Julie Hollowell – författare

The appearance during the first millennium A.D. of small, exquisitely carved artifacts of walrus ivory in the Bering Strait region marks the beginning of an extraordinary florescence in the art and culture of North America. The discovery in the 1930s and 1940s of world-class carvings of animals, mythical beasts, shape-shifting creatures, masks, and human figurines astounded scholars and excited collectors. Nevertheless, the extraordinary objects that belong to this fascinating, sometimes frightening, world of hunting-related art remain largely unknown. Gifts from the Ancestors  examines ancient ivories from the coast of Bering Strait, western Alaska, and the islands in between—illuminating their sophisticated formal aesthetic, cultural complexity, and individual histories. Many of the pieces discussed are from recent Russian excavations and are presented here for the first time in English; others are from private collections not usually open to the public. The essays, written by an international group of scholars, adopt a refreshing interdisciplinary approach that gives voice to the various competing, and now sometimes cooperating, stakeholders, including Native groups, museums, archaeologists, art historians, art dealers, and private collectors. Distributed for the Princeton University Art MuseumExhibition Schedule:Princeton University Art Museum (October 3, 2009 – January 10, 2010)

Ethnographies and Archaeologies explores the many different ways that the archaeological past is used to create meaning in the present. Under the guidance of editors Lena Mortensen and Julie Hollowell, the contributors seek to de-center or reposition the role of archaeologists and archaeological practice in constructing the past. A major focus of the volume is to examine how the past is mediated by social engagements in the present and the consequences of those encounters. It is positioned at the forefront of a growing trend to explore the intersection of archaeology and cultural anthropology. Broadly arguing for the application of ethnography to the dialogue on archaeological heritage, the book considers how concepts of nationalism, identity politics, and cultural production affect how the past is shaped by archaeology.