Anthropology student learns Mixtec to conn Cheri Price is determined to put the “human” back into the study of archaeology. Price earned her Master’s in anthropology at UWM in 2016 and is now working toward her PhD. She’s taking an interesting approach to her research in ethnoarchaeology – the study of people and cultures through their material artifacts. To understand how ancient indigenous cultures in Mexico crafted their tools, pots, and other implements, she wants to talk to their modern-day descendants to see what traditions have survived through the years. To do that, Price is determined to learn Mixtec, the language of many of Mexico’s indigenous people. With support from a Foreign Language and
How did you become interested in ethnoarchaeology? It was a little out of necessity. It is extremely difficult to get permissions to do excavations in Mexico. Since I am interested in the traditional crafts down in Mexico, ethnoarchaeology is a way for me to still be able to conduct some type of field work by looking at collections perhaps in museums. Ethnoarchaeology is a way for me to still do the field work and answer some of those archaeological questions by speaking with current artisans who are doing, for example, ceramics, and asking them questions like, why do you do that, where do you get your clay, and what do you have to do to your clay? You’ve traveled to Mexico several times to talk to artisans, in fact.
As a Master’s student at UWM, my thesis dealt with some ceramics that my professor did have from the Area Studies fellowship Valley of Oaxaca. The big thought, granted by UWM’s Center UWM anthropology PhD student Cheri Price (middle) stands with her Mixtec teacher and it hadn’t been 100 percent for Latin American and proven, was that the clay in Oaxaca and her classmate Alex Villegas, a graduate student from the University of New Caribbean Studies, she’s doesn’t require something called Mexico. The trio visited city hall/community museum complex in the village of trying to connect the past ‘temper.’ A lot of cultures had to add Tilantongo in Oaxaca, Mexico. The background shows what are called codices, the and the present with a something like sand or a different written history of the Mixtec people. Photo courtesy of Cheri Price. human touch. type of clay, some kind of binder or temper, that will help you work with it. In Oaxaca, it’s the She recently sat down to talk about her research. opposite; you have to take things out to be able to work the What drew you to archaeology? clay. When I was little, my Papa showed me this book by Reader’s Digest – something like, “World’s Greatest Mysteries.” On the front of it was the Aztec calendar. I was flipping through and thinking it was so neat, all of these really old things. (Papa) explained some people do this thing called ‘archaeology’ and they are, in a way, a keeper of history and the past, bringing things to the front that people have forgotten about or haven’t seen. The dirty, quick definition of anthropology is ‘the study of man’ or the ‘study of people.’ There are so many facets and complexities, and it’s great to pull all of those into my studies. 8 • IN FOCUS • February, 2021
When I had the opportunity to learn the Mixtec language, the family I was staying with in Mexico mentioned that one of their coworkers lived in a town that was known for pottery. One of the woman’s (relatives) was still doing the ceramics by hand. I got to go and just talk to her, and she answered my questions. She said they did have to take stuff out (of the clay). It was my thesis proved! You’ve tried very hard to include actual people in the course of your research. What draws you to this method? There’s something called archaeological ceramic petrography. When we find a little sherd (of ceramic), there is a way to shave a really thin section and put it under a microscope. I did work with that for my Master’s thesis, and
