Instructor: Lisa Young, Anthropology, LSA
Partner: Susan Secakuku, Hopi Tribe, Arizona
Term: Fall 2014, Fall 2015
During the Fall 2014 semester, Anthrarc 497 students conducted research and developed a digital archive on agricultural seeds collected in 1935 from the Hopi Reservation – currently housed in the University of Michigan, Museum of Anthropological Archaeology (UMMAA). Although there is a growing interest by Hopi people in learning about and preserving their knowledge of traditional agriculture, few community members know about this collection. The development of collaborative relationships between museums with anthropological collections and the “source communities” from which objects were collected, has transformed museum practice during the past two decades. By sharing information, both museums and source communities can gain a richer understanding of the objects. The Anthrarc 497 course project has two components that will utilize videoconferencing to provide experiential learning opportunities for students and share information with Hopi community members: 1. Discussions about Hopi culture and agriculture with members of the community, including two guest speakers: Susan Secakuku and Micah Loma’omvaya, 2. Discussions about the museum collection between student teams and members of Hopi community.