Gender

A distinct difference in burials seems to always be noticeable in regards to gender, and if grave goods and possessions are not indicative enough, we have the skeletal analysis to determine the sex. I was hoping to find a case study where this is not the case, and found an example here in B.C. 

home sweet home

Meghan Burchell did a comprehensive analysis of 1130 burials on the coast of British Columbia and found no differences between the male and female grave goods. Burchell admits in her introduction that while there were a lack of grave goods and the shell midden burials were not preserved well, gender distinction was “difficult but not impossible” (p.251) and she also challenges prior notions of status in Northwest Coast burials. She argues that the status of an individual within a burial site should not be concluded simply from grave goods, or lack thereof. Burchell did discover that although the amount of grave goods did not differ between males and females, the variation of grave goods was higher for the female burials.

shell midden

Although some of the absolute words used in Burchell's analysis made me a bit wary, I really liked the way this study was done and reported. She challenged existing notions about the area in regards to gender and managed to prove her point effectively. There were also several critiques included with opposing viewpoints, and although feminists were mentioned, it was clear in her paper she remained neutral and objective.

I am only in my first year at UVic, and studies like this, are what make me want to do more in anthropology. Not only was this a somewhat recent study, but it was done in this province and challenged long-standing traditions. 

Reference

Burchell, M. (2006). Gender, Grave Goods and Status in British Columbia Burials. Canadian Journal of Archaeology, Vol.30(2), p.251-266. Retrieved March 8, 2011 from EBSCOhost