Anthropology Videos Available, 2/22/2008
These videos were recently requested by the Anthropology faculty and are now
available for checkout at Howard-Tilton Library.
All videos are cataloged in the library catalog; to locate additional videos, search the
catalog by title or by keyword (include the word “videorecording” in your keyword search
to limit to videos).
****
The Adventure of English, 500 A.D. To 2000 A.D
8 videodiscs ( 52 min. each). 2004
Summary: This eight-part enhanced DVD series tells the story of how English
became a global language. Along the way, each episode uses location footage, rare
manuscripts, linguistic experts, and fascinating etymologies to chart the growth of
English, its encounters with other languages, its history, and its far-reaching influence.
Written and presented by Melvyn Bragg.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-5628 through
5635
America's Stone Age Explorers: Where Did the First Americans Come From?
1 videodisc (60 min.). 2005
Summary: Archaeological experts and others challenge the theory that the first
Americans arrived in America around 13,500 years ago and suggest possibilities that
they could have arrived even sooner. Originally produced on PBS Television as a
segment of the television program Nova.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-6351
The Amish: A People of Preservation
1 videocassette (54 min.). 1996
Summary: A general overview of the Amish and their life style, customs, religion,
ethics, etc. Written and produced by John L. Ruth. Videocassette release of the motion
picture made in 1975 by Heritage Productions.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): VIDEO- TAPE 0331
Animals Gone Wilder!
1 videodisc (112 min.). 2006
Summary: Includes Animals Behaving Worse and Murder in the Troop. Animals
Behaving Worse looks at the adaptation of certain wild animals to human encroachment
on their habitats. Murder in the Troop concerns a society of baboons in Zimbabwe
which experiences chaos when its male leader is overthrown. Originally broadcast as
episodes of the Nature series on PBS.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-5111
1
The Ape, So Human!
1 videodisc (41 min.). 2004
Summary: Sequences from historic experiments by Allen and Beatrix Gardner, Sue
Savage-Rumbaugh, and other primatologists, plus footage shot in the wild, provide
compelling support for the thesis that chimps and bonobos are highly evolved indeed.
Demonstrations of cognition, self-awareness, memory retention, language use, social
behavior, mating practices, and perhaps even a sense of good and evil reveal species
remarkably kindred to Homo sapiens. The anatomical basis for apes' inability to
articulate speech, despite having a Broca's area, is also discussed. A DVD release of a
program originally produced in 2001.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-5192
The Clan of the Cave Bear
1 videodisc (98 min.). 1999
Summary: Ayla, an orphaned Cro-Magnon child, is raised by a primitive Neanderthal
clan, whose members perceive her as an ugly, odd outsider. Ayla matures, bears a
child, and finally sets off alone to seek her destiny. Based on the novel "The Clan of the
Cave Bear" by Jean M. Auel. Videodisc release of the 1986 motion picture.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-0105
Dead Birds
2 videodiscs (83 min.). 2004
Summary: A film by Robert Gardner. A cinematographic interpretation of the life of a
group of Grand Valley Dani, who are mountain Papuans in West New Guinea (Irian
Barat, Indonesia), studied by the Harvard-Peabody Expedition (1961-1963). This film
was made by Gardner in 1961, before the area was pacified by the Dutch government.
The film focuses on Weyak, the farmer and warrior, and on Pua, the young swineherd,
following them through the events of Dani life: sweet potato horticulture, pig keeping,
salt winning, battles, raids, and ceremonies.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): VIDEO- DVD 0506
Do You Speak American?
3 videodiscs (57 min. each) 2005
Summary: Vol 1, "Up North": Robert MacNeil canvasses the North to learn firsthand
about linguistic dialect zones, the tension between prescriptivism and descriptivism, the
impact on dialect, the northern cities vowel shift, the roots of African-American English,
minority linguistic profiling, biases against nonstandard speech, and the general
perception of the U.S. Midland dialect as "normal American." Hip-hop street talk, IM
slang, Pittsburghese, and Gullah and Geechee are sampled. Features Bill Labov, the
dean of American linguists; Jesse Sheidlower, American editor of the august OED; and
'New York' magazine's John Simon. Some language may be offensive.
Vol 2, "Down South": Follows Robert MacNeil as he travels down the Ohio and
Mississippi Rivers to Appalachia, Louisiana Cajun country, and the Tex-Mex border to
examine Southern dialects and accents and the influences of French and Spanish on
American English. Linguist Walt Wolfram, columnist Molly Ivins, pop country singer
Cody James, and others talk about regional differences in vernacular, the steady
2
displacement of Southern coastal dialect by inland dialect, the accents of JFK and LBJ,
and the Texas border town of El Cenizo, where Spanish is the official language.
Includes recordings of Eudora Welty and Appalachian storyteller Ray Hicks, as well as
WPA recordings from around 1940.
Vol 3, "Out West": In this program, Robert MacNeil heads to California to take part
in meaningful dialogues on Spanglish, Chicano, Ebonics, and "Surfer Dude" before
going to Seattle to consider the implications of voice-activation technology. Linguist
Carmen Fought, Stanford University's Cliff Nass, screenwriters Amy Heckerling and
Winnie Holtzman, and others speak their minds about Spanish in America, why teens
create their own language, gay self-empowerment by redefining discriminatory terms,
the oo-fronting sound shift, and whether technology will reinforce or weaken
racial/regional stereotypes. The teaching of English without devaluing or denigrating
cultural linguistice differences is addressed.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-5193 vols.
1-3
First Contact
1 videodisc (55 min.). 2004
Summary: Recounts the discovery of a flourishing native population in the interior
highlands of New Guinea in 1930 in what had been thought to be an uninhabited area.
Inhabitants of the region and surviving members of the Leahy brothers' gold prospecting
party recount their astonishment at this unforeseen meeting. Includes still photographs
taken by a member of the expedition and contemporary footage of the island's terrain.
Produced and directed by Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson in association with
Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-6384
Gender & Communication: Male-Female Differences in Language & Nonverbal
Behavior
1 videodisc (42 min.) 2001
Summary: This video explores the impact that gender has on both verbal messages
including speech, language, and vocabulary, as well as on nonverbal channels of
communication such as touch, movement, and gesture.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-5163
Gremlins: Faces in the Forest
1 videocassette. 1997
Summary: Deep in the Amazon rainforest lives a family of tiny primates so small that
they fit in the palm of your hand. But small doesn't begin to describe them. Outlandishly
decorated with a wonderful variety of tassels, tufts, manes and moustaches, they are a
natural inspiration for make-believe 'gremlins' in films. These little monkeys live
alongside an isolated tribe of forest people in Brazil, the Satare Maues Indians, and
although the seclusion of both communities keeps their secrets from the outside world,
they know each other well. Originally broadcast in 1997 on the television program,
Nature, on WNET Television.
3
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): VIDEO- TAPE 20075036
The Human Language Evolves: Part 3, with and without Words
1 videocassette (55 min.) 1995
Summary: Discusses the importance of nonverbal means of communication, inherited
from our animal past, in the evolution of human language.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): Not yet cataloged.
The Human Voice: Exploring Vocal Paralanguage
1 videodisc (30 min.) 2004
Summary: Explores the voice as an extraordinary human instrument. When we
speak, our voice reveals our gender, age, geographic background, level of education,
emotional state, and our relationship with the person spoken to. All these clues (and
many more) are contained in even small fragments of speech, because our voices can
be interpreted with remarkable accuracy. This video explores the power, dimensions,
and facets of this uniquely human instrument. Videodisc release of a 1993 production.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-5168
The Hunters
1 videodisc (72 min.). 2006
Summary: A study of the life and culture of primitive African bushmen as portrayed
through the experiences of four aborigines hunting a giraffe on the Kalihari Desert.
Produced by the Film Study Center of Peabody Museum of Harvard University.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-0053
Iceman
1 videodisc (101 min.). 2004
Summary: A team of Arctic researchers finds a 40,000 year-old man frozen in ice and
bring him back to life. Anthropologist Stanley Shephard wants to befriend the Iceman
and learn about man's past. Dr. Diane Brady and her surgical team want to discover the
secret that will allow man to live in a frozen state. When the Iceman becomes part of
their lives, the results are both moving and emotionally shattering. Videodisc release of
the 1984 motion picture by Universal City Studios, Inc.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-0090
Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees
1 videodisc (75 min.) 2002
Summary: Enter the minds, hearts and world of the wild chimpanzees. Dr. Goodall's
discoveries in forty years of research at Gombe--including her groundbreaking
observations of chimpanzees making and using tools--have not only revolutionized our
understanding of the chimps, but ultimately of human behavior itself.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-0087
4
The Life of Mammals
4 videodiscs (ca. 500 min.). 2003
Summary: Introduces us to the most diverse group of animals ever to live on this
planet. From the smallest to the largest, from the slowest to the fastest, from the least
attractive to the most irresistible. Looks at 4,000 species, including ones that have
outlived the dinosaurs and conquered the remotest corners of the Earth, and examines
how their adaptations for finding food have had an effect on the way they socialize,
mate and live. A BBC/Discovery Channel co-production, hosted by David
Attenborough.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-0061
Lost King of the Maya
2 videodiscs (ca. 112 min.). 2007
Summary: Provides a closer look at the civilization and the rule of the ancient Mayan
people. In Lost King of the Maya, a team of archaeologists and historians look more
closely at the rise and fall of Copâan. Originally broadcast in 2001 as part of the
television series Nova. Special features: Printable materials for educators; access to
the Nova web site.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-6362
Making Maasai Men: Growing Courage toward Circumcision
1 videodisc (32 min.) 2006
Summary: In 1998, anthropologist Barbara Hoffman worked with a team of Maasai
junior elders in Kisamis, a community in the Rift Valley of southern Kenya. All members
of the team stressed the importance of the stages of the life cycle and the resulting
changes to their status as they progress from children to adult Maasai elders. A male's
transition from one step to another is celebrated as his masculine character is molded,
honed and refined. Some of these stages are marked by ritual or ceremony, including
shaving the hair, circumcision or marriage. Shows an actual circumcision ceremony.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-6363
Margaret Mead and Samoa
1 videocassette (51 min.). 1988
Summary: Presents new evidence in the controversy generated among
anthropologists by Derek Freeman's refutation of Margaret Mead's Coming of age in
Samoa. VHS.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): VIDEO- TAPE 0332
N!Ai: The Story of A !Kung Woman
1 videodisc (60 min.). 2004
Summary: A compilation of footage of the !Kung people of Namibia from 1951
through 1978. Focuses on the changes in the life of these people as seen through the
reflections of one woman, N!ai. Originally aired as part of the Odyssey television series
in 1980.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-0162
5
Pocahontas Revealed
1 videodisc (56 min.) 2007
Summary: On the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, science is revealing the truth
behind the myth, a saga of adventure, greed, and savagery. Archaeologists have
discovered the site of Chief Powhatan's capital, the spot where John Smith met him and
his daughter. A Nova production by Lone Wolf Documentary Group for WGBH Boston.
Special features: Printable materials for educators; access to the Nova web site.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-6398
Quest for Fire
1 videodisc (100 min.). 2003
Summary: Three early-humans travel the savannah, encountering sabre-toothed
tigers, mammoths, and cannibalistic tribes as they search for a flame to replace the fire
that their tribe has lost. Originally issued as a motion picture in 1981. Based on the
novel by J.H. Rosny, Sr.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-0089
Quilombo Country
1 videodisc (73 min.). 2006
Summary: Provides a portrait of rural communities in Brazil that were founded by
runaway slaves or begun from abandoned plantations. This type of community is known
as a "quilombo," from an Angolan word that means "encampment." As many as 2,000
quilombos exist today. Narrator, Chuck D.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-5425
Race: The Power of an Illusion
1 videodisc (168 min.). 2003
Summary: Episode one explores how recent scientific discoveries have toppled the
concept of biological race. Episode two questions the belief that race has always been
with us. It traces the race concept to the European conquest of the Americas. Episode
three focuses on how our institutions shape and create race. Produced by California
Newsreel ; in association with the Independent Television Service. Narrator: C.C.H.
Pounder.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007- 0066
Secrets of Lost Empires, Series 1 and 2
Summary: In this series, archaeologists and engineers attempt to duplicate ancient
solutions to engineering problems. Originally broadcast as part of the PBS series Nova.
Each program is approximately 60 minutes long.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor):
DVD 2007-6405 (Stonehenge; Colosseum)
DVD 2007-6406 (Inca)
DVD 2007-6407 (Obelisk; Pyramid)
VIDEO-TAPE 2007-5118 (China Bridge)
VIDEO-TAPE 2007-5119 (Easter Island)
VIDEO-TAPE 2007-5121 (Medieval Siege)
6
VIDEO-TAPE 2007-5123 (Pharaoh's Obelisk)
VIDEO-TAPE 2007-5124 (Roman Bath)
The Vikings
1 videodisc (ca. 120 min.). 2006
Summary: This special investigates a new image of the Vikings that goes far deeper
than their savage stereotype as raiding marauders. They were expert shipbuilders,
superb artisans, canny merchants, and bold colonizers. Originally broadcast on the
television program Nova in 2000.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-6372
Womanhood and Circumcision: Three Maasai Women Have Their Say
1 videodisc (ca. 31 min.). 2002
Summary: This thought-provoking documentary sensitively explores the cultural
context of female genital-cutting practices among the Maasai. It will stimulate discussion
and reflection in a wide variety of courses in cultural anthropology, women's and gender
studies, African studies, and development studies. Produced by Barbara G. Hoffman.
Location: Howard-Tilton Library Media Collection (4th floor): DVD 2007-6404
7