Indigenous Anatomies

As bioarchaeologists who deal directly with the human body, we often neglect emic understandings of the body that are important to interpreting the worldview of indigenous populations. In this paper, Andean notions of the body are presented using indigenous terminology in an effort to highlight dramatic differences in body concept interpretation. Furthermore, three bioarchaeological Andean case studies will be presented to illustrate perceptions of the age and wellness in different archaeological contexts. It is suggested that highly contextualized and multidisciplinary research questions need to be developed in an effort to interpret emic social and cultural dimensions of the living and dead body and mortuary practices.