About the organization: Established in 1971, the Anthropology Club is the oldest academic organization on campus. The club continues to play a vital role in the department, providing opportunities for professional exploration, and an array of social and volunteer opportunities for students involved with the discipline. The club is open to all students, and participation in weekly meetings is encouraged. About This Newsletter Each semester the Anthropology Club publishes a short newsletter with the intent of educating students about the Club’s past, present and future activities. This publication also provides students with an opportunity to express their thoughts on topics relating to anthropology, and is a way to share information about upcoming events and opportunities within the department.

Club Officers 2008-09

President: Alex Blake (front, right) alexblake@u.boisestate.edu Vice President: Brady Guthrie (top, right) bradyguthrie@u.boisestate.edu

Treasurer: Sam Smith (top, left) samuelsmith@u.boisestate.edu

Secretary: Dianna Bentley (front, left) diannabentley@u.boisestate.edu

Club Advisor: Dr. John Ziker jziker@boisestate.edu

CONTENTS:

• Faculty Interviews/Updates • Past Club Events • Student Submissions –

Opinions and Reviews • Fundraising Activities • Future Club Events • Club Sponsored Travel

Opportunity

ANTHROPOLOGY CLUB

NEWS, REVIEWS and OTHER INTERESTING STUFF

(Dr. Plew holding his pet chicken, Flossie)

Getting to Know Your Professors -Dianna Bentley recently interviewed Dr. Mark Gregory Plew about his life. Here’s what she found out:

Dr. Plew…

• grew up in the small mid-western town of Bloomington, Indiana

• had ducks and chickens as boyhood pets

• started playing the violin at age 5 • was interested in paleontology and

fossil collecting as a kid • liked studying history (it was his

favorite subject in high school) • worked on a mink ranch as a

young adult • planned on becoming a violinist • was most influenced in his life by

his grandfather • came to Boise to work on his

dissertation in the 1970’s

• enjoys Baroque music, early jazz and early country western • reads a wide variety of authors, but especially likes Faulkner and Emily Dickinson • mostly watches documentaries and news on TV • keeps horses, chickens, and a dove (his favorite pet is a chicken named Flossie) ☺

• has no regrets Dr. John Ziker’s Work in the Circumpolar North As part of the National Science Foundation-sponsored “Home, Hearth and Household in Siberia and Northern Canada,” Dr. John Ziker is looking at how indigenous economies work given the environment of the circumpolar north. The project is making use of a recently digitized copy of the 1926/27 Polar Census of Siberia to focus archaeological investigations and oral history research. The purpose of this project is to pass along age-old knowledge that he has helped to collect and piece together about the indigenous people of Siberia. His team includes a graduate student from Siberia, Russian archaeologists, and Canadian indigenous consultants. Dr. Ziker has been doing research in Siberia since 1992. It is no easy thing to travel there; Ziker combines two overnight flights with travel by helicopters, jeeps, small boats, snow machine, and treks to reach families to interview. He’s spent weeks at native Siberian hunting camps. He’s been to Russia 15 times and made the trip to Siberia 9 times, most recently spending a month there this past summer. In North America, the project created a participatory research exchange with the Tlicho First Nation (“Dogrib”)

of the NWT, Canada. A caribou-skin lodge covering held at the National Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian) is being studied in order to document and pass on ecological knowledge and skills. Ziker says, “We can learn a lot about what is sustainable by learning from people who have been living in the north for thousands of years.” Ziker has immersed himself in very diverse and unique cultures. He believes this directly enhances his teaching: “When I talk about my research in Siberia, it’s so much different than talking about the work of others,” he says. “I think it really brings it to life for my students."

---Editorial Staff

Club Events- The Semester in Review

On Saturday, September 27th, the Anthropology Club hosted a fall outing on the South Fork of the Boise River near an important archaeological site, Danskin Rockshelter. Students looked at the pictographs and heard a brief informative talk about the site history.

Attendees of the Danskin Rockshelter Outing

This year the Anthropology Club sponsored a clothing drive in partnership with the International Rescue Committee as part of an ongoing commitment of service to the community. Donated winter clothing went to refugees from around the world who are now living in Boise. Many of these refugees have come from warm climates and do not have appropriate clothing for the cold winter months ahead. This year the need for coats was

especially great. The Club’s Vice President, is seen sorting clothes on the final day of the drive (left). Thanks to all those who helped make the clothing drive a success!

The Club’s annual Halloween party was great fun, with around 40 people, including many international students, in attendance. Dr. John Ziker is the Club’s faculty advisor, and it has to be said that he goes above and beyond the call of duty. Ziker (right) showed up with his band, The Jacks, to provide a spot of live music for the event.

For more pictures of past events see the Club’s homepage, http://anthro.boisestate.edu/Anthropology-Club/index.shtml. Upcoming Club events will be announced through email.

Sensationalism of American Muslims Opinion by John Papenfus For the last several years it has been almost impossible not to see or hear some reference to Islam on nearly a daily basis. This shouldn’t be surprising considering the current issues at hand, but is this just a simple matter of international conflict or does it extend much further than that. For whatever the reason there tends to be a desire among many cultures to sensationalize those things that are foreign to them. In cases of cultural identity this can be a rather precarious practice. We have, throughout the past century, been involved in several wars, all of which have had a significant impact on us as well as the rest of the world. These earlier wars were certainly not devoid of religious factions; in fact many were premised upon them. WWII is a prime example of this. Both the Nazis of Germany and the Buddhists of Japan were religious factions, and the war, at least on their part, was waged on this basis. However in regards to the United States involvement, how much focus had been placed on this? There is no question that the Japanese received far more attention, in this

regard, than did the Germans, and I believe the reason for this had primarily to do with both racial recognition and cultural differences. The Islamic faith within our culture has now, I feel, become part of a similar exotic fascination, especially since September 11th. The interesting thing is that doctrinally, Islam really isn’t all that exotic, especially when compared to the more common religions of the west, Christianity and Judaism. The difference primarily, is that it is an orthopraxy, that is to say that while doctrine is essential to the religion, the actual practicing of it is paramount. These daily practices make them openly recognizable and also facilitates the formation of an all encompassing perspective by the outsider. Regardless of whom the persons are, many of us see them as Muslims first rather than Americans.

After 9/11, I, along with many others, began hearing names like; Taliban, al Qaeda, and Hamas. Along with these names came the images of chaotic civil unrest and scenes of intense, graphic combat. Throughout all of this, the media outlets repeatedly displayed footage of Muslims, both militant and everyday civilians, taking part in their religious activities, which coupled with the previously mentioned

scenes began blurring the lines of individualism, leading ultimately to a perception of Islam as a whole. I do not suppose to speculate about the intentions of the media, but I will say that this technique has done more damage than good, and that it is specific to Islam, a result, I believe, of sensationalism. The reason I say this is that contemporarily there has been no other example of this involving any other religious sect; during the Bosnian civil

war I do not recall seeing footage of Serb militants attending mass. Regardless of what religious or political affiliation a person has, it must be his or her individual actions that are judged and not the culture as a whole. The relevance of a culture’s influence is irrefutable, and this should always be taken into consideration. However the difference between cultural sensitivity and sensationalism must be clearly established.

Recommended readings: “The heart of Islam, enduring values for humanity” By: Seyyed Hossein Nasr “A peace to end all peace” By: David Fromkin I.A.S. Conference Review by Jason Bogstie The Idaho Archaeological Society held its 35th annual conference October 25th on the campus of ISU in Pocatello this year and provided a mixed bag of tricks and treats for the Halloween season. The conference had an assortment of presentations that ranged from the fascinating to the mundane. Some of the highlights include a live demonstration of XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) analysis on an obsidian arrowhead conducted by Dr. Rick Holmer, a presentation by BSU’s own Susan Hawkins on the impact of moisture and temperature on seeds stored in subterranean pits, and a fascinating poster of the 2008 archaeological investigations at Three Island Crossing which was represented the combined efforts of Dr. Mark Plew, Chris Willson, Julie Walker and Dianna Bentley. A keynote speech was also given by Dr. Bonnie Pitblado of Utah State University, on the topic of building

a paleoindian research program in southeastern Idaho. In my opinion the conference was put together really well overall. Surprisingly, there was no mention of the passing of B. Robert Butler who had made many contributions to Idaho archaeology during his lifetime. Some of the presentations ran over the allotted time limit and nothing was done to stop that from occurring - this created noticeable upset in the audience. Presentations were conducted professionally with the exception of some ISU professors throwing jabs at each other in a joking fashion. The fact that they did this during their presentations gave a feel of unprofessionalism. The conference was certainly worth attending and many of the presentations were interesting. Attendees from BSU this year were Brady Guthrie, Sam Smith, Rose Saxton, Mary Ann Gillis, Dan Christie, Susan Hawkins and Jason Bogstie. Special thanks go to Mary Ann Gillis for providing a means of transportation for those who needed it.

Club Raffle - Fundraiser This year the Anthropology Club put together a raffle to raise funds for the Club activities. The project was a success, adding nearly $700 to the coffers! A special thanks to all of the officers as well as Tayana Arakchaa, Jason Bogstie, and Holli Newman for helping make this happen.

Winners Dianna Bentley –

Trek Classic Aluminum Cruiser fromWorld Cycles Alex Blake –

Free Bike Tune-Up from George's Cycles Reed McDonald –

$20 Dawson's Coffee Gift Certificate Corrina Smith –

$25 Tavern at Bown Crossing Gift Certificate Antonio Hernandez – Flying M Gift Bundle Reed McDonald –

$30 Parrilla Grill Gift Certificate - Brady Guthrie –

$20 Metro Express Car Wash Gift Certificate Eric Austin –

2 Large pizzas from Guido's Pizzeria – Winners can pick up their prizes from Faith, downstairs in the Hemmingway Building during regular business hours. Thanks to all those who donated prizes!!!

PRACTICUM PORTFOLIO I’ve had a relatively pleasant experience in this semester’s senior portfolio class. So far, we have learned how to draft professional documents and organize them into a portfolio that will assist us in achieving our educational and/ or career goals. This course has also helped me learn how to identify my relevant skills and abilities as well as evaluate the direction in which I’m heading after I receive my undergraduate degree. I feel that I was somewhat prepared for the course, as I had already outlined a curriculum vita and had a professional resume; however, I was not prepared to write an original term paper. I had thought we were going to review and “revamp” a paper we had previously written. Reworking a paper, I think, would have been more of a benefit to us as we could have taken one for which we received a high grade, and made the necessary changes, corrections and improvements. In my opinion, this would look better in a portfolio than a paper I had to write from scratch amongst my many others this semester, because I could devote more time to making it a polished, more professional composition. Obviously, I wish that we could receive more than just one credit for the course in addition to meeting more often, allowing for more interaction with the instructor as well as the other students in class. Also, I wish the class would cover more about the graduate school process and/ or obtaining jobs, along with other opportunities to aid in gaining experience after graduation. All in all, the senior portfolio course has helped me, to some extent, put all my ducks in a row and develop an idea of what I can do in order to be successful after graduation. I appreciate that our instructors in the Anthropology Department are concerned about our futures enough to spend the time helping us put together such a useful and valuable tool that we can use for the rest of our lives. ---Kayla Dawson

Editor’s note: If you intend to major in Anthropology then you should start collecting materials for the Portfolio Class ASAP. Find a place, for example a small box, where you can store:

• Flyers from lectures you have attended. • Letters of congratulation/support. • Certificates of achievement. • Papers that received positive feedback. • Documentation of travel (i.e. ticket stubs). • Materials from service projects. • Copies of your best artwork. • Evidence of involvement in student

government/club organizations. • Etc., etc., etc……

Do this now – it requires almost no effort, and avoid scrambling to look for these things during your senior year. You’ll thank yourself!

If you would like to submit something for the next newsletter, or if you have questions or comments about the content of this publication, please contact the editor by email at alexblake@u.boisestate.edu.

CONFERENCE OPPORTUNITIES The Anthropology Club has selected two conferences this spring semester for which help will be provided to students who wish to attend. Watch your email in January for details on how to participate

Salt Lake City, Utah The Evolution Of Human Aggression:

Lessons For Today's Conflicts February 25-27, 2009

http://www.humanrights.utah.edu/forum/index.html

Santa Fe, New Mexico Society for Applied Anthropology

69th Annual Meeting • March 17 - 21, 2009 http://www.sfaa.net/sfaa2009.html

Club t-shirts are now available! Anthropology students voted on original artwork submissions and the hand - well it won, hands down. The handprint (left) appears on the back of the shirt, and the word anthropology appears on the front (as seen below). Men’s and Women’s styles are available in a range of t-shirt and print colors. Sizes and colors can be seen downstairs, in the Hemingway Building. For order information contact the Dianna by email, diannabentley@u.boisestate.edu, or place your order directly with Faith. Shirts cost $15 and proceeds go to cover the cost of printing and future Club events.