Vampires, Witches and Ghost Hunting

Statue at Manchester Museum (Haunted Artifact?)

- would move in circle

- had convex base, so when ppl walked by, vibrations made it rotate

Warren Occult Museum

- home of Annabelle

- objects possessed by spirits

- objects include demon masks, satanic tools, etc.

Exorcist Statue (Haunted Artifact?)

- actually pazuzu demon from mesopotamia

- evil underworld spirit

- protector (fights lamatsu that kills babies)

Storytelling in Ghost Hunting

- mixing fact and fiction makes archaeology more appealing

Ghost Hunting Tools

- motion static cameras

- thermometers

- flashlights

- emf meters

- ouija boards

Ouija Board

- our own subconscious and tremors make us move cursor around board

Weighing the Human Soul (Dr. Duncan MacDougall)

- soul weighs 21 grams

- weighed dying ppl

- after they died , weighed again (lost 21 grams after)

- noetic science

Ghost Tours

- embracing place (structual remains of archaeology)

- architecture itself is piece of history

Ohio Old House (Case Study)

- processed artifacts from building to dissect

- ghost tours held by students

- stopped before end of sentence so ppl could react/make own story (leave unanswered)

Mary King's Close

- 1753 underground forgotten city in Edinburgh

- tour done by ppl dressed in costume

- area "haunted" by plague victims (bubonic, pneumonic)

Annie's Room (Mary King's Close)

- Aiko Gibo (Japanese psychic) in 1970s "found" Annie and brought her a doll

- spirit of little girl abandoned by parents in 1500s

- visitors leave toys as offerings

Pseudeoarchaeology

- references western world

- academic term

Alternative Archaeology

- describes indigenous and subaltern attitudes

- places nonscientific cultural based hypotheses in terms of disenfranchised groups empowerment

Peru (Case study)

- ancestor worship

- ancient Peru: mummies/bundles

- modern Peru: impacts and manipulation of ancient remains

Mummy Bundles in Peru

- organs removed

- naked bound extramities

- wrapped in textiles, leaves, etc.

- arid enviro = good preservation

- buried with grave goods

- grouped w others

- made by sacerdotes (priests)

- by becoming mummies, they were tranformed to ancestor self to be worshipped and consultedd

- colonialism destroyed many bundles (seen as idols and taboo)

Cemetry Sites in Peru

- abused OR used in holy week celebs (ancestor worship continuation)

- casual digging artifacts (sometimes turns to looting)

- family bonding

Chamanismo (shamanism)

- hired by ppl to diagnose/cure spiritual illness

- nature connection

- trances, drugs + dances

Curanderismo (folk healing)

- positive term

- complementary w alternative meds

- sites have supernatural power, multiple spiritual views used, flessless remains only acceptable

Brujeria (Witchcraft)

- negative term (ppl who dislike occult use)

- in colonial times, it meant someone who denounced god/made deal w devil

Hechiceria (Sorcery)

- negative term

- cast spells to affect others (relationships)

- cause sickness

Por Venir (Active ritual site)

- looted cemetries

- alcove (evidence of burning candles)

- pile of skulls

- ritual trash (candles, incense, etc)

Siete Lagos de Huanacabamba (Potions)

- pilgrimage site for brujos

- potions from perfumed water (from Lagos)

- potions usually positive (finding love, success, health)

Huaquero (Looter)

- sometimes for subsistence or treasure hunting

- focus on burials (burial goods)

- chew coca leaves (when sweet, something good in huaca)

- broken artifacts used by locals into new things

Curses

- curanderos hired to cure them from archaeology sites

- curse likely mold/dust

- DONT go to medical dr (spiritual component to curse)

Who Owns the Past in Peru?

- dead still exist and have influence over living

- "mi historia, mis antiguos" (my history, my antiques)

- local point of pride

- archaeologists tied to gov

Vampire Burials

- folklore and reality blend

- shallow graves settle over time (ex. watery areas sometimes flooded, bodies rose up)

Prevention of Vampires

- stake thru mouth/heart (keeps them down)

- decapited

- buried face down

- poppy seeds (makes them eepy)

- detached hands/feet (cant walk bitch)

- rocks on body

- toss into running water (cleanse demon)

How to determine a vampire (via decomposition)

- if hadnt fully decomposed, it was alive + hunting ppl

- if it had, ppl mistaked decomposition for undead qualities

- cant win either way

Signs of Vampirism

- decomposition (raw skin exposed)

- growing fingernails (skin tightens, so looks longer)

- growing hair (^^)

- fangs (gums dry out)

- bloating (microorganisms decompose/bloat body, makes person look like theyve been feeding)

- blood (where bloodsucking myth from, but blood was the persons)

- corpse noises (gases in body)

- gnaw marks (likely mice, maggot, etc)

Vampires as Scapegoats

- mass hysteria (if plague happens, its vampires and the first dead was the vampire who spread shit)

Who can be a vampire?

- heart attakcs

- women dying in childbirth

- stabbings

- anyone who died in any way other than old age