Exploring Ontologies of the Precontact Americas

Applying social theory and incorporating non-Westernperspectives in the interpretation of bioarchaeological research Thisvolume demonstrates how researchers in bioarchaeology and mortuary archaeology canwork to better understand concepts of life and death in past societies of theIndigenous Americas. Through case studies that apply the ontological turn tohuman funerary and skeletal remains, contributors set aside Western views ofreality, nature, and personhood to explore how people of various cultures understoodexistence and the human body.Contributorsexamine mortuary records from Inuit groups in Labrador and Greenland, Hopewellculture in the Lower Illinois River Valley, and Weeden Island and Puebloan traditionsin the United States Southeast and Southwest. They look at the Paquim communityin Mexico, iconography of the Maya civilization, the demographics of Inka populations,and an ancient village on the Amazon River in Brazil. With attention to theviewpoints of these cultures, these essays deconstruct the boundaries betweenhuman remains and other interred artifacts, the living and the dead, and otherbinaries rooted deeply in Western science.ExploringOntologies of the Precontact Americas reminds readers that their ownontological perspectives affect how they interpret the past. By consideringdiverse, non-Western worldviews and engaging with novel social theories of thebody, this volume inspires new understandings of precontact societies. Contributors: Gordon F. M. Rakita | Pamela Geller | Jason L. King | Sarah Jackson | Jane Buikstra | Robert Pickering | Peter Whitridge | John Krigbaum | Neill J. Wallis | Adrianne Offenbecker | Avelino Gambim Jnior | Bethany L. Turner | Mari Kleist | Mara Cecilia Lozada | Debra L. Martin | Kyle Waller | James L. Fitzsimmons | J. Cristina Freiberger