Deni,
 
I just did a quick perusal of my Historical Archaeology volumes and came up with the articles Chinookian Survial and Persistance on the Lower Columbia: The View from the Kathlamet Village (Vol. 34, No. 4, 2009) and Nativism, Resistance, and Ethnogenesis of the Florida Seminole Indian Identity (2007, Vol. 41, No 4).  I think you do a disservice to yourself in stating, "They only let the stories of white people into their journal."  It is rather harsh criticism that when you raise the banner of racism.  As a long time member of that organization, I feel is just plain untrue.  I will acknowledge a preponderence of articles dealing with "white people" and their culture, but I have seen more than a few articles on African-American, Chinese, and other ethnic groups, including whole volumes on Chinese Imigrant/Chinese American topics (2008 Vol. 42, No. 3) Creolization (2000, Vol. 34, No. 3) which includes the article, Representing Colonizers: An Archaeology of Creolization, Ethnogenesis, and Indigenous Material Culture among the Haida, and African Diaspora (2004, Vol. 38, No. 1) to name a few.  
 
I'm sorry you had a bad experience with attempting to get your article published, but I think you paint with too broad a brush in your criticism of the organization as a whole.  The organization and its journal and newsletter are important contributors to the field of archaeology.  Having been one of those of the "Eastern power base" before moving out here 20 years ago, I always felt that there was a bit of indifference to Historical Archaeology here in the West.  One of the reasons I developed my Quick Reference to 20th C. Historical Artifacts field cheat sheet was to help the great preponderence of field archaeologists here in the west that were squeamish or dismissive of dealing with that historic trash: ie. bottles and cans.  
 
Harding Polk II






-----Original Message-----
From: Deni Seymour <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Wed, Jul 21, 2010 12:39 pm
Subject: Re: Mal racism


[This is a NMAC-L posting, do not simply "Reply" to sender.] * * 


I hope that people to take note that the West is being excluded from the Eastern power base when it comes to historical archaeology. (We shocked them with the attendance at the SHA meeting here in ABQ a couple years ago.)
 
Moreover, anyone who studies Native Americans is being marginalized in historical archaeology. Its a serious problem. I literally was told by that HA editor to publish in Native American Studies journals, but, as you know, that is a distinct field of study and that is not what I do as an archaeologist. The articles rejected owing to inappropriate content (e.g., "the Apache are not a historic people") have since been published in Antiquity, Plains Anthropologist, and IJHA. My point is the articles were publishable quality and of topics of interest to a wide readership, people who care about historical archaeology, culture contact, colonalism, and specific Native American groups. They were not publishable in HA because they were not about capitalism and industrialized societies and other things white people are responsible for. Those that are publishable are about the white people in Indian's lives, a focus on missionaries and military rather than natives. Even David H-T has noticed this; perhaps he can help us change it.
 
The articles that have been written on this topic, or passages in books that address this problem (e.g., Rubetone, Little, and others) do not even mention the work (including publications) we do here in the West and have been doing for decades. They say no one has been pursing such studies, or that such publications are a new thing. Its just that their awareness of our work is new. 
 
This all started with the ways in which we express racism in ways we are not aware of. It is concluding with, we have an obligation to do something about it, especially when it is within our own organizations. 


 Sending the book reference under separate cover so I do not get accused of marketing and so that these important points are not sidetracked.
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Diane Curewitz <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Wed, Jul 21, 2010 12:13 pm
Subject: Re: Mal racism


[This is a NMAC-L posting. Use your reply function with care.]


I was getting tired of the anecdotes...until I realized how they
eflect lack of knowledge and awareness. At that point, the discussion
ecame much more relevant and interesting. I consider it part of my
ersonal mission as an archaeologist to remedy some of those gaps in
ublic understanding.
Deni,  can we have the title and press, please?
On Wed, Jul 21, 2010 at 10:57 AM, Deni Seymour <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
 [This is a NMAC-L posting, do not simply "Reply" to sender.] * *


 Not at all Brian; if I was going to advertise my book I would have done so
 more effectively by stating its title and press!

 My point is that many people have brought this up. My second point is that I
 am not just complaining, I am "problematizing" it, if I can use that awful
 word. The controversy I want to raise is that we sit back and let this occur
 and we have an obligation to speak up, both by not being part of
 organizations that advocate such positions and by making our positions clear
 in what we publish. Bitching on a list serve is just a way to vent and
 usually has no lasting consequences.



 -----Original Message-----
 From: Brian Kenny <[log in to unmask]>
 To: [log in to unmask]
 Sent: Wed, Jul 21, 2010 11:49 am
 Subject: Re: Mal racism

 [This is a NMAC-L posting, do not simply "Reply" to sender.] * * This
 started as an anecdotal story about students & tourists and malapropisms. It
 looks to me that it's turned into an opportunity to create controversy to
 sell a book ...


 Deni Seymour  to NMAC-L [This is a NMAC-L posting, do not simply "Reply" to
 sender.] * * Dave: I agree that not all who are members or prominent in the
 SHA are racists, and in fact, most would be appalled if they thought about
 the larger implications of their policy. However, when the editor
 specifically said: "the Apache are not a historic people" (that is a quote),
 that is not simply responding to the interests of society membership.
 Moreover, the predilections of a few are determining what are and are not
 topics appropriate for study and publication of historical archaeologists.
 (Although IJHA gladly accepts historical archaeological works about
 indigenous peoples.) There has been a lot written on this topic, and many
 years ago Barbara Little referred to this specifically as racist, but then
 we heard no more from her, though others have been heard to make small peeps
 about this. In my upcoming book I make a major issue of it. Thanks for the
 article reference. I have downloaded.




 On Wed, Jul 21, 2010 at 8:41 AM, Deni Seymour <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> [This is a NMAC-L posting, do not simply "Reply" to sender.] * *
>
> I regret to inform you that the Society for Historical Archaeology feels
> the same way: Apaches--any Indian for that matter--are not historical
> people. They only let the stories of white people into their journal. This
> is a very well-discussed fact that has been repeatedly reinforced in that
> journal and society. I asked repeatedly for clarification because I was so
> shocked, but there are also several publications by very prominent
> historical archaeologists that discuss this and acquiesce to it, despite its
> implications. I canceled my membership because of its racist implications.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Evans, Victoria R <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Wed, Jul 21, 2010 9:34 am
> Subject: Re: Malapropisms
>
> [This is a NMAC-L posting. Use your reply function with care.]
> *
> *
>
> I have a similar story--when visiting a museum in a small town in
> Oklahoma the museum guide told us about the oldest towns in the U.S. I
> suggested that the oldest town is probably one of the pueblos.  His
> reply? "Oh, well, those are Indians!"  As in they don't count??
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NMAC-L [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Roger Moore
> Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 9:23 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Malapropisms
>
> [This is a NMAC-L posting. Use your reply function with care.]
> *
> *
>
> Tourist do come up with some great quotes revealing their level of
> understanding or misconceptions!!   Many years ago when I was excavating
> the east palisade at Cahokia Mounds State Park, a tourist asked the park
> guide "now, is this man made, or did the Indians build it?"
>
> Roger A. Moore
> V.T. Archaeologist
> Chaco Culture NHP
> P.O. Box 220, Nageezi, NM 87037-0220
> Phone: 505-786-7014 ex 226     Fax: 505-786-7061
>
>
>
>
>              Karen Armstrong
>
>              <[log in to unmask]
>
>              ET>
> To
>              Sent by: NMAC-L           [log in to unmask]
>
>              <[log in to unmask]>
> cc
>
>
>
> Subject
>              07/16/2010 02:42          Malapropisms
>
>              PM
>
>
>
>
>
>              Please respond to
>
>              [log in to unmask]
>
>                      T
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> [This is a NMAC-L posting, do not simply "Reply" to sender.] * *
> ...and there was the curious tourist at Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde who,
> puzzled, inquired "Why did they build some of the walls out of rock and
> some out of stone?"
>
> ...not to mention another tourist - female - who came rushing up to the
> ranger saying "Oh, Ranger, I think I've got heat prostitution!"
>
> Karen Armstrong



-- 
iane Curewitz, PhD, RPA
useum of Anthropology
ashington State University
ullman WA 99164-4910