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Papers by Medeia Csoba DeHass

Journal of Western Archives, 2021

Full access to article: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/westernarchives/vol12/iss2/4/

2018 Arctic Yearbook, 2018

We examine theoretical and practical applications of 3D technology in digital and physical preser... more We examine theoretical and practical applications of 3D technology in digital and physical preservation of Arctic and Subarctic Indigenous cultural heritage. A lasting legacy of colonialism in the Circumpolar North is the disconnect between local communities and their material heritage housed at memory institutions around the world. While collection methods varied, collecting activity was entrenched in colonial power relations expressed in the “researcher and the researched” paradigm. With diminished access to their material culture, loss of traditional knowledge ensued, which affected both local communities and global discourse. While postcolonial engagements have been exploring avenues for returning collections knowledge to origin communities, geopolitical realities of the Arctic have limited these efforts. The expenses of long-distance Arctic travel and the decentralized nature of communities, the lack of Indigenous-run museums, and the fact that Indigenous belongings are widely dispersed make it challenging to develop lasting and comprehensive approaches. Many museum objects remain unidentified or misinterpreted due to disengagement between Indigenous communities and ancestral possessions. Recent developments in 3D technologies can re-establish origin and descendant community access to collections, develop community-engaged collaborations and offer decolonizing approaches to collection management, acquisition, and engagement practices. Digital 3D models and physical replicas offer alternative modes of access and opportunities for Arctic and Subarctic communities. Rapid development of digitization and replication technologies reveals a potential for empowering community heritage restoration and perpetuation as well as strengthen abilities of distant stewardship institutions to improve access, improve community collaborations and enhance their capacity for cultural preservation.

Museum Anthropology Review, 2018

Digital repatriation is one aspect of heritage preservation work that has been increasingly gaini... more Digital repatriation is one aspect of heritage preservation work that has been increasingly gaining popularity due to its effectiveness in assisting Indigenous communities in connecting with museum collections located at various institutions around the world. It is not simply an alternative for physical repatriation; rather, the two can be used in conjunction, particularly with the incorporation of 3D technology. While digital repatriation can provide new opportunities, it is also a contested concept (Boast and Enote 2013) that is still in the process of shaping future collaborative practices while being shaped by ongoing projects and their outcomes. In this paper, we explore how this technology, structure from motion (SFM) 3D modeling and scanning, provides innovative methods that are especially well suited for successfully contributing to a wide array of heritage preservation objectives. Three-dimensional technology is effective in providing alternative ways to connect with collection pieces and providing origin communities access to museum collections. It can alleviate concerns of chemical exposure from contamination, concerns for the fragility of items, the expense of insurance and transportation, or the need to remove pieces from origin communities. As artifacts transform in the repatriation process by gaining new life and meaning when they enter the contemporary reality of the origin community, the use of 3D technology, as part of this collaboration, can assist Indigenous communities in fulfilling their own visions of heritage preservation.

In the past decade, digital media have been increasingly employed in museums in a variety of ways... more In the past decade, digital media have been increasingly employed in museums in a variety of ways. This practice capitalized on the new medium’s effectiveness in connecting a variety of stakeholders across multiple key issues. Projects representing Indigenous communities are not an exception to this trend. This special issue critically reflects on the politics of representation in the process of reframing culturally specific concepts in a digital environment. In addition to discussing potential benefits of digital media to working with Indigenous communities, papers in the special issue also carefully weigh the benefits and shortcomings virtual environments may bring to digital collaborations with Indigenous communities.

This catalog is the result of the Lower Kenai Peninsula Sugpiaq Material Culture and Heritage Pre... more This catalog is the result of the Lower Kenai Peninsula Sugpiaq Material Culture and Heritage Preservation Project funded by Museums Alaska. It contains over 3,200 items from the Pratt
Museum’s cultural collections. While each of these items is related to the Sugpiaq history of the region, they vary greatly in their age, type, and significance for Sugpiaq people.

Arctic Anthropology, Jan 1, 2012

“Aleut,” “Alutiiq,” “Sugpiaq,” “Russian,” “Pacific Eskimo,” “Unegkuhmiut,” and “Chugach Eskimo” a... more “Aleut,” “Alutiiq,” “Sugpiaq,” “Russian,” “Pacific Eskimo,” “Unegkuhmiut,” and “Chugach Eskimo” are all different names that have been used to identify the group of Native people living on the Lower Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. While most of these ethnonyms are partially based on particular characteristics, they also carry specific social-political agendas that are embedded in the names themselves. Names are a powerful medium in communicating meaning about historical context and the actors who move within specific historical events. In this paper I draw on historical and ethnographic information to shed light on the different nomenclature used in the past, as well as currently in this region. By organizing names into a schema through an historical overview, I highlight the significance of the relationship between historical legacies and contemporary articulations of ethnonyms. Furthermore, after exploring the origins of ethnonyms and analyzing the different implications that are closely associated with them, the paper concludes with a better approach for understanding agency in the politics of ethnic identity construction.

Abstract Aleut baseball is a popular game played by the Sugpiat of Nanwalek and Port Graham on t... more Abstract

Aleut baseball is a popular game played by the Sugpiat of Nanwalek and Port Graham on the lower Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. Despite its resemblance to American baseball and Russian lapta, Aleut baseball should be considered a Sugpiaq cultural novelty. Ranging from recreational to competitive, the game is a communal occasion, which often brings together Sugpiaq villages and communities. This article presents some of the profound elements that make Aleut baseball expressive of Sugpiaq culture, and a channel for renegotiating and re-energising established norms and values. Furthermore, looking at Aleut baseball through Victor Turner’s concept of play, the authors argue that sports and games provide immense opportunities for cultural innovation and experimentation, as well as for strengthening of group identity. Finally, the article explores the capacity of sports and games to link global perceptions with local realities.

Résumé

Le baseball aléoute : création et innovation culturelle à partir d'un évènement sportif

Le baseball aléoute est un sport populaire pratiqué par les Sugpiat de Nanwalek et de Port Graham, à l’extrémité de la péninsule de Kenai en Alaska. Bien qu’il présente quelques ressemblances avec le baseball américain et le lapta russe, le baseball aléoute doit être considéré comme une innovation culturelle sugpiaq. Ce jeu, que l’on pratique pour le plaisir ou pour la compétition, est l’occasion d’évènements communautaires qui rassemblent souvent les villages et les communautés sugpiaq. Cet article expose quelques-uns des éléments fondamentaux qui font du baseball aléoute un véhicule d’expression de la culture sugpiaq, et un canal de renégociation et de revitalisation des normes et des valeurs établies. De plus, en examinant le baseball aléoute sous l’angle du concept du jeu de Victor Turner, les auteurs avancent que les sports et les jeux procurent à l’innovation et à l’expérimentation culturelle d’immenses opportunités, en plus de renforcer l’identité du groupe. Enfin, cet article explore la capacité des sports et des jeux à lier les perceptions globales aux réalités locales.

This article explores the motivation behind incorporating Russian Orthodoxy into the Sugpiat cult... more This article explores the motivation behind incorporating Russian Orthodoxy into the Sugpiat cultural repertoire in the village of Nanwalek, located on the southern coast of Alaska. The Sugpiaq people living in the Lower Kenai villages were exposed to missionary activity early on in the Russian colonial period. Ever since then the village of Nanwalek has devotedly followed the Orthodox faith and resisted any other denomination’s missionizing attempts. The reasons that made Orthodoxy highly desirable for the Sugpiat of this area include constant remembrance of the deceased, highly stratified church organization, and sensitivity towards local lifestyles. An additional aspect of the Orthodox tradition that grasped people’s attention and fulfills a fundamental need is the concept of protection. How protection is employed and interpreted in the local context provides insight to the process of negotiating religious identities in a post-colonial context. (Alaska Native, Sugpiaq, Russian Orthodoxy, religious synthesis)

Book Reviews by Medeia Csoba DeHass

Alutiiq villages under Russian and U.S. rule, by Sonja Luehrmann, Fairbanks, University of Alaska... more Alutiiq villages under Russian and U.S. rule, by Sonja Luehrmann, Fairbanks, University of Alaska Press, 2008, 204 pp., US$45.00 (hardback), ISBN-13 978-1-60223-010-1