Understanding the significance of migrants’ material culture

Abstract

Archaeologists are increasingly moving past discussions of whether migration events occurred in the past to more nuanced discussions of the meaning surrounding the migrants’ belongings. Migrants used material culture as powerful memory objects, to create meaning and adapt to living in a new place and often with new people. There are relatively few archaeological examples of large-scale migration into the Great Plains in the wake of European invasion of North America. One exception to this is the migration of Puebloan peoples from northern New Mexico to the Central Great Plains during the Puebloan diaspora after 1600 CE. Sites attributed to this migration are discussed in context with recent work on meaning and materiality to reconsider the critical role that objects play in identity expression and cultural survival in new homelands.

Turvapaikanhakijoiden arjen materiaalinen niukkuus sekä kännykän luoma tuttuus ja turva välitilassa

“…Toisaalta kotiutuminen voidaan ymmärtää laajemmin kotoutumisena ja oman paikan löytämisenä uudessa kotimaassa (Ahponen 2001;Sirriyeh 2013). Tutkimuksissa on huomattu, että maahanmuuttajat pyrkivät usein muuton yhteydessä ottamaan mukaansa joitakin entisestä elämästä muistuttavia esineitä, joiden avulla luodaan side entisen, nykyisen ja tulevan elämän välille (Trabert 2020). Mukana on voitu vaatteiden ohella tuoda esimerkiksi valokuvia, ehkä verhot tai lakanat, kirjoja, koriste-esineitä tai jokin itselle tai perheelle tärkeä astia (Heikkinen 2012).…”

Materiality in transit: An ethnographic-archaeological approach to objects carried, lost, and gained during contemporary migration journeys

“…The critical role of objects for migrants' identity, well-being, and cultural (re)production has been well-established in anthropological studies focused on refugee camps and resettlement contexts (Abell, 2014;Dudley, 2011Dudley, , 2018Faust, 2015;Fortier, 2000;Milič, 2012;Naum, 2012;Trabert, 2020). However, material objects also play a major role in shaping individuals' experiences and lives in transit.…”

Creating a Sense of Belonging: Religion and Migration in the Context of the 3rdMillennium BC Corded Ware Complex in the Eastern and Northern Baltic Sea Region

“…Although the picture is still largely blurred, the genetic data nevertheless allow us to move past the discussion of whether the migration event ever occurred, and to step into a more nuanced discussion of the relevance of the different aspects of the relocations (cf. Trabert 2019). Indeed, in the field of migration studies these nuanced discussions are now a regular part of the ongoing debate, as they aim to understand issues related to migration and gender, explain community creation, and investigate migrant group identity, to mention but a few of their subjects (Gold and Nawyn 2013).…”

“…Indeed, in the field of migration studies these nuanced discussions are now a regular part of the ongoing debate, as they aim to understand issues related to migration and gender, explain community creation, and investigate migrant group identity, to mention but a few of their subjects (Gold and Nawyn 2013). Although archaeological research lacks the privilege of access to the realm of living tradition, associated questions have nonetheless recently been addressed, for instance by investigating the significance of the migrants' material culture (e.g., Naum 2015, Holmqvist et al 2018, Trabert 2019.…”