flat markers, all of recent date and often with fam- 

 ily names different from those of upright monu- 

 ments, were arranged in odd lineal patterns. He 

 explained that the St. Joseph shrine represented a 

 change in Catholic burial practices, reflecting in 

 turn the economics of maintaining a cemetery. 

 Shrine areas, with their flat markers, can be liter- 

 ally mowed over by large power mowers, while 

 the old "marble forests" must be laboriously (and 

 expensively) maintained by hand. 



Mr. Niemeyer explained that the second fea- 

 ture — the odd lineal patterns of grave arrange- 

 ments — reflected ethnicity as well as economics. 

 The St. Boniface neighborhood had undergone 

 changes in its ethnic composition, and most buri- 

 als of recent date were those of newly arrived and 

 less affluent Hispanic families. He also noted that 

 since the cemetery was running out of space, old 

 roads and walkways were being removed to make 

 way for individual graves. These less expensive 

 single plots were now being sold, one by one, in 

 rows to today's burying population. 



The students were invited to ask about the 

 population that was buried at St. Boniface, and 

 their questions were developed into individual 

 research projects. They wanted to know how the 

 various ethnic groups buried at St. Boniface could 

 be identified on the basis of monument styles; 

 how information about demographic changes 

 could be gained from the memorials; and about 

 differences between Catholic and non-Catholic 

 cemeteries. They were also curious about the ways 

 in which archaeologists distinguish between the 

 evolution of monument types that result from 

 ethnic change and evolution that is due to new 

 social statuses emerging. 



To help the students recognize how such 

 styles change, Ronald Weber, manager of Field 

 Museum's anthropology collection, gave a 

 presentation based on his own archaeological 

 research. Referring to materials in the South 

 American Indian exhibit, Dr. Weber explained 

 how he was able to date different styles of Argen- 

 tine burial urns. He also demonstrated how burial 

 urns can offer clues to social status. To further the 

 students understanding of stylistic variations, Dr. 

 Weber used ancient Peruvian ceramic vessels from 

 the museum storerooms to demonstrate how 

 changes in shape over a period of time can enable 

 archaeologists to arrange vessels in chronological 

 sequence, even when stratigraphic information 

 is lacking. 



N, 



ew learning experiences for the students 

 followed in quick succession. A film was shown 

 on the history of Graceland Cemetery, located on 

 Chicago's North Side, followed by a tour of the 

 architectural wonders of that cemetery by Mr. Bert 

 J. Gast of Gast Monuments, Inc. He demonstrated 

 how monuments and memorials reflected the life- 

 style of wealthy Chicagoans. A comparison be- 

 tween Graceland and St. Boniface dramatically 

 demonstrated how the study of cemeteries can re- 

 veal differences in socio-economic status. 



Following his tour, Mr. Gast took the students 

 through the Gast Monument Company, where he 

 discussed the technology of monument manu- 

 facture and explained how new technologies can 

 influence customers' preferences in styles and 

 materials. His presentation impressed on the 

 group how archaeologists can use technological 

 change as a key to understanding social and 

 cultural choices. 



Now the students were prepared to refine 

 their projects and to gather their data from 

 St. Boniface. Quite an array of projects were 

 attempted. Several dealt with fads in monument 

 types. Obelisks, draped urns and crosses, and un- 

 usual tree-shaped monuments received special 

 attention. Inscriptions as an information source 

 were also a popular subject of investigation. 

 Changes in family size and composition was in- 

 vestigated, life-span differences among ethnic 

 groups were determined, and age differences be- 

 tween husband and wife were traced through 

 the decades. 



At week's end, the students presented their 

 reports orally, and the projects were discussed by 

 the group. The students returned for a final after- 

 noon at St. Boniface to check their data and to re- 

 fine their conclusions. For a finale, the students 

 guided their instructors on tours of the cemetery. 

 They had come to understand how the residence 

 of the dead could be used to teach us about the 

 society in which the deceased had once lived. 



The cemetery project was an excellent oppor- 

 tunity for the students to learn how anthropologi- 

 cal methods are used in a fieldwork situation; it 

 also offered them fresh insights into their own cul- 

 ture and their own community. FH 



