Welcome to
The Department of Anthropology
- Department of Anthropology Staff, 1904, Smithsonian Institution Archives, NAA-42012
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Department of Anthropology Staff, 2007 Photo by Chip Clark |
New to Website:
Recovering Voices brings together communities, individuals, and academics to document and revitalize endangered languages and knowledges around the world. Individual research and collaborative projects allow endangered language and knowledge practitioners and teachers access to the Smithsonian’s vast collections and archives as resources for the protection, understanding, and documentation of important cultural and linguistic heritages.
- Department of Anthropology, Aleut gutskin cape, E2128-0a
Six Smithsonian anthropologists relate the fascinating stories of how the Smithsonian came into possession of important, early collections from around the world and their value for research and local communities to this day.
The collections of the Department of Anthropology are an unparalleled resource containing historical and contemporary materials that document the world’s cultures and the history of anthropology.
Accessing Anthropology: The Collections and Archives Program at the Department of Anthropology showcases a few of these collections and provides information on how to access millions of other items through online databases.The portal also includes a section on the Anchorage Loan Conservation Project.
New to Website:
- Jorge Prelorán Collection, Human Studies Film Archives
fifty films, hundreds of audio recordings, extensive production and correspondence files, and thirty-six digital books on subjects including religion, folklife, art, culture change, and natural history of Argentina and Latin America. The web exhibit will introduce Prelorán's career and philosophy, provide access to further research in the collection, and offer complete films for viewing on a rotating basis.
Smithsonian Secretary's Exhibition Award:
The Secretary’s Exhibition Award went to Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th Century, (February 2009--January 2013), co-curated by physical anthropologists Doug Owsley, curator of physical anthropology, and Kari Bruwelheide in the Smithsonian’s Department of Anthropology.
Smithsonian Secretary's Distinguished Research Lecture Award:
Dr. Adrienne L. Kaeppler, Curator of Oceanic Ethnology at the National Museum of Natural History, has been selected to receive the 2010 Secretary’s Distinguished Research Lecture Award. She will deliver her lecture, “The Holophusicon and The Smithsonian: Two Extraordinary Institutions of Science, Curiosity, and Art,” on January 12, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. in Baird Auditorium at the Natural History Museum.
The Distinguished Research Lecture Award recognizes a scholar’s sustained achievement in research, longstanding investment in the Smithsonian, and outstanding contribution to a field, as well as his or her ability to communicate research to a non-specialist audience.
Want to know more about Anthropology at the
National Museum of Natural History?
Sign up for E-News for announcements about upcoming anthropology exhibits, departmental events, and staff publications.
Anthropolog, the department's quarterly newsletter, reports on the activities of our research, collections, and outreach programs and staff. Past issues can be viewed online.
January 15th, 2012
2012 Smithsonian Institution Research Fellowships
Research fellowships in Anthropology are available through the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program, which provides funding for graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and senior investigators to conduct research in association with Smithsonian scientists. Candidates are especially encouraged to apply for the new multi-year Peter Buck Fellowships. Fellows based at NMNH have access to a research staff of more than 100 scholars, world-class collections, and modern core facilities including molecular laboratories, computer clusters, SEM, and stable isotope labs.
All applicants should contact potential staff advisors to determine the feasibility of the proposed research and tenure dates, as well as the availability of relevant collections and other resources. Potential staff advisors and information about their work is available here.
Proposal deadline is January 15, 2012. Fellowship durations range from three months to three years depending on fellowship category. The stipend for Predoctoral Fellows is $30,000 per year (twelve months) and for Postdoctoral and Senior Fellows is $45,000 per year (twelve months). A maximum research allowance of $4,000 per year is available. Ten-week Graduate Student Fellowships are also available with a stipend of $6,500. Fellowships are open to citizens of any country. For more information, and to apply online, click here.
Recent Publications:
Living Our Cultures, Sharing Our Heritage: The First Peoples of Alaska is an exhibition catalog with essays and photography that provide an in-depth view of Alaska Native cultural heritage.
AnthroNotes, A National Museum of Natural History Publication for Educators
The expanded Spring 2010 issue focuses entirely on human origins in commemoration of the new The Daivd H. Koch Hall of Human Origins. Harper Collins is offering a 50% discount on the AnthroNotes compendium (see page 23).
Sign up for the electronic version.
Recent Exhibitions:
NEW! web portal:
Accessing Anthropology: The Collections and Archives Program at the Department of Anthropology.
web exhibition:
A Million Feet of Film / A Lifetime of Friendship: the John Marshall Ju/'hoan Bushman Fim and Video Collection 1950-2000.
Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th Century Chesapeake is an exploration of the human skeleton, revealing what forensic scientists can learn about a person’s age, ancestry, sex, and cause of death by examining the bones. Colonists of Jamestown, Virginia, and St. Mary’s City, Maryland, are the focus of a special forensic investigation.
Project Archaeology at the Smithsonian offers summer workshops and online professional development opportunities to teachers and informal educators who wish to incorporate archaeology into their curriculum or program. To read more about the Chesapeake regional Project Archaeology program, sponsored by the Department of Anthropology, click here.
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