Polly Wiessner unites past and present.docx
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Polly Wiessner unites past and present.docx
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PollyWiessnerunitespastandpresent
PollyWiessnerunitespastandpresent,scienceandadvocacyinherstudiesoftraditionalpeoplesinAfricaandPapuaNewGuinea.
SALTLAKECITY—Lateonenightaround2003,UniversityofUtahanthropologistPaulineWiessnerwasawakenedbyatelephonecallfromsomeKalahariBushmenshehadstudiedinNamibia.TheBushmen,alsoknownasSan,hadmanagedtogetholdofasatellitephonebelongingtoasafaricompany.TheytoldherthattheyhadjustcalledthefamousmusicianYo-YoMaaboutanofferhehadmadewhenhetouredtheKalahariadecadeearlier:
Mahadapparentlyagreedtobuyshoesfortheirsoccerteam.NowtheBushmenwantedtodrawoutlinesoftheirfeet,sendthemtoWiessnerinSaltLakeCity,andhaveherbuytheshoesandsendthebilltoMa.
Wiessnerdidn'tworrythathelpingherresearchsubjects,formerhunter-gatherersnowcopingwiththemodernworld,wouldcompromiseherscientificobjectivity.Shesimplyagreed,realizingthattheBushmenwereusingborrowedmoderntechnologytoexpandtheirtraditionalsocialnetworksacrosstheglobe.And,asshehadputitinarecenttalk,suchsocialnetworkshadprobablybeenkeytotheevolutionarysuccessofourhunter-gathererancestors,allowingthemtotravelgreatdistancesandeventually"moveoutofAfricaandcolonizemuchoftheplanet."
Asithappened,theBushmen,lackingpostalservices,hadnowaytogetthedrawingstoher,andtheshoeswereneverpurchased.ButWiessner,62,knownasPolly,seesnoconflictinherdualroleasbothobserverandparticipantintraditionalsocieties.Fornearly4decades,shehasbeencarryingoutanthropologicalfieldworkthatlinkssciencewithadvocacyandtiesthepresenttothepast.HerresearchonexchangenetworksinAfrica'sKalahariDesertandinPapuaNewGuinea(P.N.G.)hasprovidedanthropologistswithsomeoftheirbestmodelsfortheculturalevolutionofprehistoricsocieties.Itforms"thebasisofalotofpeople'sthinkingabouthowwebecamehuman,"saysanthropologistAlisonBrooksofGeorgeWashingtonUniversityinWashington,D.C.AddsarchaeologistCliveGambleofRoyalHolloway,UniversityofLondon:
"TakeawayPolly'sinsights,andourviewofthesocialworldofourPaleolithicancestorswouldcontractbacktothescaleofthecave."Alongtheway,Wiessnerhashelpedthetraditionalpeoplessheworkswithnavigatethemodernworld.Sheisregardedasaleadingpractitionerof"engagedanthropology,"inwhichresearcherscollaboratewiththepeopletheystudy.AlthoughshenowlivesinSaltLakeCity(withapetcockatoothatdrinksfromhercoffeecupinthemorningandhermargaritaglassintheevening),shestillworkscloselywithAfricanBushmenandP.N.G.tribesmenandisconsideredafriendtobothcultures."Pollywantedtocontinueworkingwiththepeoplehere,"saysAkiiTumu,directoroftheEngaTraditionandTransitionCenterinWabag,aculturalcenterthatWiessnerhelpedtocreateandfund.Tumu,whohascollaboratedonWiessner'sresearchfor25years,saysthismakesher"outstandinglydifferentfromallotherforeignpeople."Wiessner'sabilitytobridgethemanyworldsinwhichsheworksmakesheroneofanthropology's"greatsouls,"saysanthropologistSarahBlafferHrdy,professoremeritusattheUniversityofCalifornia(UC),Davis."Sheistheold-fashionedkindofanthropologist,...ascholarwhostudieshumannatureinallitsdiversity."
LongnightsintheKalahari
Wiessner,whohasspentyearslivingamongpoorpeopleintraditionalsocieties,wasborninVermontintoacomfortableexistence,thedaughterofafamedmountainclimber.Shebeganclimbingandskiingearlyon,fosteringherloveoftheoutdoors.AndshesaysherexperiencesatastrictCanadianboardingschoolpreparedherforthehardshipsoffieldwork.
Butshewasatroublemakeratschoolandunabletogetintoagoodcollegeatfirst.Soshewenttothenow-defunctBennettCollegeinMillbrook,NewYork,whichWiessnersayscateredtowealthyyoungwomenwhowantedtomarrywell.WiessnerthrivedandsoontransferredtoSarahLawrenceCollege.WhileatSarahLawrence,shevolunteeredforasummerdigataprehistoricsiteinFrance.ThereshemetLewisBinford,afounderofthescientificallyorientedNewArchaeologymovement,andlaterworkedonhisanalysesofPaleolithicstonetools.
Aftergraduating,Wiessnerwasintroducedtothenewfieldofethnoarchaeology,thestudyofmodernpeopletoseehowthearchaeologicalrecordwascreated.ShehookedupwithJohnYellen,nowarchaeologyprogramdirectorattheNationalScienceFoundation,andhelpedhimdrawmapsofBushmencampsinBotswana,recordingthespatialpatternsofdiscardedanimalbones.
TheseearlyexperiencestaughtWiessnerthatthepresentandthepastwereinextricablylinked,athemethatwouldcometodominateherresearchcareer.AsagraduatestudentattheUniversityofMichigan,shestartedoutstudyingthestylisticdifferencesamongLateStoneAgestonetoolscalledmicrolithsinBotswana.Butafter2weeksinthefield,Wiessnersays,"Irealizedthiswasprobablythemostboringprojectintheworld.IwaslookingatvariationinmicrolithswhenIshouldbelookingatlivingpeopleandthesocialprocessesthatgeneratestylisticvariation."
WiessnersetaboutrecordingthestylisticvariationsamongartifactssuchasprojectilepointsandbeadworkthatwereproducedbydifferentgroupsofBushmen,whointhe1970sstilllivedmostlybyhuntingandgathering.ShetraveledalloverBotswana,usuallyalone."Sheisareallytoughcookie,"saysYellen.
Thenmonthsofheavyrainshitherfieldarea.Therainknockedthenutsoutoftrees,triggeredthegrowthoftallgrassesthatchokedoffmoreedibleplants,anddispersedthelargeantelopesthattheBushmenreliedupon."Thepeoplewentthroughaperiodofextremehunger,"recallsWiessner.Buttheepisodewasa"turningpoint"inherresearch.TheBushmenwereoftentoohungrytotalkaboutstyle.SoWiessner,whobynowhadsomecompetencyspeakingJu/'hoansi,theBushmanlanguagethere,spenthertimesittingaroundthecampsandwritingdownwhatpeopleweresayinganddoing.
Sheobservedthatthemenandwomenwerebusymakingobjects,suchasarrowheads,knives,beads,andclothing,andtalkingaboutlovedonesfarawayandhowmuchtheymissedthem.Meanwhile,youngmenwentofftoareasupto200kilometersdistanttoseewhowasthereandhowwelltheyweredoing.Then,whenthepeoplewereonthebrinkofstarvation,theysetoffwiththeirobjects—whichWiessnersoonrealizedweregifts—tovisitotherBushmencamps.ThusWiessnerdecipheredthegift-givingexchangethattheBushmencalledhxaro,whichtiesKalaharipeoplestogetherinfarflungsocialnetworks.
Between1973and1975,WiessnerstayedinBotswana,trackingthehxaronetworks.Shefoundthatadultshadanaverageofabout16stablepartnersinBushmencampsnearandfar,somewithmorecloselyrelatedpeoplesuchasfirstcousinsbutmanywithmoredistantlyrelatedkin.Herstudyformedthebasisofher1977Ph.D.thesis,whichisstillwidelycitedforitspotentialinsightsintohowprehistorichunter-gathererssurvivedrapidlychangingclimatesandenvironments."Thecentralquestion...washowhunter-gathererswithnomoneyinthebank,nograininthelarder,andnoanimalsonthehoofdealwithriskwhentheenvironmentfails,"Wiessnersays.Herfindingshadanimmediateimpactonanthropology,saysHrdy:
"Pollyshowednotonlyhowcentralsuchsharingandexchangesystemswerebutalsohowstrategicandinnovativehumansmusthavebeeninestablishingandmaintainingthem."
Aftertherainshadsubsided,WiessnercontinuedherworkonstyleandfoundthatthestylesconveyedinformationaboutthesocialidentitiesofvariousBushmengroups.Archaeologistsimmediatelyleapedonherworkforitspotentialapplicationsinunderstandingstylisticvariationinpastcultures."Shesawthefunctionsofstylemoreclearlythananyone,"saysarchaeologistIainDavidsonoftheUniversityofNewEnglandinArmidale,Australia.
Theengagedanthropologist
In1981,WiessnerlandedajobasaresearchassociateattheMaxPlanckInstituteforHumanEthologyinAndechs,Germany,andin1985,stillontheMaxPlanckpayroll,shemovedtoEngaprovinceinthehighlandsofP.N.G.,whereherthen-husbandhadbeenhiredasahealthadministrator.Althoughshehadn'tplannedtodoresearchinP.N.G.,Wiessnertookadvantageofhernewcircumstancestolaunchthenextphaseofhercareer:
a10-yearoral-historyproject,withP.N.G.colleaguesandtheeldersof110Engatribes,thatcoveredsevengenerationsofEngahistory.Onceagain,Wiessnerwasengagedinaprojectthatusedpastandpresenttoinformeachother.WiessnerandTumucross-correlatedtheoralhistoriesamongtribesgoingbackhundredsofyears.TheywereabletotracetheculturalevolutionofEngaexchangenetworksandsocialhierarchiesasthepeopletransitionedfromhuntingandgatheringandsubsistenceagriculturetoasocietywithagriculturalsurpluses.Thisshiftwastriggeredabout350yearsagobytheintroductionofthesweetpotato,whichgrowsmoreeasilyinpoorhighlandsoilsthantaro,thepreviousstaplecrop.Surplusproductionfosteredincreasedcompetition,theemergenceofceremonialexchangenetworkslinkingtensofthousandsofpeople,andtheriseofleaderswhomanagedlargeamountsofwealth,includingpigs,whichthrivedonsweetpotatoesandcouldbegivenasgiftsorexchanged.
ThebookthatsheandTumupublishedin1998,titledHistoricalVines,is"oneofthebestcasestudiesofculturalevolutionintheliterature,"saysecologistPeterRichersonofUCDavis.
In1995,whenitsdirectorretired,theMaxPlanckinstitu
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