xt70zp3vx61p https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt70zp3vx61p/data/mets.xml University of Kentucky. Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies Kentucky University of Kentucky. Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies 1994 volumes. Call Number: LD2762.9 .K38c. Accession Number: 2018ua049 journals LD2762.9 .K38c English Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies  Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection University of Kentucky Odyssey Magazine Research -- Kentucky -- Periodicals Education -- Research -- Periodicals Research -- Kentucky Odyssey: The Magazine of University of Kentucky Research, Winter/Spring 1994 text images Odyssey: The Magazine of University of Kentucky Research, Winter/Spring 1994 1994 1994 2026 true xt70zp3vx61p section xt70zp3vx61p at

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Cover Illustration

Around l2.000 years ago. according to a long-held theon~ fur-clad lutnters crossed a now
submerged land bridge between Asia and Alaska and became the first humans to enter the New
\Vorld. 'l‘railing game on a generallv southward route. they left phvstcal evidence ol‘their travels.
The dates established It>rarehaeologit‘al remains from such a distant past are highlvcontroversial.
Radiocarbon dating in the l030s ol‘stone spearpoints discovered at (Ilovis. New Mexicu has led
scientists to believe that the (Ilovis people settled in America around I 1,500 vears ago and were
the lirst .r\mericans, and this theotv has held until the presenL Now. however, discoveries at the
site olfl\rlonte Verde in southern (Ihile have convint‘ed manv re archers that humans mttst have
entered the New World much earlier. See “Who \‘Vere the First Americans? Sitting ior Evidence
in Monte Verde," page 6.

 

 

 

 

Who Were
the First
AIIK'I’ICZ! ns?

\tlhtxx‘e/hukno ,

hel‘niversitv ol'lx‘entuclu.theconr

mouwealth's graduate education
and Ieseat ch institution. e\ists to prov
\ide opportunities lor the education.
personal growth and development of
individuals and to contribute to the
improvement oi societv,

\Vith thismissionasitspremise.one
goal of the uni\ersit\ is to conduct
programsol'basicaudappliedresearch
which support gradttatc and protes-
sional education. provide for the ads
vaucement or knowledge. and seek
solutions tor the aeute problems ol'
societ\.

'l‘he ttniversitvs research mission
alsoacts as a magnet lorattractiug top
graduate students whowant to particiA
pate in nationalh competitive research
projects,'l‘hisresearchexperienceean
oller them a significant ad\antage in
their education \\llll(‘ laviug the lotur
dation for future research and devel-
opment, (”MISS/ill through articles
about various research projects and
graduate education programs. reflects
the breadth of the universiu 's‘ search
tor new knowledge and the nu'riad of
research endeavors undenra). The
progress that the unhersitv has made
toward achieving its research mission
and securing the extramural funds
required to support these tvpes ofetr
(leavors would have been impossible
without the talents and dedication of
our researchers. .

The goal of ()[)l'.\‘SI§l'is to oller the
reader the opportunitv to share in
sotne ol‘the excitement. curiosiu and
creativit) evident in the research un-
deIwa) at the Lvniversitv ol‘Kentuckv

  

    

ll'lmliv This?
we Kiosk, [2.25

Volu my X], No. 2

()I)l’.\'$1:'l' is published by the
()lliu- 0f the Vice President 101‘
Research and Graduate Studies.
[inch issue 01'01))318'1‘1‘describes
0nh :i lbw (il'llit‘ nianv l'nivt'rsit)
01Kcntnt’hresearchpi‘ojct'tsuir
(lcnvzu in a \ikll‘ii‘kv()f‘211‘(lklsr

Requests [01' [)ci‘inissitin 1011'-
priin inalm‘izll and readers. coni-
lllt‘lll\ regarding ()[)l:$'.\'lil'al’e\wl-
(‘Ulnk‘2111(l5l1t)11l(ll)(‘ sent 10 the
lidilm'. (Zuninuinit’ationxand;\(l—
\‘dllt‘t‘llH‘IlL [‘nivei’sity 01' Ken—
luck}. Lexington 10306-0037
(phone 606 ' 257-8297).

The publication 01' ()1))'S'Slfl'is
n0tiinzinccdl)\ the SI;1IL‘(i(’ll(‘I‘kll
Fund.

Editor: Susan llodgetts Stcnipt'l
Assoc. EditorzjetT Worlt'v
Designer: Shear & Shear
Publications Asst.: Ilsa Di Li/cr
Contributing Writers: Sharon
Revnolds. Barbara (irossniani
Ruthie Masliiil David]. Melt/er
Printing: Merrick Printing Inc.

(I()\ (’I‘illustralion tht’i‘csil Shear.

 

ODYS SEY

Slud—ving PC
(Palli()l0gnf('dlb‘ Correct) Behavior; [1. I I

Contents

      

 

. ‘ _ s
Irishman in: The Rambo
ome‘asitks, p. 30

 

Assessing Damage in the Wake of Stroke

[\J

 

Who Were the First Americans?
Sifting for Evidence in Monte Verde

6

 

Studying PC (Pathologicallv Correct) Behavior 11

 

Honorable Mention: Impact and Achievements

 

of UK Graduate Program Alumni 14
Kiosk: Battling Lung Cancer in Kentucky,
Liquefaction Researchers Talking Some Trash, and More... 23

 

Update:
Leishmania: The Rambo of Parasites

5O

 

 

  

 

 

A Violinist. and teacher
of the \‘iolin for de—
cades: Donna \V’iehe is an
expert in the subtleties of musical expression. Skilled in
understanding various shadings of nuance and tone.
\‘C‘iehe knew that immediately after her recent stroke

there was a distinct change in another instrument#her

Voice.

“I don‘t haye the subtleties ol‘intonation I used to haye.
i sound so flat.“ she says. “There is just a different quality
to my Voice."

\V'iehe is one ofa half million .—\mericans this year who
suffered a stroke—the leading disabling disease ofpeople
St) to '3. Although she hasn‘t been able to use her left arm
since her illness last March. bringing a halt to her \‘iolin
playing. she believes she was fortunate. She came Very
close to being in another statistical category—one of the
50.000 deaths resulting anw

Assessing Damage
y in the Wake of Stroke

by Sharon Reynolds

 

Program of the l’niyersity
of Kentucky's Sanders—
Brown Center on Aging
have begun to look more closely at this phenomenon
among stroke patients with right—hemisphere brain dam-
age. A five—year study. "Social Cognition following Right-
l'iemisphere Stroke." is being funded by a 5500.000 grant
from the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and
Stroke. \V'iehe. ()(l. is a participant in this study.
Principle intestigator Lee K. Blonder. an assistant
professor of behavioral science and anthropology at I'K.
is examining the impact of right-hemispliere abnormali—
ties on patients and their families in the home CHVlI'Ol‘k
ment. She plans to document changes in patients" social.
emotional and mental functions and compare this behay-
ior to the social interaction and marital relations of
people with leftrhemisphere damage.
The fact that some pa—

 

nuaily from stroke.

Like the aftermath of a
tornado that can devastate
one side of a street. leaving
the other untouched. danr
age from a stroke may seem
willfui. bizarre. But a closer
iook. through modern im—
agingtechniques. has shown
that the damage follows cer—
tain anatomical rules.

Researchers now know
that patients such as \V'iehe.
whose stroke resulted in
damage to the right hemi—
sphere of her brain. may
experience non—verbal com—
munication problems. Al-
though in \V‘iehe's case that
flat tone of Voice is obyious
mainly to those who know
her well. some patients suf-
fer more extreme impair—
ments to their facial and
vocal expressions.

Because people often pay
more attention to how some—
thing is said than to what is
said. scientists in the Stroke

 

 

tients. such as \‘i’iehe. ap
pear to haye experienced
few changes raises other
questions. says Amy
Kirkpatrick ilerbst,
Bit mder‘s research assistant.
“How quickly will these
problems be resolyed? Is
the damage permanent or
is the brain reworking itself
to accommodate ioss in one
area? \\'e are looking at ali
these issues." says lierbst.

“Stroke" is actuaiEy a go
neric term coyering a nunr
ber of disorders inx'ohing
blood flow to the brain.
explains Creed l’ettigrew.
associate professor of new
rology and co—inyestigator
in the study. it encompasses
cerebral intai'ctions!the
type of stroke being exanr
ined in the l’lx' studyAand
the more lethal brain aneu-

 

x1/t’,r Nutty/ten

Datum “78hr, a! home with ”It" “idles“dogullig‘mm

O! )YSSEY 3

 

  

rysms, Specifically. Blonder and her associ—
ates are looking at cerebral infarctions that
haye affected the brain cortex. the outermost
area of the brain. and subcortical structures
like the basal ganglia and thalamus. Infarction
inyolyes tissue death due to blocked circula~
tion in the brain; aneurysm refers to a perma—
nent abnormal stretching. and possibly burst—
ing. of blood Vessels.

“\V'ithin the cortex. many areas control
emotions. behayior. handedness. how we
speak." says Pettigrew. “All those areas liye
on the surface of the brain."

The frontal tempt>rovparietal lobes. where
nonwerbal expression is controlled. is the
area the researchers are most interested in.
Strokes affecting this area can be Viewed on
a CAT scan or by magnetic resonance imaging
(.\IRl ). They are caused by atherosclerosis or
hardening of the arteries. High blood pres—
sure. high blood cholesterol and smoking are
all risk factors for such strokes.

\V'iehe. who was in excellent health prior to
her stroke in March of 1993. had none ofthese
risk factors. .\lystified at first. doctors found
that a tiny blood clot had broken loose
through a small hole between the left and

right yentricles of
Like the aftermath her heart and tray-

elled to the brain.
0/0 tornado that This minor defect
had caused no
preyious prol»
lems and had ap—
parently gone un—
detected.

Most of the pa-
tients in the [K
study. like \V'iehe.
haye had fairly
. . significant
seem wztlful, bzzarre. Wok“ myt-

Blonder. "They‘Ve
been immediately aware they had something
and usually come into the emergency room
right away. \\"ithin a week. there may be
enough of an imprm‘ement for them to be
discharged. Many of them go to Cardinal Hill
Rehabilitation 1 iospital [in Lexington] forthree
to four weeks."

To qualify for inclusion in this study. pa—
tients must have no history of alcohol or

(an devastate one
side ofa street,
leaving the other
untouehed, damage
from a stroke may

 

 

substance abuse. multiple strokes or psychi—
atric problems. They cannot be taking mood—
altering drugs or haye a co—occurring disorder
such as renal failure or metastasizing cancer.
The spouse must be knowledgeable enough
to report on the patient's behayior at home.

Since \member of 1992. when recruitment
began. the researchers haye enrolled 13 mar—
ried couples. with nine currently actiye in the
study. Participants range in age from 51 to ‘8,
Researchers will continue to enroll subjects
through most of 199%.

Subjects must have a CT scan or MRI two to
three days after the went to show clearly that
they have had a thromlmeinbt>lic cerebral
infarction. (CT scans done sooner are often
inconclusive since strokes do not appear until
several days later. says Blonder.)

Those with right—hernisphere damage will
be compared to a group with left—hemisphere
damage and a control group of orthopedic
patients. Orthopedic patients are being used
to show that the results aren't just a reaction
to a physical disorder, Such patients also
undergo a rehabilitation regimen similar to
that of stroke yictims.

During her postdoctoral studies at the I'm-

t‘mttmlrtvl mt [Ia/gr 1

 

Lee X. Blonder and

( freed Pettigrmt examine
a patient '5 AIR] seam to
pin/Joint the area of
damage earned by stroke.
['K is Sim/re I ’rogra m [s
a (Jen/er of'lfn‘e/lenee at
the Safitters—Brown
(fen/er on Aging:

7% ODYSSEY

 

  

m [Mylo/-

 

 

 

Florida. Blonder.
working with
Kenneth .\l.
Heilman and
Dawn Bowers.
discoyered that
stroke patients
with rightvhemi-
sphere damage
had little proh—
lem \erhalizing.
unlike some
whose stroke

 

It’mmrr/z Assisian/

Robin HRH/ll (/(f/l), a
('K (gmultm/w slur/mt
in (uz/lzro/mlogy'. and
;l my Ix'ir/r/lerirlt
[IN/N, (I ('liniml
)m/Iufl‘h (axis/uni, (07’
working with Blonder
and PV/ingu in t/n'
SUD/{1’ Sim/y.

ODYSSEY l

 

had affected the
left side. lloweyer. right—hemisphere patients
demonstrated a tnarked difference in their
ahility to modulate their yoices or to Lise
gestures and facial expressions to conyey
emotions. ’l‘hey also had a difficult time
inferring similar emotions from the non—yen
hal cues of others. lloweyer. when an actual
emotion was defined in a sentence. they were
ahle to understand that emotion.
Researchers theorized that some patients
with right—hemisphere damage can remetm
her what an emotion means. hut not how it
makes the face look or the Voice sound. Such
patients want to haye a conyersation hut are
impaired hecause ofthis non—yerhal commur
nication disorder. People with left—hemisphere
damage. on the other hand. haye prohlems
with language hut not with expressing emor
tions.

"\V'e would predict that the spouses of

patients with right—hemisphere damage would
he yery upset. would feel that the patient
didn't care ahout them." says Blonder.
"Nohodys eyer looked at the longrterm effect
of the non—yerhal ct>mmunicatiye disorders
on spouses and relationships."

Patients in the study are eyaluated in the
hospital. then six and 18 months later in the
home enyironment. The spouse is asked to

ohserye the patient for a wide range of

problems—from unusual mood changes to
difficulties in walking. A key tool for analyw
ing non—yerhal hehayior in the study is a

yersity of

 

\‘ideotaped interyiew conducted hy l lerhst to
see if patients are hecoming more facially
expressiye and are healing.

No two stroke patients are alike. Blonder
notes. "\V'e had a patient at the ['niyersity of
lilorida who had a small right—hemisphere
stroke." she recalls. “lt destroyed his ahility to
spell. which is usually something you find in
a left—hemisphere stroke. \V'e found out that
he was dyslexic as a child." In other cases
inyolying damage to the left—temporal lohe.
patients ha\ e lost such skills as the ahility to
rememher the names of animals or of their
fingers. she says.

And among patients with right—hemisphere
damage there is a suhset who deny that they
haye had a stroke. They may think theyye
ended up in the hospital hecause ofa particu—
larly had headache. says Blonder. Such a
condition was further complicated in one
patient in the l'lx' study who also had “left-
side neglect"ran inahility to focus on space
at the left side of the hody. Although doctors
warned him not to driye. he thought nothing
was wrong with him and got hehind the
wheel of a car during a weekend pass home.
Fortunately. he ayoided haying an accident.

()nce preliminary results hegin to come in
from the study. more information ahout the
\\ orkingsofthe hrain may he re\ ealed. Blonder
and her associates say if families and health—
care workers understand the dynamics of
rightrhemisphere damage. a patient is more
likely to receiye help for non—yerhal comma
nication prohlems. and relationships may
henefit.

Like the complexities of the hrain. the
resilience of the human soul can also he
intriguing ()nce told hy doctors that she
might neyer walk again. Donna \V'iehe enjoys
a priyate triumph each time she takes a turn
around the hlock. And \\ hen they say she may
not he ahle to play the Violin again. a little
yoice inside whispers hack. "\Ve‘ll just see
ahout that." O

 

  

 

 

Paying Close Attention to Stroke

Stroke is a “woefully under—appreci—
ated medical condition." says Creed
l’ettigrew. associate director of the
Stroke Program at the lfniyersity of
Kentucky Medical Center.

"We see this on a daily basis." says
l’ettigrew. "People come to our hospi—
tal days after the damage of a stroke
has taken effect and may haye become
permanent. Often. they haye underes—
timated the seriousness of their condi-
tion."

Simply recognizing the symptoms of
a stroke could saye many liyes. In
l’ettigrew‘s View. the same sort of
nationwide. public education efforts
that haye been aimed at controlling
heart disease could be used to reduce
the number and seyerity of strokes.

"just about e\ ei‘ybody knows that if
you run up a flight of stairs and lime
crushing chest pains. you‘re either
haying a heart attack or a warning." he
says. “That has become ingrained in
the public consciousness with a little
education, The same thing hasn‘t hap-
pened for stroke."

"Stroke" refers to a wide yariety of
medical conditions inyolying blood
flow to the brain. The most common is
a cerebral infarction. in which blood
flow to the brain is altered or blocked.
resulting in damage to brain tissue.
Risk factors for cerebral infarctions
include high blood pressure. high blood
cholesterol and smoking. Brain hemv
orrhages. though less common. ac—
count for most of the stroke deaths and
often occur as a result of weakened
areas in the walls of cerebral blood
\‘essels being ruptured.

Delaying medical help for a cerebral
infarction—also known as a "brain
attack"-can result in irreyersible brain
damage. One symptom of stroke is the

One symptom of stroke
is the sudden onset of weak—
ness in one or both limbs,
often accompanied by
a numbness or tingling.

sudden onset of weakness in one or
both limbs on one side of the body.
often accompanied by a numbness or
tingling. The numbness is similar to
the feeling one gets from a Noyocain
injection in the dentist's chair. says
Pettigrew. “There are Very few condi4
tions in the body that can produce
these symptoms. aside from an alter-
ation ofthe flow ofblood to the brain."

Since the warning signs of a mild
stroke may lack the immediacy of
those accompanying a heart attack. a
person experiencing them may simply
decide to go to bed. The symptoms.
which can last from one to 3.} hours.
may haye disappeared by the time he
awakens.

“The best opportunity for interven—
tion is within three to six hours."
l’ettigrew says. “That's why a brain
attack is a 911 medical emergency."

ITK‘s Stroke Program. a Center of
Excellence at the Sanders-Brown Cen-
ter on Aging. is the only location in the
state that has experimental drug proto-
cols to lessen the amount of brain
damage occurring immediately after
stroke, Other highly deyeloped ap-
proaches of the program range from
acute stroke protocols to medications
for preyenting stroke and new
neurosurgery techniques.

One in three strokes occurs follow—
ing clear warning signs that could lead
to proper identification of treatment,

Yet in a recent Gallup Poll. ()7 percent
of those suryeyed coulclnt name one
symptom of stroke.

Pettigrew also cites these chilling
statistics:

0 Stroke is the third most com—
m< )1] cause ofdeath in the l 'nited
States and in Kentucky.

0 Among women. stroke is the
second most common cause of
death. primarily because
women liye longer than men.
The risk for stroke increases for
eyery decade past ‘6 for both
sexes.

- There are 300.000 new cases of
stroke nationwide each year: of
that number. 130.000 will result
in death,

Yet. says Pettigrew. the National
Institutes of Health allocated only son
million last year for stroke research. in
comparison to S1.“ billion for cancer
research.

The American Heart Association and
the National Stroke Association are
working towards better public educa—
tion. he notes. "But there needs to be
federal leadership. as with the Great
American Smokeout, If people learn to
take their doctors‘ adyice seriously
and change their eating habits. exei>
cise more and stop smoking. they
could significantly reduce their chances
of stroke."

 

% ODYSSEY

 

 

  

Who Were the First Americans?

 

  
   
   

Sifting for Evidence
in Monte Verde

_V Eauly Amenican Sites

l)_\' Rut/111' ll [as/1'11
1- anb Mignation Routes i

tic/.7 a small thing. a child‘s

footpiiizt. But the (liscot tear of
st (Cl? an artifact. in 111)}‘05506l in Wild
some 13’. 000 ieai‘s ago in a re—
mote place called Monte it’ercle iii
Cliile. has large implications. 77.7e
footprint puts into serious jeop—
araly the previously established
date of when the first blimaizs
lll ted in Aiiieiica.

it‘s long been postulated that the first hue
man inhabitants ot‘ the Americas were the
Clovis peopleiso named lor the elaborately
fluted spearpoint associated \\'ith them. :\
\e\\ \1e\ico (Ilo\is site e.\c 1\ 1te(Ll in the
19%0 s tuinLd up hum 1n utit: 1cts 11.2 )0\e us
old 1nd loi LleL tLlLs 111 it Ll lte \\ 1s '1ck'no\\l-
enged as the earliest known human habitw
tion in the Americas.

\ow. ho\\ e\'er. archaeological evidence
excaVateLl at Monte Verde. along \\'ith other
scientific e\'idence uncovered at a number oi
sites throughout the Americas. is threatening
to push back the earlier established date by
almost 1000 years. l,'ni\'ersity of Kentucky
anthropologist ’l‘om Dillehay is at the lore—

§a><>< mew:
ix /

7 :3

C3 ice Shem-iéflOOyeara ago
{:3 Landmaae-iéflOO years; ago
i U Present Landmaae

 

-n-n- _ ...
Vr'waesaa'cx

 

 

 

 

 

 

OI'H'SSEY ()

  

 

front ofthis research based on his more than
13 years of work at the Monte Verde site in
(Zhile.

The site was accidently discoyered in the
midel‘FOs by some local men in a marshy
area near what is now a small creek. They
were clearing paths for their ox carts. Cutting
back the banks of the creek to widen their
trails. the men literally stumbled upon some
buried wood and bones which were later
found to be bones of a mastodon. This site
has subsequently been meticulously exca-
vated by an international. interdisciplinary
team of more than 80 experts. headed Lip by
l)illehay.

'l‘he eyidence uncoyered at Monte Verde
has both astounded and excited the archaetr
logical community. not only because it radi—
cally changes the dates of the first human
inhabitation of the Americas. but also be
cause of the excellently preseryed organic
materials. such as chunks of mastodon flesh.
grains and seeds. and eyen human skin and
hair. In a discipline where one usually digs
up and examines inanimate remains such as
stone tools and bones. finding a strand of
l_%.()()l)—year—old human hair is like striking
oil,

"If it‘s not the case that the Cloyis people
were the first in America. then that‘s a signifi-
cant—and not altogether welcome—find
ing." says l)illehay. "Cloyis to date has been
sort of a sacred cow that you just don't touch.
You (knit change it. A lot of people haye
built their whole careers on its archaeologi—
cal primacy."

Naturally. the Monte Verde discoyery has
raised eyebrows as well as numerous ques—
tions and challenges from the scientific com-
munity. Dillehay says he realized early on the
impact the Monte Verde findings would

Hunting gear at Monte Verde
1' ml uded rounded stones as
large as soflballs, wln’e/z were

 

likely haye on the ar—
chaeological commu—
nity. so he prepared
from the start for the
barrage ofskepticism
he and his team
would probably face.
He knew Monte
Verde was an excep—
tional site. It wasn't
merely the usual
cache of bones and
stone implements:
some happy circum—
stances ofnature had
perfectly preseryed a
wealth oforganic de—
bris.

Soon after he heard about the site. Dillehay
went to Monte Verde to check it out. He did
some initial excayation. quickly realizing the
potential implications—the magnitudekof
what he found there. lie admits that he eyen
had second thoughts about being
inyolyed in a project of such
immense scale as Monte
Verde was going to be.

His interest and cw
riosity oyerrode these
doubts. howeyer.
and he soon set to
work carefully
assembling
a massiye

The workers clear—
ing paths for their
ox carts literally
stumbled upon
some bun'ed wood
and bones, which
were later found
to be bones of

a mastodon.

   
 
  
 
 
   

continued
on page 8

[brown or slung.

than?

V I .
&~"\EE\I\ %. "‘‘mu‘n tr IlU‘) {Distm er lit/gt]

 

_ ODYSSEY

 

    

 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
  
  
 
  
 

i‘ue

 

    
 

interdisciplinary team of experts. from ge—
ologists to biologists to chemists. and he
began the painstaking. time—consuming task
of meticulously unearthing and document-
ing eyery inch of the site.

The time and effort paid off. .\lonte Verde
has turned out to be one of the richest and
most important archaeological finds in this
century.

Dillehay says that archaeologists are basir
cally “at the mercy" of what is preser\ ed in
archaeological records. "One needs to keep
in tnind that a lot of these remains of past
cultures are highly perishable. l'sually \\‘hat
is preseryed are such things as stone tools
and bone tools. \Vhile such artifacts can

proyide yaluable clues

about ancient cultures.
they do little to illumiv
nate \\‘hat the day—today
li\‘es ofthose people were
like. Sites like .\lonte Verde
add a \\hole other dimetr

the past.
"\Vhat ,\lonte Verde adds to our
perspectiye on the past is that \\ e
haye extremely good preseryation of
organic debris. Skin tissue is preseryed.
Hair is preseryed. Food remains#of pone
toes. fruits and seeds—are extremely \\ ell
pt‘eset‘yed. Ben the foundations of hut struci

tures the people had.
"So we haye a much clearer and wider
Window to look through to interpret the past.
That. I think. has been the number one

The findings at Meant Verde revise the long—held scenaria depicting
the lifestyle 0f the earliest Americans, from their diet to their mobility.

sion to that limited \ie\\’ of

impact of Monte Verde.”

But Dillehay cites as another major impact
of .\lonte Verde on the scientific community
the fact that remains discoyered there—espe—
cially the organic material—reyise the long—
held scenario depicting the lifestyle of the
earliest .r\mericans. He identified seyeral ma—
jor differences between the lifestyle of the
(Iloyis people and that ofthe people li\‘ing at
Monte Verde.

The (Iloyis were mainly big—game hunters.
for example llo\\'e\'er. in addition to hunting
big game. there is strong eyidence that the
Monte Verde residents also gre\\ Vegetables
for food. liyidence suggests these earliest
.v\mericans used and cultiyated plants and
grains to supplement their diet of meat and
fish. Staying in one place long enough to
plant and ban est crops implies that the
Monte Verde people were also more settled.
and perhaps enyisioned the long—term plan~
ning of a society. rather than the day—torday
hunting mentality scientists haye associated
\\ith the (Iloyis people.

’l‘here’s another issue imohing mobility,
.\lost people picture the earliest Americans as
highly mobile (\\hich a lot of them were).
li\ ing for a \\ hile in one campsite. killing off
the big game there. then moying on to an-
other site \\ith more game. :\t .\lonte Verde.
Dillehay says. there is some eyidence that the
inhabitants "stayed put quite awhile and ex
plotted a fairly rich en\ ironment.”

lixcept for some further exca\ ation of lo\\ er
le\‘els of the site. I)illehay says the main field
work at .\lonte Verde is basically finished.
\Vhile items from the deepest le\ els ofthe site
lt;|\'e been dated back some fifialotl yeat‘s‘.
l)illehay says eyidence strongly questions the
yalidity of those remains as coming from a
human—prt)duced site.

"There is a question about the Validity of
cultural material at that leyel. and I am the first
to question that \ alidity." he says. "\Vhen you

 
   
    

.\¢'(l/ “HI/(VI (cl/0‘1 { l)xsco\et' llrl‘erl

         
    
   

  

Fire poker? This ('lzmrerl

mastodon rib. jbmm’ near a
[mm/1, may have been used
to tendfires.

get that far back in time. culture—which is to
say. the artificially modified enyironment—

 

 

ODYSSEY 8

  

   
 

  
  

 

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gets rather crude. At some point culture
mimics nature and nature mimics culture; and
those examining such primitiye remains \\ ould
be hard~pressed to say if what they are
looking at is the result of some human con-
scious act or some natural phenomenon such
as a forest fire."

Dillehay's second book on the findings at
.\lonte Verde is due out sometime next year.
and many skeptics of the preliminary work
released on the Monte Verde findings are
looking to this book to answer many of their
questions about details of the actual artifacts
and architecture at the site.

\Vhile the debate continues about the ac—
tual first documentably inhabited site in the
Americas. l)illehay is turning his attention
and efforts to seyeral long-term projects he
says also captiyate his intellectual interest.
(ihief among these are his work with pre-
industrial. Villageilmel lnca societies in the
tropical forests of Peru. and his work with the
.\lapuche people in southern (Ihile.

l)illehay began his archaeological work in
Peru and has been going back there for 20
years. "lntellectually. I‘m just much more
interested in longiterm social economic
changes in kinship organization. political or
gani/ation and changing economies.” he exv
plains of his interest in examining these Inca
cultures. "That work I find equally exciting as
the .\lonte Verde work]. although it hasn‘t
captured the same amount of attention as
Home Verde because .\lonte Verde pushes
right up against a wellrentrenclted paradigm.
.\ly l’eruyian research doesnt try to change a
paradigm but rather enhance an existing
one." He will again trayel to Peru next sum-
mer to continue his work there.

Liying and working in the field is one ofthe
best—and worst—parts about being an ar—

 

cou/umcr/ on page It!

 

Tom [Mlle/1(1); tit/10w research was
(Ilsa/271110271 in [/N’ premier issue
(g/ODYSSEY (Spring 1 982)

Ken (HRH,

 

 

 

“What Planet Is This Stuff From?”

Tom Dillehay of the University of Kentucky. the final
speaker. began to tell us about Monte Verde.

Ten minutes into the talk, the fellow sitting next to me
whistled softly in astonishment. then asked aloud of no
one in particular, “What planet is this stuff from?" I was
wondering that myself. The evidence from Monte
Verde was unlike anything most of us——\vho early in
our careers learned to be thankful just for stone tools
and scraps of bone had ever encountered before in
our archeological earth. When Dillehay finished 45
minutes later, the hall erupted in applause. I forgot
about dinner.

That day in Maine many of us saw for the first time
pictures of the extraordinaly archeological treasures of
Monte Verde: artifacts ofstone and bone. of course. but
also of wood and ivory; freshly preserved leftovers
from meals of leaves. fruits. nuts. and seeds: the
remains of crayfish and paleocamel; the torn flesh of an
extinct mastodon; even the footprint of a child.

Those are hardly the usual contents of an archeologi—
cal site. They are unh and of for one in the Americas
dating to some 13.000 years before the present. The
pros in the hall that afternoon knew exactly what that
meant: the Clovis—first barrier to the peopling of the
Americas, standing strong at 11.200 years. was threat—
ened.

—David j. Meltzer

( The author was attending [be annual meeting (gffbe
American Alt/bitipological Association in San Fran—
c isco last December. Excerpted/font "Com [Hg IoA merica ”
l2 1' [)(11 VII]. Me/rzwt/t c) 1993’ Discover .llagazme)

 

 

 

  

9

Responding to the publir Ts
“Hollywood” notion of the life
of arrhaeologists, Dillehay says
that sleeping in a hot tentfor
two or three months, sweating
heavily all night and waiting
with your hair stiehing to your
head isn ’t romantit'.

4mm -

o

ODYSSEY 10

 

chaeologist. l)illehay