Tag: William Ayres

Traditional Iron Forging in Contemporary Times: An Ethnoarchaeological Study on the Position of Blacksmiths in the Archaeological and Socio-cultural Records

Presenter: Sarah Wyer

Mentor: Daniel Wojcik, William Ayres

Oral Presentation

Major: Anthropology/Folklore

This paper is an ethnoarchaeological look at blacksmithing by combining ethnographic field work and archaeological data. I interviewed blacksmith Jack Frost, a resident of Glenwood, Oregon but originally from Devon, Great Britain. Frost works with a traditional forge and tries to keep his practices as authentic as possible. By asking Frost questions about his blacksmithing techniques and experience, I have been able to compare his methods and his step-by-step processes to what the archaeological record tells us of blacksmithing. In particular, I focus on the quantity of carbon versus phosphorus in iron and how that affects the blacksmithing process as a whole. By looking at the procedure of modern blacksmithing in a traditional vein through Frost’s work, I attempt to explain how archaeological data, such as carbon residue discovered during an excavation, might have come to be. Blacksmithing and smelting methods from Europe to Africa are explored to provide a historical context. This paper combines two usually differing fields of anthropology, socio-cultural and archaeology, to show how ethnographic research might contribute to how we interpret archaeological data. Bringing Frost into the study shows how ethnographic research can couple with archaeological data to offer some insight into the unrecorded past.

Crafting the Ancient: Pre-Columbian Music for a Modern Audience

Presenter: Sarah Wyer

Mentor: Daniel Wojcik, William Ayres

Oral Presentation

Major: Anthropology/Folklore

In this paper I recount my fieldwork with local Eugenian artist musician Samuel Becerra and his motivations for crafting clay flutes. Becerra is a formally trained musician with a specialization in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican music and a further focus on Aztec instruments and musical forms. Beyond giving an overview of the instruments and how Becerra defines their importance and use, I ask questions regarding his motivations for making folk art. Of particular focus is his use of Aztec heritage to form his identity and inform his work. Consulting background research on Aztec music, I attempt to create a framework for understanding Becerra’s artistic creations in terms of personal reasons, motivations and issues of community and identity. Through my fieldwork with Becerra, I explore the deeper meanings, such as strengthening a nostalgic connection to his Aztec heritage, behind his goal to uphold ancient Aztec traditions.

Analysis of Early Pottery in the Southern Thai-Malay Region: The Tham Din Cave Site, Thailand

Presenter: Sambath Eat

Faculty Mentor: William Ayres

Presentation Type: Poster 11

Primary Research Area: Social Science

Major: Asian Studies

The late Pleistocene-early Holocene transition in Southeast Asia saw shifts from hunting-gathering towards food management and systematic food production. Archaeological discovery of the Hoabinhian-type stone tools dated to 10,000 BP in northern Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and Burma document this early transition. Rock shelters were important sites for these early hunter-gatherers that represent crucial sites for early archaeological evidence of prehistoric occupants. I examine pot sherds that were excavated from Tham Din limestone cave near Pattani, Southern Thailand. I assess the different sherd types for patterned change in size, color, texture, design, and other characteristics. The analysis demonstrates chronological patterns pointing to a long period of stability in pottery production followed by introduction of new ideas about pottery manufacture and decoration within the last 2000 to 3000 years. Present-day local pottery production reflects the persistence of traditional methods as well as the incorporation of new ideas. Which may related to the population incursions include the movement of the Austronesian speakers some 3000 to 3500 years ago and, following that, the introduction of Hinduism and Buddhism from South Asia. It is through this close examination of pottery remains that we can demonstrate the long-term importance of trade in this area and ultimately shed light on how early multi-ethnic communities in Southeast Asia were developed.