Anthropology Magazine

The Spring a Time for Calving and Cleaving

Poetry

  • Two people wearing dark clothing hold a green tarp and separate a herd of black, grey, and white reindeer. Snow covers the landscape behind them.

    The Spring a Time for Calving and Cleaving

    A poet-anthropologist joins Sámi reindeer herders in Norway who are preparing for the spring migration. As an outsider, he feels a longing to connect, even as he remains “outside the fences.”

  • The head of a stone statue showing a stoic face and curly hair rests on a grey surface against a white background.

    Head of a Maiden

    A poet-anthropologist considers the life of a looted fourth-century B.C. Etruscan maiden.

  • A young child in a blue and yellow winter jacket and red hat sits on the shoulders of an adult in a black jacket as they walk across a bridge next to cars.

    Lessons We Learn

    An anthropologist-poet of the African diaspora holds close family lessons on identity, freedom, and relationship in the midst of an anti-Black society.

  • A person, seen from the chest downward from underwater, sits on a white surf board in turquoise water.

    Surfing in Color

    A poet-anthropologist witnesses people of the African diaspora “riding waves across the surfable globe.”

  • A young protester with curly dark hair and wearing a black shirt raises their fist in front of a group of people holding signs.

    Riot

    A poet-bioarchaeologist of the African diaspora spotlights the aims of protestors who rise up against anti-Black violence, injustice, and white supremacy.