Exploring Ontologies of the Precontact Americas: From Individual Bodies to Bodies of Social Theory

This volume explores how researchers in bioarchaeology and mortuary archaeology can better understand concepts of life and death in past societies of the Indigenous Americas by applying social theory and incorporating non-Western perspectives. Case studies from Inuit groups, Hopewell culture, Weeden Island, and Puebloan traditions examine mortuary records, iconography, demographics, and an ancient village on the Amazon River. It emphasizes the importance of considering diverse worldviews and engaging with novel social theories of the body to gain new insights into precontact societies.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 28 May 2024
Publisher: University Press of Florida

This volume showcases the potential of researchers in bioarchaeology and mortuary archaeology to enhance our understanding of life and death in past societies of the Indigenous Americas. By employing the "ontological turn" in their analysis of human funerary and skeletal remains, contributors challenge Western notions of reality, nature, and personhood, exploring how different cultures perceive existence and the human body.

Contributors examine mortuary records from various Indigenous groups, including the Inuit in Labrador and Greenland, the Hopewell culture in the lower Illinois River valley, and the Weeden Island and Puebloan traditions in the United States Southeast and Southwest. They also explore the Paquimé community in Mexico, the iconography of the Maya civilization, the demographics of Inka populations, and an ancient village on the Amazon River in Brazil. Through these case studies, contributors dismantle the boundaries between human remains and other interred artifacts, the living and the dead, and other binaries deeply entrenched in Western science.

Exploring Ontologies of the Precontact Americas serves as a reminder to readers that their own ontological perspectives shape their interpretation of the past. By engaging with diverse, non-Western worldviews and adopting novel social theories of the body, this volume fosters new insights into precontact societies. By adopting a broader perspective and incorporating non-Western perspectives, bioarchaeology and mortuary archaeology can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of human history and culture.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781683404071