The field of molecular anthropology has grown in recent years with the advent of new methodologies and theoretical assumptions. The field has been particularly insightful in helping understand the initial peopling of North America. The author discusses the field of molecular anthropology and its insights into the peopling of North America, examining in detail the mtDNA and Y chromosome genetic data. Written in a clear, readable fashion, the author gives an overview of the topic for researchers, graduate students, and other professionals who are interested in this exciting new area of inquiry and the possibilities it holds for such contentious issues as biological affiliation, the peopling of North America, and historic population movements.

American Indian mtDNA, Y Chromosome Genetic Data, and the Peopling of North America

Politics & Social Sciences

Jones, Peter N.

Anthropology

Bauu Institute

In 1996 on the banks of the Columbia River a 9,300-year old skeleton was found that would become the impetus for the first legal assault on the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The Kennewick Man, as it came to be called, put to test whether the American Indian tribes of the area were culturally affiliated with the skeleton as they claim and their oral traditions affirm, or whether the skeleton was affiliated with a people who are no longer present. At the same time, another 9,000-year old skeleton was found in the storage facility of the Nevada State Museum, where it had gone unnoticed for the past 50 years. Like the Kennewick Man, the Spirit Cave Mummy also brought to fore the question of cultural affiliation between contemporary American Indian tribes of the western Great Basin and those people who resided in the area during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene. Cultural anthropologist Peter N. Jones tackles these contentious questions in this landmark study, Respect for the Ancestors. For the first time in a single work, the question of cultural affiliation between the present-day American Indians of the American West and the people of the distant past is examined using multiple lines of evidence. Out of this comprehensive study, a picture of continuous cultural evolution and adaptation between the peoples of the ancient past and those of the present-day emerges from the evidence. Further, important implications for the field of anthropology are discussed as a result of this benchmark study. Anyone working in the American West today will benefit from this book.

Respect for the Ancestors: American Indian Cultural Affiliation in the American West

Shamanism... what is it? Is it a phenomenon with a clear definition or with a set of clearly definable attributes? Has the phenomenon changed over time, or are today's versions found in suburban basements the same as those that were practiced hundreds of years ago by various tribal people? What can we figure out about shamanism if we simply look at the term itself and how it has been employed over time? What if we restrict ourselves to one geographic location? These are some of the questions grappled with, and partially answered, in this book. By discussing the historical use of the terms shamanism and shaman in North America, Peter N. Jones offers fresh insights into the history of this phenomenon. Comparing current understandings and descriptions of the phenomenon with those of the historical and archival record, Shamans and Shamanism presents a comprehensive analysis of the terms use over time. Included in the book is a comprehensive bibliography of the term's use in North America. Shamans and Shamanism is an important resource for anyone interested in this phenomenon. It provides new insights into the history of the terms, their use in both academic and pop literature, and offers a starting point for future investigations of the phenomenon.

Shamans and Shamanism: A Comprehensive Bibliography of the Terms Use in North America

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Jones, Peter N.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Jones, Peter N.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Jones, Peter N.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

American Indian mtDNA, Y Chromosome Genetic Data, and the Peopling of North America

Respect for the Ancestors: American Indian Cultural Affiliation in the American West

Shamans and Shamanism: A Comprehensive Bibliography of the Terms Use in North America