Davina Two Bears' research documents the history of the Old Leupp Boarding School (OLBS), a Federal Indian boarding school on the Navajo Reservation, from 1909 to 1942, as it explores Diné (Navajo) survivance within the context of this school. Two Bears employs decolonizing research methods framed by postcolonial theory to investigate the OLBS, which currently exists as a historic archaeological site. She explores how Diné children forced to attend the OLBS utilized their cultural foundations to meet the challenges imposed upon them by a settler society and relates the positive stories of Native survivance and resistance to assimilation achieved within the OLBS. Utilizing oral history interviews she conducted with Navajo elders and a critical review of archival records and historic photographs, Two Bears explores the history of the OLBS and the memories of Navajo students who attended the OLBS. Her research contributes to postcolonial anthropology as a study of culture change, decolonizing research, and Native American and Indigenous studies.

Davina R. Two Bears is Navajo from northern Arizona. She recently graduated from Indiana University (2019) with a PhD in anthropology with an emphasis in archaeology, and a PhD minor in Native American Indigenous Studies.

Register for this Cotsen Virtual Pizza Talk here! You will receive instructions on viewing the talk after registering.

Photo courtesy of the Old Trails Museum/Winslow Historical Society. The photo is of the front entrance of the OLBS, which later became the girls and boys dormitory. This picture was taken around 1915.

Deidre Whitmore, Digital Archaeology Lab
Thursday, August 6th 2020 10:00am - 12:00pm (PT)

Data are messy. Nearly all datasets require cleaning and processing before they can be analyzed and interpreted. This workshop will cover how to use the free, open-source tool OpenRefine to more quickly and easily understand and clean your data. Participants will learn how to correct typos and misspellings, standardize terms and dates, and break complex data into usable formats. We will also cover how to share your data and cleaning steps with collaborators and export a script that details the steps taken which can be applied to future datasets.

Register here (Registration limited to Cotsen affiliates)

Caroline Arbuckle MacCleod, Ph.D. Fellow, University of British Columbia
Wednesday July 22, 2020 – 1:00pm

In ancient Egypt, the wooden coffin was considered one of the fundamental elements of a burial for wealthier individuals. It was a magical vessel that protected the deceased, and ensured that the owner could be transformed into a divine being in the afterlife. Due to the importance of these objects, potent magical talismans and symbols were placed around and in the coffin, and were often included in the decoration. Magical spells and rituals were also performed throughout the burial ceremony. In this talk, a new layer of ritual and magic is considered, hidden within the invisible joints of wooden coffins. In these areas, secret spells and magical red paint were added during construction. This may suggest the presence of educated carpenter priests, trained in the rituals needed to prepare the wood, as the first step in the creation of these potent vessels for the dead.

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Please note, the talks will start at 1:00pm PT during the summer.

Alan Farahani, Assistant Professor in Anthropology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Thursday, July 9th 2020 10:00am - 12:00pm (PT)

This workshop will cover the basics of contemporary data manipulation using the R statistical programming language as well as provide an introduction to approaches to regression for archaeological applications. Topics covered will include philosophy of regression, model specification, parameterization, and evaluation, as well as the different distribution families used to analyze count (poisson, negative binomial, etc.) and continuous (gaussian) data.  Participants should walk away (aka turn off their web cameras) with at least a basic understanding of the issues as well the ability to undertake some of the analyses using the R platform.

Register here (Registration is limited to Cotsen affiliates)