Plains Anthropological Society

Plains Anthropological Society
Name	Plains Anthropological Society
Formed	1930s
Type	Scholarly society
Headquarters	Lincoln, Nebraska
Region served	Great Plains
Fields	Anthropology, Archaeology, Ethnohistory

Plains Anthropological Society is a regional scholarly society for professionals and avocationalists working on the North American Great Plains, associated with archaeological, ethnographic, and ethnohistoric research. The society has historical ties to universities, museums, and federal agencies across the United States and Canada and interacts with organizations that include state historical societies, the Smithsonian Institution, and national funding bodies. Its activities connect communities such as the Oglala Lakota, Cheyenne River Sioux, and Pawnee with academic centers like the University of Nebraska, University of Kansas, and University of Oklahoma.

History

The origins of the organization trace to interwar collaborations among scholars at institutions such as the University of Nebraska, University of Kansas, University of Oklahoma, University of South Dakota, and University of Wyoming and federal entities like the Smithsonian Institution and Bureau of American Ethnology. Early figures had professional relationships with museums including the American Museum of Natural History, Field Museum of Natural History, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, and Thomas Jefferson Building collections at the Library of Congress. During World War II and the postwar period, members worked on projects linked to the National Park Service, Works Progress Administration, and Bureau of Land Management. Influential anthropologists and archaeologists whose careers intersected with the society collaborated with colleagues at Harvard University, Columbia University, University of Chicago, Yale University, and University of California, Berkeley. The Cold War era saw members participating in interdisciplinary initiatives with institutions such as the National Science Foundation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and American Philosophical Society. Regional archaeological traditions studied by members include descriptions related to the Plains Village Tradition, Archaic period assemblages, and sites comparable to those at Crow Hollow, Ocmulgee, and Cahokia. Later decades brought partnerships with Canadian universities like the University of Calgary and University of Saskatchewan, and cultural resource management firms that interfaced with the National Historic Preservation Act and State Historic Preservation Offices.

Mission and Activities

The society promotes collaboration among researchers affiliated with universities including Arizona State University, University of Arizona, Texas A&M University, Kansas State University, and Colorado State University, and museums such as the Royal Ontario Museum and Manitoba Museum. It supports outreach with tribal governments including the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and Blackfeet Nation, and repositories like the National Anthropological Archives and Heard Museum. Activities reflect interests in heritage management tied to laws and programs at the National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, National Endowment for the Humanities, and National Science Foundation. The society organizes field surveys, public lectures, and educational efforts involving institutions like the Nebraska State Historical Society, Oklahoma Historical Society, Kansas Historical Society, and Montana Historical Society.

Publications

The society publishes a peer-reviewed journal that appears alongside monograph series similar in scope to publications from the Society for American Archaeology, American Anthropological Association, Plains Anthropologist, and Journal of Anthropological Research. Contributors have included scholars from Brown University, Rutgers University, Washington University in St. Louis, Indiana University, University of Minnesota, and University of Wisconsin–Madison. The journal has featured articles on lithic analysis, ceramic typology, and paleoenvironmental reconstruction that reference methods developed at the Smithsonian Institution, Peabody Museum, and Geological Survey institutions such as the United States Geological Survey and Geological Survey of Canada. Special issues have showcased work connected to projects at Mesa Verde National Park, Badlands National Park, Beringia research, and paleoindian assemblages akin to Folsom and Clovis investigations.

Conferences and Meetings

Annual and regional meetings bring together members from institutions including the American Anthropological Association, Society for Historical Archaeology, Archaeological Institute of America, and Organization of American Historians. Meetings often rotate among campuses such as the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, University of Oklahoma, University of Kansas, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and North Dakota State University, and are sometimes co-located with symposia at the Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, and Field Museum. Panels have featured speakers associated with the National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Wenner-Gren Foundation, and MacArthur Foundation, and collaborations with state museums like the Nebraska State Museum and Kansas Museum of History.

Membership and Organization

Membership includes faculty and students from universities such as the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Purdue University, Ohio State University, and Pennsylvania State University, curators from institutions like the Cincinnati Museum Center, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and personal members from tribes including the Sioux Nation, Cheyenne Nation, and Arikara. The society’s governance has involved officers who have professional affiliations with the American Museum of Natural History, Peabody Museum, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and State Historic Preservation Offices. Student chapters and affiliated groups have ties with organizations like the Society for American Archaeology Student Affairs Committee and local archaeological societies.

Research and Collaborations

Research priorities encompass projects tied to the Great Plains, the Missouri River corridor, Platte River basin, and sites comparable to Chief Looking's Village, Medicine Creek, and Knife River Village. Collaborative efforts have involved the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Kansas, University of Oklahoma, Smithsonian Institution, Canadian Museum of History, and provincial heritage agencies. Grants and cooperative agreements have been secured from entities including the National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Wenner-Gren Foundation, Social Science Research Council, and Institute of Museum and Library Services. Multidisciplinary teams often include specialists from the United States Geological Survey, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and state archaeological survey offices.

Awards and Recognition

The society recognizes excellence through awards that parallel honors from the American Anthropological Association, Society for American Archaeology, National Park Service, and state historical societies. Recipients have included scholars affiliated with Harvard University, Yale University, University of Chicago, University of California, Los Angeles, and University of Texas at Austin, and curators from the Field Museum, Peabody Museum, and Royal Ontario Museum. Honorary lectures and lifetime achievement citations highlight contributions to Plains archaeology, ethnohistory, and museum curation, and sometimes coincide with recognition from the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Science Foundation, and MacArthur Foundation.

Category:Archaeological organizations