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The paper addresses the understanding of the complexity in intentional and random manipulation with deceased human bodies in the Mid-Upper Paleolithic in Eurasia. A series of single or multiple anatomic modern human burials at open air-sites, in caves or under rock shelters have been documented. Some of them are decorated and covered by extra-large sized mammal bones for protection. Beside these ritually buried individuals, isolated human cranial and postcranial fragments are scattered through the cultural and other depositional layers, many of them being identified during the post-excavation processing of faunal remains (e.g. Dolní Věstonice I, II and Pavlov I sites in the Czech Republic). These bits and pieces often lack direct evidence of predator or human manipulation (except intentionally perforated human teeth), which raises the question of a differential mortuary practice employed by our ancestors and/or the presence of specific depositional and post-depositional taphonomic conditions in the preservation of human remains. The paper addresses ethnoarcheological observations in different types of treatment of deceased human bodies among recent Arctic and sub-Arctic hunter-gatherers and reindeer herders in Eurasia with a special emphasis on the burial rites among the Nenets from northwestern Siberia. The work aims at the author's own social and economic scope, in which inappropriate or partial manipulation with the deceased human body presents a disputable, unethical and even illegal act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using an ethnoarcheological perspective we examine Nenets site formation, seasonality and landscape usage in controlling reindeer herds in a complex system of more than 20 abandoned campsites and other sites of interest over 100 km and a time-span of several decades. We establish a chronology based on more than 150 expiration dates from imported food items, supported by additional seasonal evidence such as presence/absence of newborn reindeer, hearths and other artifacts. We separated the sites into five stages and compared the patterns of change, especially from 1986 to 2003 as the road and railroad connecting the Yamal gas mining fields were constructed nearby. We find that the impact of road and rail construction is reflected in the increase of imported goods upon its completion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the different ways in which Malta's neolithic temples have been interpreted, contested and appropriated by different local and foreign interest groups: those working in the tourist industry, intellectuals and Maltese nationalists, hunters, archaeologists, artists, and participants in the global Goddess movement. The different perspectives are set against "traditional" popular interpretations of the temples. A particular focus of enquiry is the Maltese response to the foreign Goddess pilgrims who have been visiting the sites in increasing numbers over the last decade: do Maltese feel their past is being appropriated, colonized, or commoditized by these visitors? The paper argues that all interpretations or "inventions" of Malta's neolithic past, whether competing or colluding, can be seen to be governed by the particular social, political, religious or economic agendas of their creators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes the way Euro-Canadian prefabricated houses have affected the Inuit who live in them and, by extension, Inuit society. Prefabricated housing has subverted Inuit women's roles in both the family and the community. Greater personal segregation in prefabricated houses has not only changed the way conflict is resolved, but has also allowed an increase in antisocial behavior. Prefabricated houses have displaced traditional activities, resulting in a net loss of cultural identity.