Scarlet and B

February il—pagc s

 

Anthro students dig field studies

In anthropology, “the trowel is
the ‘proof oi the pudding ” ac
cording to Ralph Luebben,
department chairman oi an-
thropology at Grinnell. ”Since
anthropology is a field science, the
experience oi working in the iield
is highly desirable.”

To allow some Grinnell students
to acquire some oi this valuable
experience, Luebben and his wife,
Jan, supervised eight excavation
field trips to the southwestern
portion of the United States and
northern Mexico during the
summers oi 1960 and 1968 through
1974.

The first trip, in 1960, was to a
documented site at the Fort
Burgwin Research Center located
outside -of Taos, New Mexico
Accompanying the Luebbens were
four Grinnell studenB, Together
they excavated a deep-pit house
structure built in the basic Pueblo
tradition somewhere between 900»
1200 AD “Nothing really
earthshaking” was discovered at
this site according to Luebben, but
he added that it allowed the
students to learn the basics of
anthropological iield study. These
include the ability to locate sites,
work with artifacts, read and draw
maps, become familiar with difs
{erent architecture, and prepare a
scientific statement.

With a grant from CDSIP
(College Science Improvement
Program) sponsored by the
National Science Foundation, the
second ﬁeld excavation study was
underway in the summer oi 1968.
The excavation was located this
time at the Whetten site, a remote
area in Chihuahua, Mexico, iiity-
two miles from the city of Nuevo
Casas Grange.

Joining the Luebbens at this site
was Jonathan Andelson, then a
Grinnell student, now an assistant
professor oi anthropology at the
college, Because this “dig" was a
joint project between the Grinnell
Anthropology Department and the
University oi Denver Geography
Department, Laurance Herold oi
the University oi Denver ac
companied the group,

Situated in the Occidental area of
the Sierra Madras, the excavation
revealed a Pueblo, trincheras
(dams), and out buildings which
were storage areas for tools and

implements. All of these structures
were built during the tenth Cenr
tury, A.D. Herald, who was
familiar with the geographical
aspect of the expedition, located
and provided information cone
cerning the trincheras which were
erected by the Indians for the
collection of silt for use in the
construction of terraces. The

by Carolyn Miller

ranch, ten possible excavation
sites consisting oi nine pueblos and
one iirepit were located. Between
1969 and 1974, four of these sites
were completely excavated,
providing a random sample of the
sites in the area. Each of the four
sites were named ior archeologists
who were friends of the Luebbens.

The first site, the Don Watson
Site. revealed the smallest of the

from the kiva to a subterranean
room, and another from the kiva ti)
a tower. This type oi tunnel con-
struction was also a new discovery
of the Grinnell expedition.

The last site, called the Grinnell
site, was the most complicated oi
all those excavated. The pueblo
contained the usual kiva, and two
basic rooms, but a number of
features were appended to the

 

° Ralph Luehben (standing), chairman oi the Anthropology Department, unearthed a pueblo structure
in 1972 with (i) Priscilla Murray, '73, and (r) Martha Walker. '73, at the Don Watson site on the lsmay
Ranch in the Four Corners area of southwest Colorado. The Mesa Verde Mountains are shown In the

background.

anthropological objective was then
to find a connection between the
trincheras and the particular
Pueblo culture. Luebben said that
the University oi Denver has plans
to publish the conclusions of this
research.

The third excavation site was
located at the lsmay Ranch in the
Four Corners area of southwest
Colorado near Cortcz, Ray and
l-lalley lsmay, personal iriends oi
the Luebbens, agreed to let
Grinnell excavate on their
property. In a two mile area of the

iour_pueblos. It contained a kiva
(ceremonial room) and three

surface rooms. Also discovered
was a tunnel. which differed from
the basic pueblo tradition and led
from the subsﬂoor pit of the kiva to
a subterranean room. The Grinnell
group was the iirst to unearth such
a construction.

The Al Lancaster site had the
distinction of being the largest
pueblo excavated, containing
eleven rooms plus a kiva.

Another pueblo, the lsmay site,
revealed two tunnels, one leading

structure. This site was found to
differ from other documented
pueblo excavations because its
kiva was connected to a tower by a
very large tunnel that had a
number oi spurs leading from it.
One of the spurs t side tunnels) led
into another subterranean room
and, underneath the whole coma
plex, was found another larger,
and earlier Kiva.

Luebben is now preparing the
iindings at these excavations ior
publication In summary, the
Grinnell expendition documented:

‘

9-

1) subterranean rooms at three of
the four sites; 2) sealed tunnels in
two of the three kivas; 3) a burial
discovered in the floor of one Kiva
and, 4) presence of a tower on two
sites.

Conclusmns formed were that
kivas, once believed to have been
strictly ceremonial, displayed
evidence of having secular use
also, and that subterranean rooms
showed a similarity to the ir
portance of caves in Mexican
pueblo society, (In Mexico, caves
were the “holiest of holies" and
indicated an emergence trim the
underworld.) The ceremonial
significance of the tunnel con
necting the kiva to the tower is
unknown, but it is believed that the
kiva represents the iemale sex
organ and the tow-er the male sex
organ.

The camp liie at these exr
cavation sites was rugged. A
typical day consisted of rising at
daybreak and being on the job at 7
a.m. A lunch break and siesta was
at noon, but work continued in the
alternoon until supper. After
supper, the job of washing and
labeling the artiiacts was ur.
dertaken until exhaustion set in,
about 9 pm “So tar as I know, we
have never had any hanky-panky
because the students have been too
fatigued,” chuckled Luebben 3‘

Another important aspect oi
camp life as tar as the students
were concerned was the “unusual
opportunity ior personal
maturation," Living in a closed
community ior approximately four
weeks “helps one grow up fast,”
explained Luebhen

Trips outside the camp were
taken on weekends to Mesa Verde,
Chaw Canyon, and Navajo
National Monument. These ex-
cursions gave the students
chance to look at stabilized e)?-
cavations in three different pueblo
traditions.

Plans for future anthropological
digs are not currently underw '
Mr, Luebben said, however, that
he is quite sure that any iuture
expeditions will take place right
here in Poweshiek County. He
explained that there are unr
documented sites in this area and it
is not necessary to go to the South
west to gain iield experience.

 

Mr. Mcllvaine goes
to Washington

by .iim Sti-icklei-

Dean McIlvalne accepted an
invitation to President Jimmy
Carter's Inaugural believing he
would be one oi a select iew asked
to the “People's Inauguration.”
Dean quickly learned that pushing
and shoving through crowds would
be the highlight ot his 1977
inaugural week.

A member at his Wooster, Ohio
district caucus, Dean was
automatically chosen as a delegate
to last summer's Democratic
National Convention when Carter
carried the district And then,
because he backed the winning
presidential candidatc, Dean
received an invitation to the
Inauguration.

Looking back, Dean noted, “The
invitation to the Inauguration
wasn‘t as big a deal as going to the
convention” and that his pocket-
book probably has a more vivid
memory of the Inauguration than
he does.

Between $7.50 for a breakfast of
“fake” eggs sponsored by the Ohio
Democratic Party, and $25.00 tor a
ticket to the inaugural Ball, Dean
found that he could afford neither
the 325,00 ticket to the Parade nor
the 52,00 drinks at the evening’s
ball. He solved the problem of
these economic restrictions by
watching the parade on television
in his congressman’s office and
completely abstaining lrom
alcoholic libations during the
evening's activities.

The ball which Dean attended
at Washington's Sheraton Hotel
was one of the smallest of the seven
taking place in the city that night.
There were only 10,000 people
sardined into the ballroom. And,
despite its being a “People's
Inauguration," virtually
everybody. except Dean, was
wearing a tuxedo or a iormal
evening gown.

when newly elected President
carter entered the ballroom, Dean

said the gathering took on the air or
a Baptist revival meeting.
“Deacon" Carter shouted
questions like. “Is everybody
having a good time?" and, “Is the
United States a great country?"
The crowd responded ecstatically
in the affirmative.

Trying to escape the ever
growing masses of people, Dean
attempted to leave the ball early. It
took him over a half hour to light
his way out oi the room.

Considering the crowds and costs
oi his trip. Dean round that non-
Inaugural related events were the
brightest parts of his experience
He enjoyed seeing the sights oi
Washington and the “King Tut”
exhibit which was being shown at.
the National Gallery of Art. And of
course there was the excnement
and privilege of seeing a new
administration take office. Though
it was a worthwhile experience this
time around, Dean is sure that he
would not do it again,

 

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