" Online | October 26, 7:00pm EDT
• Advocacy for Archaeologists: Building Strong Relationships with Local, State, and Federal Policymakers Online | December 8, 1 - 2:00pm EDT

 

Shopping

• "I Dig It" T-Shirt
• Archaeology Tools

 

Following

• @VaDHR_SHPO
• @CoVaArchaeology
• @SHA_org

=-=-=-=-= SEE ALSO

AAA Resources

• Advances in Archaeological Practice, Cambridge Core
• Herding Heritage, Anthropology News
• Archaeology in 2021: Repatriation, reclamation, and reckoning with historical trauma, American Anthropologist

2022-09-26

museums and genocide episodes showcased

There have been so many instances (Bosnia/Serbia 1992, Rwanda 1998, way back to 1915 Armenia, 1820s Trail of Tears in USA, Cossacks, Shtetl pogroms); see also, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocide

Still more: Biblical record of Jews escaping Egyptian bondage and crossing the Jordan river to kill local residents of 'promised' land. Today in Israel the Holocaust is put in prominent, clear view at Yad Vashem. Native peoples throughout the New World were killed actively and passively, bodily and culturally in many instances, methods, and locations. Tasmania and the continent of Australia is filled with injustices, too. And in mid-September 2022 the dictator of the Russian Federation, #PutinWarCriminal, is targeting ethnic minorities to be destroyed in Ukraine by being pushed into the killing zone.

Here and there the subject of genocide is showcased in a museum form - both in static display, but also in programming events to generate discussion and awareness and further documentation of personal accounts.

The suppressing, sterilization, and killing of people and cultural landscape of the Turkic peoples in the west part of China since 2017 joins the Burmar's Path to Genocide exhibit is quite substantial and has been up for nearly two years now. The physical exhibit is in USHHM and also can be toured online (they do a number of presentations in Cox Bazaar and with the Rohingya community): https://exhibitions.ushmm.org/burmas-path-to-genocide

2022-09-22

Local accent - English spoken in Yorkshire, Britain's north

Roman occupiers put the sound of the city sited on the banks of the river Ouse into Latin letters as "Eboracum." Viking occupiers 400 years later heard the name as "Jorvik," from which people today call it York and which settlers at the meeting of the Hudson and East Rivers at Manhattan took as the reference for NEW York.

In this 5-minute video there are several speakers young and old from Yorkshire, as well as a hint of Northumbria (Geordie) or else from the Scottish borders, whose vocabulary, rhythms, and accents display the Yorkshire accent. The subject is a sad one about deadly sepsis: Hannah Brown whose flu-like symptoms suddenly flared into mortal illness which the hospital was unable to stop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLpaTYDeXG0 

2022-08-01

Pre-college anthropology examples (panel discussion) 2022

Many of us stumbled upon the fascinating world we now make careers in. But more and more places purposefully introduce young people to ideas and methods for understanding identity, culture, and context in time and place. Many weeks ago The Royal Anthropological Institute held an online panel discussion on past and current instances of anthropology being taught and schools and (secondary school) in Scotland and in England. Last week they announced the recording (1:52) for viewing of the session and Q and A that followed (begins from 1:10:00), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYM6p4Jb9YM 

Within the conversation during QA there were comparisons offered from Kenya, Italy, Israel, and Germany, among other places.

Whether you watch for children in your own family and for friends, or it is an abiding interest in advancing anthropology more generally in schools around you, this session offers a lot of good examples of overcoming obstacles, opening eyes, and enlisting help of others adjacent or amenable to anthropology for pre-college learners.

The commenting function on the video is not activated, but you can always send email to www.therai.org.uk or pursue contacts given in the recording itself.

2022-07-06

Language lore - click languages in SE corner of Africa

 - quoting boingboing.net for July 6, 2022 (about 3.5 minutes)

Sakhile Dube of "Safari and Surf" in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal Province explains the click sounds heard in the Zulu language (aka IsiZulu), a Bantu language spoken by more than ten million people in the region.

https://youtu.be/kBW2eDx3h8w 

How to pronounce Zulu Clicks with Sakhile from Safari and Surf - Wilderness Adventures Many of the South African Tribes use click sounds in their language, this is a great Zulu click lesson with Sakhile from Safari and Surf - Wilderness Adventu... youtu.be

2022-06-15

Online "laugh, laugh" spellings in 26 languages

Sample from full article at https://preply.com/en/d/laughing-around-the-world-map--lp

1 - Thai: "55555" is the most curious graphic representation and the reason behind it is because the number 5 in Thai is pronounced "haa". To laugh a lot you will see 55555555+(+) adding the "+" sign. 

2 - Portuguese: In both Portugal and Brazil, laughter is written "kkkkk" but you will also find  "rsrsrs" (abbreviation of "riso", meaning "laughter") and the ironic "rarara".

3 - Turkish: "hahaha", "ahahah", "jsjsjsjs", "weqeqwqewqew" or, the funniest option, random letters like: "dksajdksajdoşad" (which is the most common) are used to laugh.

4 - Malay: because "ha" x 3 times equals "hahaha", Malay speakers write "Ha3Ha3Ha3" or "Ha3". They also write laughter the way an English speaker writes, like "haha" or "ha, ha".

2022-06-05

About Black Accent, "blaccent"

excerpt from https://boingboing.net/2022/06/04/the-history-of-blaccent.html

The concept of "Blaccent" or African American Vernacular English will always elude me. I don't mean that on a conceptual level, but rather a practical one since I "talk white." My voice has been a source of great pain throughout my life since the simple act of speaking earns me the ire, even if unintentionally, of a large swath of Black Americans. Whenever I meet other Black people, projections about my past, connection to my culture, and self-love are hurled before me as conversational obstacles outside of the already daunting process of forging a human connection.

Video link, https://youtu.be/8mXaccYFKRQ

2022-05-14

Writing the past for people without history

Story about one of Norway's 16 cities during the Middle Ages, excavated in 30 seasons from the early 1950s until 1981 and producing 45,000 artifacts and many human remains, too. Only now is a new generation taking the work of interpreting the excavated materials.

Uncovering the Secrets of a Forgotten Viking Town - Atlas Obscura

Of course there are many more societies without written records than there are ones with a system of writing or other form of keeping records. Now in 2022 still there are something between 6700 and 6900 human languages, of which just 100 or so read and write in the same language that they speak. However, population-wise a sizable majority of living-breathing humans speak just one of 20 or 30 languages. All the diversity in the remaining ones accounts for a fraction of those walking the planet. In other words, "people without history" (part of the title for Eric Wolf's famous book from the 1980s) are relatively few persons, but relatively most languages/societies. Stated in reverse, the people who do record history account for relatively few societies, but numerically far outnumber the souls who live out their lives with no writing use.

2022-03-29

Speaking with an accent - 7 min. explainer

Presenter comes from West Lancashire, adjacent to Liverpool's own "liverpudlian" (scouse) accent and illustrates some of the forces that come into play when creating the particular way that people speak in a specific landscape. Examples are given from among the 56 recognized varieties across the British Isles. Often the best (conserved, traditional) illustrations can be heard in preschool children with contact with grandparents; also among livelihoods closely associated with the land (and sea), such as farmers and fishermen.

Why do we have accents?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXaorSYACPo

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