EUGENE, Ore. -- (Oct. 5, 2010) - The University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History will host a series of Friday evening lectures beginning Oct. 15. All lectures begin at 5:30 p.m. in room 175, Knight Law Center, 1515 Agate St. All presentations are free and open to the public.

In honor of Oregon archaeology month, the museum invites attendees to learn about Oregon's archaeologists and their work from West Africa, the California Channel Islands and the Columbia River region.

• Stephen Dueppen, new faculty fellow in UO's anthropology department, will speak Oct. 15, about the history of West African villages. According to Dueppen, West African villages have often been characterized as static, with the presumption that people have lived in the same manner for hundreds or thousands of years. On the contrary, his research exposes the dynamic history of the communities. He will describe how 12th century residents of Kirikongo village overthrew local elites and replaced them with a new communally organized political system.

• Jon Erlandson, archaeologist and director of the UO museum, will lecture Oct. 22, about "Island of the Blue Dolphins": An Archaeological Time Capsule from California's Channel Islands. The children's novel "Island of the Blue Dolphins" published in 1960 is based on the true story of a young Native American girl who lived alone on San Nicholas Island for 18 years. Erlandson's recent excavations in the same islands uncovered a redwood box holding an array of artifacts. Through an investigation of the artifacts, Erlandson will discuss traditional technologies, arts and cultural dynamics from the California coast and their connection to the life and characters in the book.

• Virginia Butler, professor of anthropology at Portland State University, will present Oct. 29, about her work on ancient fish and their relationship to indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest. Butler's survey of more than 75 Columbia Basin archaeological sites dates back more than 13,000 years.

The UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors and youths ages 17 and under, and $8 for families (two adults and up to four youths). Museum members, university faculty, staff and students are admitted free. Admission is free for the public on Wednesdays.

Contact: Ann Craig, MNCH assistant director of education, 541-346-3116, acraig@uoregon.edu
Link: Museum of Natural and Cultural History, http://www.uoregon.edu/~mnh/

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