The records of the Michigan Archaeological Society records cover the period since 1924. The record group consists primarily of reports, meeting agenda and minutes, correspondence, newsletters, and clippings. The series in the record group are Background, Administrative, Activities, Local Chapters, Topical, and Publications.
Researchers should note that this collection contains depictions of the lives and cultures of the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Bodewadami Nations in Michigan (among other Indigenous cultures across North America) in an archaeological context, described by primarily white archaeologists. As such, materials in this collection may contain offensive language and descriptions of those cultures.
The Michigan Archaeological Society (MAS) is an amateur association concerned with the cultures, artifacts, and peoples of early Michigan. It was officially incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1954. The origins of the MAS, however, go back to 1924, when a group of professional and amateur archaeologists decided that "a united effort was necessary to assemble the data at hand and further search for additional evidence of man's early occupancy in Michigan" (Box 1, Background folder). Unfortunately, the beginning of the Depression meant the end of the fledgling MAS at the time.
Although many MAS members continued their interest in, and commitment to, archaeology, working in small, informal groups, the MAS was not rejuvenated until 1950. It was Emerson F. Greenman, of the University of Michigan's Museum of Anthropology, who reorganized the Society, following the tradition of close ties between professionals and amateurs. Within the MAS, both professionals and amateurs pursued the same goals: "to investigate, research, record, and conserve archaeological sites and artifacts; to cooperate with universities, colleges, and museums with similar interests; and to exchange and disseminate information on such subjects" (Box 1, Background folder).
Over the years, the MAS has been involved in several projects ranging from highway salvage to site surveys to the preservation of petroglyphs. In the process, they have dealt and cooperated with numerous state agencies, museums, colleges, as well as peer archaeological groups in Michigan and other states.
The MAS operates as a statewide "umbrella" organization made up of local chapters in various Michigan cities. Chapters currently, or at one time, associated with the Michigan Archaeological Society include Blue Ridge Chapter, Central Michigan Chapter, Clinton Valley Chapter, Genesee Chapter, Kalamazoo Chapter, Little Forks Chapter, Newaygo Chapter, River Raisin Chapter (Monroe), Saginaw Chapter, South Central Chapter, Southeastern Chapter, Southwest Chapter, Upper Grand Valley Chapter, Upper Peninsula Chapter, and Wright L. Coffinberry Chapter (Grand Rapids).
This collection was originally processed by Tammy Lau, with additional processing by Terry Hoover, Shelley Hayreh, Olga Virakhovskaya, Chris Schunter, and Gideon Goodrich. Goodrich reviewed the finding aid in 2023 for materials related to Native American peoples and their cultures, and updated that description to better surface individual names and band affiliations where appropriate.
The Bentley Historical Library recieves periodic donations of records from the Michigan Archaeological Society. As a result, new accessions are added to the end of the physical arrangement with an intellectual arrangement based on the existing series in order to facillitate access to the new materials.
