An internationally known archaeologist and celebrated storyteller will share his knowledge of the ancient people and pottery of the southwestern United States and the Philippines during a Jan. 25 free public lecture and slide presentation at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
William Longacre, who was honored by the American Anthropological Association as the Distinguished Archaeologist of 2001, will make his presentation at 4 p.m. in room 270 of the Hale Science Building. He is the 2003 CU-Boulder Department of Anthropology Distinguished Archaeologist.
"Longacre is an excellent public speaker and storyteller," said Steve Lekson, curator of anthropology at the CU Museum of Natural History, "and those interested in archaeology, pottery, traditional arts, the Philippines and the U.S. southwest will really enjoy his presentation."
Longacre is a distinguished professor of anthropology at the University of Arizona, where he's taught since 1964. He's been a visiting professor at the University of Philippines since 1975. He conducted research in the U.S. southwest from 1958 to 1983, and for 20 years served as director of the noted University of Arizona field school at Grasshopper, Ariz.
In 1973 he pioneered the field of ethnoarchaeology, which gleans archaeological insights from traditional living people, when he began working with Kalinga potters in the Philippines. The Kalinga people now live in the mountains of Luzon Island in the Philippines.
In 1992, Longacre expanded his research to the potters of southwestern China. A number of his publications - he's written more than 80 books and articles primarily about pottery and the Kalinga - have been translated into Chinese.
Pottery is the common thread between the United States' ancient southwest and the Kalinga people, according to Longacre, and the intriguing results of his ongoing "Kalinga Ethnoarchaeological Project" will be illustrated in his presentation.
"Attendees will learn about traditional pottery making in the Philippines today, and what insights from Kalinga potters tell us about the archaeology of ancient times," Lekson said.
Each year, the CU-Boulder anthropology department brings an internationally recognized archaeologist to Boulder as its Distinguished Archaeologist. For more information about the department visit .