Heritage, Volume 11, Number 4, Fall 1993 Page: 23
26 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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toward understanding ceramics in a cultural
context. A wide range of topics and geographical
areas are covered in this volume.
The introductory paper by William
Longacre provides a very brief history of
ceramic ethnoarchaeological studies.
Chapter two by Sander E. van der Leeuw
presents a model of a holistic approach to
ceramic studies designed to focus on the
integration of subsystems within a given
ceramic technology. Margaret Harden
(chapter three) tracks the evolution of the
"grammar" of Zuni ceramic designs using
photographs of 19th century vessels and
interviews with modern Zuni potters. Ian
Hodder examines the social context of
decoration through looking at engraved
calabashes used today in the Baringo District
of Kenya.
William Longacre's chapter tests some
of the ideas that he first explored with his
1964 paper on the sources of patterned
variation in ceramic style and technology
at Carter Ranch Pueblo. Using data gathered
from a long-term research project in
the Philippines, Longacre observes that
decorative and to an extent morphological
variability is under the control of the
learning experience of the potter, so that it
could be possible to identify the production
of local social groups. However, additional
complexity is introduced into household
ceramic inventories through gift giving and
exchange. Also using data collected during
the same project as Longacre's, Michael
Graves examines household ceramic inventories
and finds evidence for extensive
regional exchange occurring at the household
level. Warren DeBoer's contribution
focuses on the cultural expression of
decoration. In examining the styles and
contexts of decoration in two Peruvian
societies he finds that the use of design can
be pervasive, with similar motifs occurring
across a group's material culture, or partitive
where different designs occur in different
social contexts. DeBoer tries to apply
these ideas to an excavated ceramic
sample. Ben Nelson's paper addresses vessel
use-life and the frequency of occurrence of
different functional classes of vessels among
the Highland Maya. He finds that most of
the observed differences in households relate
to regional culinary practices and associated
food-processing technology. Using
data again from the Philippines, GloriaLondon examines the formal and technological
variation and finds that it is under
the control of social interaction between
potters, market demands, and manufacturing techniques. Problems with the recognition
of an "analytical individual" can
occur due to more than one individual
working on the same vessel. Carol Kramer
looks at the production and distribution of
potters in two large cities in Rajasthan,
India. The social roles of potters and vendors
and the markets that different types of
vessels are made for are surveyed. The final
paper by Raymond Thompson is of a more
theoretical nature and uses flowcharts to
examine the linkages between material
culture in archaeological and ethnographic
contexts. The bibliography contains not
only the references cited, but also was designed
as a comprehensive bibliography of
ceramic ethnoarchaeological studies.
This volume has much to recommend
it. Sander E. van der Leeuw's paper, while
it at first appears like a cross between postprocessual
archaeology and pop psychology,
shows us that ceramics need to be
viewed in a greater social context than as
individual vessels or potsherds. The papers
by Hardin, Longacre, Graves, London, and
Nelson present ideas that could be tested
on archaeological ceramic assemblages.
Unfortunately, the one paper (DeBoer's)
that tries to apply observations derived
from ethnographic research to archaeological
materials fails due to the small sample
size and poor chronological control. The
bibliography is a good research tool and
worth having.
The Bats of Texas
David J]. Schmidly, Texas A&M University
Press, College Station.
Review by Joaquin Arroyo-Cabrales, a paleontologist
with the Laboratorio de Paleozoologia
Subdireccion de Servicios Academicos Instituto
Nacional de Antropologia e Historia.
This is one of the most recent books
about one of the most diverse orders of
mammals, the bats (Order Chiroptera), in
one of the largest states of the United
States. As the author mentions, the ultimate
aim of this book is to stimulate interest
and provide better understanding about
these often maligned mammals and tofirst includes a brief introduction to the
knowledge of bats: general characteristics,
distribution, classification, biology, evolution,
and life cycle, as well as information
regarding beneficial effects, public health,
and bat conservation.
Included are two keys for the identification
of Texas bats, one using external
characters, and the other using skull
characteristics. Both are clear and welldeveloped,
and are splendidly illustrated
with color pictures, and drawings by
Christine Stetter. These keys will be
very useful for anybody trying to identify
bats.
The largest portion of the book is dedicated
to the accounts of every species
known from Texas, which constitute the
largest total number of families occurring
in the United States, being the most diverse
bat fauna in the country. In each
account, it includes description, distribution,
subspecies, life cycle, specimens, additional
records, and references. Besides,
there is a black and white picture of every
bat, taken by recognized naturalists such as
Merlin Tuttle.
The last part of the book consists of
extensive literature and references, split
into three sections, including general words
on bats, available species monographs, and
papers dealing specifically with Texas bats.
This chapter will be of great use as a primary
source for bat researchers and wildlife
managers. In reality, the book is designed
to be useful for both the general public and
the academic scholar.A__~~~~~~
promote greater appreciation of their role
in our biological communities and of the
need to conserve them.
The book is divided into four parts. TheHERITAGE * FALL 1993 23
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Texas Historical Foundation. Heritage, Volume 11, Number 4, Fall 1993, periodical, Autumn 1993; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45417/m1/23/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.