Perishables and the Human Experience
It has long been held that perishable artifacts like textiles and basketry are among the most culturally sensitive artifacts available for study because the very processes by which they are manufactured objectify themselves in the finished product. For example, since basketweaving is itself learned behavior, an indigenous basketmaker's society maintains a set of fixed standards of what is and is not locally "acceptable" basketry. Manifest in the final product in attributes such as method of starting, rim finish, splices, or foundation type, these standards are largely resistant to rapid technological changes or innovation. As a result, these observable attributes can be considered highly conservative and sensitive to socio-cultural change. Given these facts, the study of baskets, textiles, and other perishable artifacts stand to contribute a great deal to our understanding of the human experience.
Services
If you have an assemblage of perishable artifacts (or even an individual object) we invite you to contact us with inquiries about identification and analysis. We have hands-on experience with perishable assemblages from around the world, including carbonized remains and fiber-based artifact impressions, and are always eager to learn new things. Additionally, we have at our disposal an extensive personal resource library. In the event that you require full-scale analysis and documentation we can discuss appropriate methodologies, conservation protocol, and provide you with relevant bibliographies.
The Analysts
Both Edward and Ruth received their B.A.s in anthropology from Mercyhurst College in May 2001. While at Mercyhurst they were trained in perishables analysis by Dr. J. M. Adovasio and obtained invaluable experience working in Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute's R. L. Andrews Center for Perishables Analysis. In May 2004 they both received their M.A.s in anthropology from the University of Nevada, Reno under Dr. Catherine S. Fowler. Currently, they are Ph.D. students in anthropology at the University of New Mexico. Edward is concentrating on archaeology while Ruth is focusing on ethnology.
Edward A. Jolie got his start in archaeology at the age of 12 while volunteering at local historic and prehistoric archaeological sites through Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum. His interest in perishables stems from undergraduate research on an Oglala Lakota coiled gambling basket that has been passed down through his family. He is French/Oglala Lakota/Hodulgee Muscogee and an enrolled citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma. His research interests are broad, including perishable technologies world-wide, anthropological ethics, Native American-Anthropologist relations, social archaeology, prehistoric population movements, cultural transmission and social learning, and the application of hi-tech methods to archaeological research questions.
View Edward A. Jolie's CV
Ruth Burgett Jolie is originally from northwestern Pennsylvania. Currently working at UNM's Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, she is interested in continuing her museum studies while pursuing advanced education in cultural anthropology. Her interests are varied and include anthropology in public education, replicative textile weaving, and the textiles of Anatolia, Scandinavia, and the Southwestern United States. Additionally, she enjoys gender studies and medieval history, interests she is combining in a project, with Dr. G. Richard Scott, on Greenlandic dental modification resulting from textile production.
View Ruth Burgett Jolie's CV