WINTER 2023 - 2024
PEABODY LESSON BOOKLET
A MESSAGE FROM THE PEABODY The Peabody Institute building is undergoing much-needed renewal work. This will improve the building conditions for humans and for our significant collections. Unfortunately, the building and the collection will be off-line this Winter term. We are offering a limited selection of lessons that can be taught in your classroom. Lessons that require larger spaces and collections will not be available. We apologize for the inconvenience! Please let us know how we can be most helpful to you and your students during this transitional period. We will provide updates throughout the school year. If you have any questions or education inquiries, please contact Peabody Director, Dr. Ryan Wheeler at: rwheeler@andover.edu
PEABODY LESSONS TARPS Using a mock excavation of a local archaeological site, one that highlights Andover’s historical status as a Native American trading center, students will rotate throughout the various excavation units examining the material culture to determine what activity was taking place as well as what type of a settlement it was.
TRASH TALKS The unusable or unwanted remnants of everyday life end up in the garbage. By studying what people have thrown away, archaeologists can learn a great deal about a culture. This is true not only of prehistoric individuals and societies who left no written record about their lives, but people living today.
PEABODY LESSONS HOMININ CRANIAL EVOLUTION Can you tell the difference between the skulls of an ape, Neanderthal, and Homo sapiens? This interactive lab gives students the opportunity to explore, handle, compare, and contrast 14 skull casts from apes and hominids spanning the famous, 3.2-million-year-old “Lucy” to modern humans. Students learn about cranial capacity, the evolution of the human body and brain, sexual dimorphism, and which features of each skull are unique to its particular species.
BETWEEN GENOCIDE AND ASSIMILATION: U.S. INDIGENOUS RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS In 2021, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced a Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, to be a comprehensive review of the troubled history and legacy of Indigenous boarding schools in the United States. This lesson explores the history of Indigenous boarding and residential schools in Canada and the US, with a writing activity focused on exploration of “before and after” photographs, student files, and other materials related to Tom Torlino, a Diné student who attended Carlisle Indian Industrial School in the 1880s. Students will investigate the origins of the boarding schools, intent on assimilation of Native American youth and the eradication of Indigenous culture, language, and lifeways, as well as the resistance and resilience of those who attended the schools.
PEABODY LESSONS NATIVE AMERICAN GRAVES PROTECTION & REPATRIATION ACT (NAGPRA) The passage of the Native American Graves Protection & Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) in 1990 marked a turning point for archaeologists, museums, and Native peoples. The law requires museums to consult with appropriate tribes and repatriate ancestral remains, funerary objects, and other sacred objects. Specific examples, often involving the Peabody, will be discussed. Students in History 300 will discover how modern Native peoples are working to undo colonial practices and heal the considerable wounds caused by loss of ancestral remains and sacred objects. Students should read NAGPRA Comics: Journeys to Complete the Work online before visiting the Peabody: https://nagpracomics.weebly.com/the-comics.html
THE ATLATL: AN ANCIENT HUNTING AND WARFARE DEVICE The atlatl, a device for throwing long, slender darts, was one of the most important technological inventions of Ice Age people. Used across the globe, it was the primary weapon employed for hunting and warfare in the Americas until it was replaced by the bow and arrow. Because it acts as a handheld catapult, an atlatl greatly magnifies the force with which one can propel a dart for hunting. In this lesson, students use modern atlatls in a safe and controlled environment, practicing both longdistance throwing and accuracy.
PEABODY LESSONS MAYA CODEX The ancient Maya were a complex society who had advanced knowledge of mathematics, calendrics, astronomy, and engineering. Their understanding of the world rivaled that of contemporary civilizations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe. In this lesson, students engage in a variety of activities to understand the complexity of the Maya by learning how to write their name, calculate their birthday, solve math problems, and so much more!
PUEBLO REVOLT In 1680, Ohkay Owingeh leader Po’Pay united people from diverse Pueblo communities and led a bloody revolt to drive the Spanish colonizers from New Mexico. This lesson explores the history and archaeology of the Pueblo Revolt through artifacts from the Peabody Institute and concepts likeacculturation, assimilation, syncretism, and catachresis. The lesson emphasizes that Pueblo people have survived Spanish and American colonization and thrive today in their ancient homeland.
PEABODY LESSONS THE TAINO: THE PEOPLE WHO DISCOVERED COLUMBUS The Taíno are an Indigenous group in the Caribbean, historically situated in Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and neighboring islands. Today’s Taíno people have preserved their language, foodways, and traditional practices, with groups in Puerto Rico and parts of the continental United States. When Columbus landed in Hispaniola the Taíno population was perhaps in the millions and early records estimate that 85 percent of the population had been lost within a few decades. Archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians still debate the existence of modern Taíno, despite DNA evidence and the persistence of cultural patterns. This lesson introduces students to Taíno history, language, and archaeology, including hands on time with the Peabody’s collection of Taíno material culture.
Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology 175 Main Street Andover, MA 01810 978-749-4490 https://www.andover.edu/learning/peabody @peabodyandover If you have any questions or education inquiries, please contact Peabody Director, Dr. Ryan Wheeler at: rwheeler@andover.edu