http://hdl.handle.net/10057/964 Search the Channel s http://soar.wichita.edu:8080/dspace/simple-search http://hdl.handle.net/10057/1845 title: The Asmat of New Guinea: a research and information website of the Lowell D. Holmes Museum of Anthropology authors: Scriven, Jennifer L. <br>abstract: At present, there are several books written on the Asmat of New Guinea, as well as many artifactual collections throughout the world, both large and small. However, this information is scattered, poorly presented, and proves to be an impediment to research. Additionally, the cultural and art museums which currently house Asmat objects have not utilized emerging technology to reach a large audience, either for research or general educational purposes. Therefore, to address these problems I have gathered all relevant data into one source that is as definitive as possible, and that can be easily accessed both by the curious as well as potential ethnographers, researchers and travelers. To this end, I have created a website for the purpose of presenting the Downing and Bakwin Asmat collections to the lay public, as well as providing a research hub for anthropologists and others interested in the Asmat. This website contains a comprehensive bibliography, photographs of artifacts in the Holmes Museum collection, relevant data on each piece, links to other collections and websites of interest and/or research. It includes cultural information on the Asmat including, but not limited to, their cosmology, myths, rituals and the making of the pieces in the Collection. The website will eventually also provide audio-visual recordings from various ethnographic field trips to New Guinea since initial contact by the Wichita State University Department of Anthropology beginning in 2001. The Lowell D. Holmes Museum Asmat web page is located at: http://holmes.anthropology.museum/asmat/ <br>description: A project submitted to the Department of Anthropology of Wichita State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. <br> Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:58:59 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10057/1629 title: Wanna buy a basket?: Kekchi Maya women and cash economy in San Miguel, Belize authors: Stepanek, Patricia A. <br>abstract: Global economy has had a tremendous effect on subsistence societies. A need for cash seems to touch people even in remote places. San Miguel is a poverty-stricken Kekchi Maya village in the Toledo District of southern Belize. The Kekchi Maya women of this village sell handcrafted items to supplement their household income. The cash income gained from craft sales may be improving the economic situation of many San Miguel households; however, not all households are showing economic improvement. The degree to which a woman can participate in selling handicrafts is dependent on her duties as a traditional wife and mother. These constraints might be one factor influencing economic success. Envy between those who have or have not is most likely a problem in the small village, and perceptions of an Image of Limited Good may enshroud the villagers. The problem under investigation pertains to the effect of craft sales on the household economy, when the constraints that control a traditional San Miguel Kekchi Maya woman are taken into consideration. Envy and a variety of constraints factor in, possibly perpetuate an Image of Limited Good, which probably influence the Kekchi women’s economic success from handicraft sales. <br>description: A project submitted to the Department of Anthropology of Wichita State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts <br> Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:58:59 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10057/1295 title: The changing Asmat world: a survey of cultural and artistic change from 1950-2001 authors: Dobratz, Lee <br>abstract: This paper documents the effects of rapid culture transition in a culture that had few elements of change imposed upon them. It is usually very difficult to approximate causative relationships initiated by culture change, as there are usually so many elements involved that no direct correlations can be discerned. Although the scope of these elements was far-reaching, the causative factors were few, thereby enabling correlations to be established. By documenting outside cultural forces and investigating their effects on the formal and iconographic changes in artistic representation, the present investigation makes a direct correlation between the cessation of warring culture and change in conduct of traditional rituals and production of carvings. By identifying these correlations in Asmat society, perhaps my research concepts can be applied to similar situations in other cultures. The problem with contemporary Asmat carving is that it seems to be very similar to pre-contact objects, yet one of the main purposes for these carvings, head hunting, has been removed from the culture. How, then, do the Asmat integrate their new way of life with their old traditions? To investigate this issue, this study explored the history of use and ritual concerning the bis pole, a well-known form produced by the Asmat. It also analyzed the poles artistically, attempting to find differences between old (1954-1981) and new (1981-2001) poles. The bis pole is ideal for analysis here, as its purpose historically incorporated commemoration of the dead, avenging the spirits who were killed in inter-village raids, and the rebalancing of life force that is the driving force behind their cosmology. The research materials used here consisted of written documents by Catholic missionaries embedded in the Asmat region, research on the Asmat by anthropologists and artists, interviews I conducted with Crosier missionaries that served in Asmat, and formal and iconographical analysis of 43 bis poles. These interviews were especially helpful, and made it possible to pinpoint specific areas of discussion not covered in previous written works. The Crosiers and their attitude toward indigenous cultures are central to the transformation of this society. Bishop Alphonse Sowada, who attained a master’s degree in Anthropology before being assigned to Asmat, directed this group of missionaries to incorporate Catholic dogma with native beliefs so as not to completely decimate the history and culture of the native people. So far the present investigation suggests through literature review and artistic analysis a marked changes both in carving form and ritual content between the days of head hunting and now. The Asmat have embraced the cessation of raiding and head hunting, and have adapted both their rituals and their art to maintain their cultural traditions. Many traditional head hunting symbols, such as the praying mantis, have been discontinued. The purpose of the bis feast cycle was always to rebalance life force in their animistic society. Now they perform the cycle without seeking vengeance for their family members who died violently. They now focus more on the remembrance of the dead than on the grief for the dead who are represented in the poles. By finding direct correlations between culture change and artistic expression, this study has utilized a construct by which to investigate dynamic situations such as those in Asmat over the last 60 years. It has also identified specific topics, too extensive to attempt here, of further research that are important for a complete understand of their culture and history. <br>description: A project submitted to the Department of Anthropology of Wichita State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts <br> Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:58:59 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10057/128 title: The Morgan collection of Southwest pottery website: research and photography: a project authors: Schrader, Julie Ann <br>description: Research project submitted to the Department of Anthropology and the Faculty of the Graduate School of Wichita State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master o Arts <br> Thu, 21 Apr 2005 22:58:59 GMT