Levanna

Interpretation and Controversy in New York Archaeology, 1923-2018

By: Jack Rossen

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eText | 14 June 2019 | Edition Number 1

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Levanna was a famous and well-visited archaeological site in central New York, along the eastern side of Cayuga Lake, during the Great Depression. It was primarily known for its spectacular animal effigies. But were they real or forgeries? Jack Rossen takes us on a journey through the 1920s and 1930s, the era of an outdoor museum, and professional attempts by the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) to suppress it.

Larger than life characters include Arthur C. Parker, future President of the SAA, William A. Ritchie, future State Archaeologist of New York, and Harrison C. Follett, the entrepreneurial archaeologist. The book also takes us through the 2007-2009 re-excavation of Levanna and the related 2011-2014 excavations at the Myers Farm site. Along the way, Cayuga history is reinterpreted as more peaceful than previously believed, and the case is made for a Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy more than one thousand years old. An older confederacy is more in line with oral traditions than previous archaeological ideas of a brief confederacy that began either just before or after European contact.

The work was conducted through the framework of indigenous collaborative archaeology with leaders of the Cayuga and Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The narrative approach includes stories of the contemporary people, both Native and non-Native, who protected the site, supported the research, and provided ideas, wisdom, inspiration, and friendship.

Industry Reviews

Rossen offers an exemplary example of what archaeology has to offer beyond the familiar realms of artifact description and interpretation. His reinvestigation of Levanna offers a fresh telling of its history, transforming it from a dusty archaeological assemblage to an expression of the still-vibrant living tradition of Cayuga descendants. This is an outstanding example of community based research that foregrounds heritage values while maintaining archaeological rigor