Sacred Sites, Sacred Places / Edition 1

by David L. Carmichael, Jane Hubert, Brian Reeves, Audhild Schanche

Overview

Sacred Sites, Sacred Places explores the concept of 'sacred' and what it means and implies to people in differing cultures. It looks at why people regard some parts of the land as special and why this ascription remains constant in some cultures and changes in others.
Archaeologists, legislators and those involved in heritage management sometimes encounter conflict with local populations over sacred sites. With the aid of over 70 illustrations the book examines the extreme importance of such sacred places in all cultures and the necessity of accommodating those intimate beliefs which are such a vital part of ongoing cultural identity. Sacred Sites, Sacred Places therefore will be of help to those who wish to be non-destructive in their conservation and excavation practices.
This book is unique in attempting to describe the belief systems surrounding the existence of sacred sites, and at the same time bringing such beliefs and practices into relationship with the practical problems of everyday heritage management. The geographical coverage of the book is exceptionally wide and its variety of contributors, including indigenous peoples, archaeologists and heritage professionals, is unrivalled in any other publication.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415096034
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/16/1994
Series:	One World Archaeology , #23
Pages:	324
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

David Carmichael is Assistant Professor in Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Texas at El Paso; Jane Hubert, a social anthropologist, is Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry of Disability at St. George's Hospital Medical School, London; Brian Reeves is Professor Emeritus at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Audhild Schanche is Director of the Council of Saami Cultural Heritage, Norway.

Table of Contents

Introduction, David Carmichael, Jane Hubert, Brian Reeves; Chapter 1 Sacred beliefs and beliefs of sacredness, Jane Hubert; Chapter 2 Wintu sacred geography of northern California, Dorothea J. Theodoratus, Frank Lapena; Chapter 3 Sacred and secular neolithic landscapes in Ireland, Gabriel Cooney; Chapter 4 Sacred space in the culture of the Arctic regions, O. V. Ovsyannikov, N. M. Terebikhin, Katharine Judelson; Chapter 5 Sacred sites in Madagascar, Chantal Radimilahy; Chapter 6 Places of power, David L. Carmichael; Chapter 7 Sacred sites in the Bamenda Grassfields of Cameroon, Mary Maimo Mumah; Chapter 8 Bukusu sacred sites, Simiyu Wandibba; Chapter 9 Sacrificial places and their meaning in Saami society, Inga-Maria Mulk; Chapter 10 The Mijikenda kaya as a sacred site, H. W. Mutoro; Chapter 11 The perception and treatment of prehistoric and contemporary sacred places and Sites in Poland, Katarzyna Marciniak; Chapter 12 Islam on the Kenyan coast, George H. Okello Abungu; Chapter 13 A ceremony in the ‘cave of idolatry’, Inés Sanmiguel, Ben Alberti; Chapter 14 At the mouth of the obsidian cave, Nicholas J. Saunders; Chapter 15 Sto, Gordon Mohs; Chapter 16 The spirits of the Chugach people of Alaska are at rest once again, John F. C. Johnson; Chapter 17 Waahi tapu, Hirini Matunga; Chapter 18 Principles and practice of site protection laws in Australia, David Ritchie; Chapter 19 When sacred land is sacred to three tribes, Robert Franklin, Pamela Bunte; Chapter 20 Tourism and the Bighorn Medicine Wheel, Nicole Price; Chapter 21 Ninaistákis – the Nitsitapii’s sacred mountain, Reeves Brian;

Editorial Reviews

‘... the volume is timely and well considered. Its contents really speak for themselves, and the book deserves the widest dissemination, - Antiquaries Jrnl

‘For archaeologists, this volume offers a new perspective for understanding cultural materials. For students of traditional cosmologies, there is a valuable reminder that indigenous culture and traditions do not form a unified field; within apparently archetypical beliefs and practices, there are rich remarkable variations.' - Cosmos

‘... lucid and widely referenced discussion ...' - Ecumene

‘... it addresses important issues, notably the symbolic importance of place - not just a site seen in isolation, but significant in the overall context of its society and its symbolic structures - and the role of archaeology in resolving the conflict between traditional cultures and modern society. ... I have long felt that archaeology has a role in the ‘green debate'. ... this volume goes a long way t defining that role.' - Antiquity

From the Publisher