While the magazine has closed, its living archive endures—open to all and preserving the many ideas, voices, and discoveries that deepen our understanding of what it means to be human.
The vast majority of people in antiquity were too poor to leave many artifacts behind. But archaeologists have learned how to look beyond temples and palaces.
Why Navajos Love Their Country MusicAn anthropologist who is also a singer-songwriter explores how Southwestern Native bands shake up the notion of “cowboys and Indians.”
How Skirts Are Changing Bolivian WrestlingIn ornate skirts and bowler hats, Indigenous female fighters claim their place in the ring.
Why Land Acknowledgments MatterOne anthropologist views the public recognition of traditional lands as a way to remember the past while stepping toward the future.
Witnessing an Endangered Puberty RitualIn an Indigenous community in Peru, a girl’s first menstruation is accompanied by a “boot camp” during which she’s trained in how to be a woman—but that tradition is ebbing away.
The Truth About “Sustainable” Palm OilIn West Papua, Indonesia, both conventional and “green” palm oil projects dispossess and exclude Indigenous people from their lands.
How the Samoan Tattoo Survived ColonialismA combination of factors, from geography to group identity, supported the endurance of this traditional body art—even as similar practices were lost in other cultures.
How Traditional Knowledge Opens Nature’s Medicine CabinetIn Peru, the challenge of providing health care to the country’s citizens has spurred interest in alternative medicines that draw on cultural traditions.
A New Generation Is Reviving Indigenous TattooingPeople in Arctic and Northwest Coast communities are uncovering the therapeutic history of tattoos.
Why the Myth of the “Savage Indian” PersistsIconic children’s books and popular media that Gen Xers grew up with are riddled with damaging Native stereotypes—but things may finally be shifting.