MSU Department of Anthropology

10/16/2026

Today: Bring Them Home, a Tribal panel at the MSU Museum, brings together three Tribal members to discuss NAGPRA, repatriation and collections across campus. 2:15 to 4:15 p.m. in the Commons. No registration required, and all are welcome. The Department of Anthropology is a program partner.

Tonight at 7, the Broad Art Museum’s Broad Underground series screens Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild] in Wells Hall B122 (not at the Broad). Directed by Adam and Zack Khalil, the documentary follows Michigan Tribal repatriation work. Free, with registration.

Panel: https://museum.msu.edu/events/bringing-them-home-a-tribal-panel-on-nagpra-repatriation-and-collections-across-campus/
Film: https://broadmuseum.msu.edu/events/broad-underground-aanikoobijigan-ancestor-great-grandparent-great-grandchild/

10/15/2026

What happens when the garden you’ve built can be taken away at any time?

In 2024, MSU Anthropology doctoral student Intan Kumbayoni interviewed Baltimore gardeners who grow food on vacant city lots. They hold a license, not ownership, and the city can reclaim the land whenever it chooses.

“When land can be taken away at any time, people are asked to invest their time, money, and care into something they could lose overnight,” Kumbayoni says.

Read about the research and where it led her at MSU:
https://anthropology.msu.edu/2026/10/15/msu-doctoral-students-fieldwork-follows-baltimores-disappearing-gardens/

10/15/2026

Dr. Gabriel Wrobel’s talk last night in San Ignacio, Belize, part of the Galen University Archaeology Lecture Series: how a single skeleton can tell the story of one person’s life and death in ancient Central Belize. Full livestream via the San Ignacio-Santa Elena House of Culture.

10/14/2026

Two open houses are coming up in the MSU Department of Anthropology. If you’re a student curious about the field, or you know one, these are an easy way to see what the department offers.

Thursday, Oct. 15, 2 to 4 p.m.: Forensic lab open house with Dr. Carolyn Isaac in Giltner Hall, Room 117.

Monday, Oct. 19, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Department open house in Baker Hall, Room 155. Meet an academic advisor and faculty, and ask anything about the anthropology major.

10/13/2026

Tomorrow evening in Belize, Dr. Gabriel Wrobel will give a public talk on osteobiography, an approach that brings together health, diet, trauma and other evidence from a single skeleton to reconstruct parts of one person’s life and death. His examples come from archaeological sites in the Roaring Creek, Caves Branch and Sibun River valleys of central Belize.

The talk is part of the Galen University Archaeology Lecture Series, in collaboration with the Institute of Archaeology (NICH) and several Belizean partners.

10/13/2026

The MSU Anthropology Club left its mark on The Rock last week! Want to leave yours? Join MSU Anthropology Club

10/13/2026

Since 2014, the MSU Campus Archaeology Program has paired campus ghost stories with the history and archaeology behind them. This year’s Apparitions & Archaeology haunted tour starts at Beaumont Tower on Wednesday, Oct. 28, from 6 to 8 p.m. It’s presented with the MSU Paranormal Society and MSU Anthropology Club.

10/12/2026

Michigan Archaeology Day returns to the Michigan History Center in Lansing on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Archaeologists from around the state, including the MSU Campus Archaeology Program, will share their research, show artifacts and answer questions. There are hands-on activities for all ages, and both admission and parking are free.

https://www.michigan.gov/mhc/events/2026/10/24/michigan-history-museum---michigan-archaeology-day-2026

10/08/2026

We’re live on YouTube for Archaeology Now: What MSU Archaeologists Are Digging. Dr. Phyllis Johnson, Dr. Madeline Mackie and Dr. Gabriel Wrobel are sharing what they’re working on right now, followed by Q&A.

Watch here:

Archaeology Now, a new lecture series from the MSU Department of An...

10/07/2026

Bring Them Home, a Tribal panel at the MSU Museum on Friday, Oct. 16, brings together Tribal members to discuss NAGPRA, repatriation and collections across campus. Three panelists will speak from 2:15 to 4:15 p.m. in the Commons. No registration required, and all are welcome. The Department of Anthropology is a program partner.

That evening, the Broad Art Museum screens Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild] at 7 p.m. in Wells Hall B122, with directors Adam and Zack Khalil. Free, with registration.

Panel: https://museum.msu.edu/events/bringing-them-home-a-tribal-panel-on-nagpra-repatriation-and-collections-across-campus/

Film: https://broadmuseum.msu.edu/events/broad-underground-aanikoobijigan-ancestor-great-grandparent-great-grandchild/