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Print Resources | Evaluating Resources
Web Resources
The web contains a range of resources for Plains archaeology, but as with all forms of print media, you need to use good judgment about what is available. See the end of this document for some guidelines.
Archaeology of the US Great Plains
Shesh Mathur and Larry Zimmerman compiled a list of web sites for an article in Plains Anthropologist (1998 Plains Archaeology on the Web. Plains Anthropologist 43(163):83-89.) The web site lists only web sites containing primary information about archaeological sites, research papers and the like. It is indexed by state or province. Joe Artz from the Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist is now helping to update the web site.
Plains Anthropological Society
The Plains Anthropological Society holds an annual meeting called the Plains Conference, a legendary gathering of the top scholars in Plains archaeology, and some lesser lights as well. The web site has a range of information about the organization!
People and Environmental Change on the Northern Great Plains
This web site developed for the Environmental Protection Agency is geared toward public education about human interaction and environmental change on the Northern Plains from first habitation to the present.
General Archaeology Materials on the Web
These web sites contain quality primary materials and links to many other sites. they may be especially useful if you are unsure of certain elements of archaeology such as dating, ceramics, lithics and other methodologies of techniques.
ArchNet is the first of the major Archaeology index sites. On it you can find just about everything related to arcaheology.
Mining Company-Archaeology is run by Iowa's own Kris Hirst. It is fast becoming one of the best archaeology web sites and in some ways surpasses ArchNet. Here you'll find lots of information about archaeology explained in down to earth terms. As well, there is a good organizational system, a chat room, and a number of other pleasant surprises.
Archaeology on the Net is part of a Ring of sites that is not indexed, and not evaluated in any way, but still fun. You'll find everything from personal pages of questionable taste and use, to good scholarship.
Print Resources
Locations given for University of Iowa Main Library. I.D. Weeks Library at USD has some of these and other resources.
Background Information (Biographical Sources, Directories, Encyclopedias, Handbooks & Manuals)
Handbook of North American Indians. Washington :
Smithsonian Institution, 1978-
MAIN Reference FOLIO E77 .H25 (Non-Circulating)
MAIN Undergraduate FOLIO E77 .H25
This 20-volume set is still in progress. The set is planned to give an encyclopedic summary of what is known about the prehistory, history and cultures of the aboriginal peoples of North America north of the urban civilizations of Central America.
Native America in the Twentieth Century : An
Encyclopedia. New York : Garland Pub., 1994.
MAIN Reference FOLIO E76.2 .N285 1994 (Non-Circulating)
MAIN FOLIO E76.2 .N285 1994
This volume covers important aspects of Native American life in the U.S. during the current century: art, economic conditions, educational policy, government policy, health, languages, law, public opinion, Red Power, religion and reservations. It dispells the myth that Native Americans only existed in the past.
Encyclopedia of North American Indians. Boston :
Houghton Mifflin Company, c1996.
MAIN Reference E76.2 .E53 1996 (Non-Circulating)
Four common themes run through the 447 entries in this book: 1) Indians are People; 2) Indians Change; 3) Indians are a Permanent Part of American Life; 4) Indians Have Voices. Information is presented in sections describing 100 tribes; 100 biographies, 100 interpretive essays and definitions of terms and events frequently mentioned and often misunderstood. It includes bibliographic references.
Books and Journal Titles (Online catalog)
Plains Anthropologist
Current and Bound Periodicals.
Published since the 1950s, PA is an international journal about all aspects of the anthropology and archaeology of the Plains. It is a crucial resource for all projects.
American Antiquity
Current and Bound Periodicals.
The primary journal of the Society for American Archaeology, AA has a wide range of world archaeological materials. However, there are numerous papers relevant to the Plains.
American Indian Quarterly.
Current and Bound Periodicals.
This title is a refereed interdisciplinary journal of the history, anthropology, literature, and the arts of Native North Amerca.
American Indian Culture and Research Journal.
Current and Bound Periodicals.
This journal provides an interdisciplinary research forum for scholars and innovators in the area of historical and contemporary American Indian life and culture.
Current Information (Indexes to Identify Magazine, Journal, Newspaper Articles)
ANTH (Anthropological Literature)
Available on OASIS
under "indexes."
This periodical index covers articles and essays in anthropology and archaeology published since 1984. ANTH indexes articles of two or more pages from works published in English or other European languages. ANTH is updated quarterly. Abstracts of articles are not available.
2. Bibliography of Native North Americans On Disc.
MAIN Reference CD-ROM area.
The Bibliography of Native North Americans is the only bibliographic database published on the history, life and culture of native North Americans. Compiled by Human Relations Area Files, it contains citations to works published from the sixteenth century to the present, including monographs, essays, journal articles, dissertations and other publications. With over 80,000 records, this database is an essential tool for anyone researching native American topics and issues.
3. Anthropological Literature (© 1993 The
President and Fellows of Harvard College)
http://purl.lib.uiowa.edu/eureka/anthro
(University of Iowa only)
This resource describes articles and essays in anthropology and archaeology, including art history, demography, economics, psychology, and religious studies. Updated quarterly, Anthropological Literature indexes articles two or more pages long in works published in English and other European languages from the 19th century to the present. Anthropological Literature includes more than 421,000 records.
Opinions (Reviews, Editorials)
Akwesasne Notes.
Current and Bound Periodicals.
First published in 1968, this journal presents the voice and viewpoints of indigenous peoples. It is published quarterly as the official publication of the Mohawk Nation Council. It reflects the values of the Iroquois people and is a forum for the exchange of Native thoughts, ideas, concerns and creative expression.
Indian Country Today.
Law Library.
This weekly newspaper began in 1981 as "Lakota Times" originally to provide news to the people of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. It is currently distributed in all fifty states and in seventeen foreign countries as a publication presenting Native American news and views.
Quick Facts (Almanacs, Atlases, Statistics Sources)
Native Americans Information Directory.
MAIN Reference FOLIO E76.2 .N35 1993
(Non-Circulating)
A guide to organizations, agencies, institutions, programs, publications, services, and other resources concerned with the indigenous peoples of the United States and Canada. Detroit : Gale, c1993.
Reference Encyclopedia of the American Indian, 6th
ed. West Nyack, NY : Todd Publications, c1993.
MAIN Reference FOLIO E76.2 .R4 1993 (Non-Circulating)
More of a directory than encyclopedia.
Statistical Record of Native North Americans, 2nd
ed. New York : Gale Research Inc., an International Thomson
Publishing Company, c1995.
MAIN Reference FOLIO E98 .P76 S73 1995 (Non-Circulating)
This reference is a compilation of statistical data on the indigenous population of North America. It pulls together data scattered among many federal and state agencies, tribal governments, associations and other organizations. Much of the information is not available elsewhere in printed format.
Words (Dictionaries, Thesauri, Quotations)
Waldman, Carl. Word Dance : The Language of Native
American Culture. New York, NY : Facts on File,
c1994.
MAIN Reference E76.2 .W36 1994 Non-Circulating)
This dictionary is designed as a short-entry study aid and companion volume for many apsects of American Indian cultural studies. It includes some historical concepts as well. The terms are alphabetically arranged with cross-references and synonyms included. A categorized appendix lists terms under topical subdivisions. Includes a bibliography.
Words of Power: Voices from Indian America. Golden
CO: Fulcrum Publishing, 1994.
MAIN Reference E98 .P5W67 1994
This book of quotations includes a mixture of older and modern American Indian sayings. They are arranged under topical headings and are indexed by speaker. There is also a listing of sources used.
Historical Dictionary of North American
Archaeology. New York : Greenwood Press, 1988.
MAIN Reference E77.9 .H57 1988 (Non-Circulating)
This dictionary of 1800+ entries was produced by 151 archaeologists to provide a source of basic information on the major prehistoric cultures, archaeological sites and artifact types of North America. It includes a bibliography of references cited in the text.
About Using and
Evaluating Web Sites
The web is an amazing place to find information. It is much
more fluid than "hard copy" printed
media, but every bit as useful. Its fluidity is reflected in
the number of web sites that get added or
disappear every day. People often complain about this, but
it's not all that different from books,
journals or magazines going out of print. It's just more
difficult to find dead and gone web sites!
Others complain that "the web just has junk on it" or that
the material on web sites is not peer
reviewed and therefore not as good as that in other print
sources. Look in any library. There you'll
find lots of "junk" too, and lots that is not peer
reviewed.
What it all boils down to is that you have to learn how to
use the web efficiently and how to
evaluate materials. There are lots of different ways to do
this. Here are a few suggestions or
questions you might ask:
1.Who has prepared the site? Is any author information
available on the web or on links from
it? Was it prepared as the "official" web site of an
"official" organization, such as a tribe's
web page or that of an organization dealing with some
American Indian subject matter? If
so, the information will likely have been approved by the
organization, so should be
somewhat accurate.
2.Is the author of materials knowledgeable about the
subject? How is that reflected in the
web site? Use some caution here. Material can seem very
authoritative when it is down "in
black and white" or when the presentation is "slick."
Evaluate the material itself. Are
sources given? Is it well written, spell checked and
grammatically correct (this is not a sole
indicator of quality by any means, but it does show a level
of care or concern with quality!).
3.How recently was the site updated? This may have little to
do with quality or accuracy of
information, but it does have to do with the currency of
information.
4.Why was the web site developed? Is it a personal or "fun"
site? If so, it may be less valid in
terms of accuracy of materials. Is the site an academic
site? If so, it may contain a great
deal of valid and useful information, some of it peer
reviewed.
5.Who controls the web site? Is the site developed for or by
an organization or a particular
person or project? This has nothing to do with authenticity
or validity of information.
Rather, it has to do with the perspective of the site. This
can be important for understanding
the reasons the site was constructed (see #3 above). .
6.Does the site present issues? If a site presents issues
such as that related to some aspect of
cult archaeology, it may present biased information. This
does not mean that the information
is inaccurate; rather, it may simply be one-sided. Use some
caution.
