Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Maxillary Suture Obliteration: A Method For Estimating Skeletal Age, Robert Walter Mann

Masters Theses

The palatal processes of the adult human maxilla consist of two horizontally directed bones of quadrilateral shape situated posterior of the nasal fossae. In the early stages of morphogenesis, these palatal folds are vertically oriented and separated by the developing tongue. Between the eighth and eleventh weeks the fetal tongue descends allowing alignment and midline fusion of the palatal processes of the maxilla. At birth the palate is composed of four bones joined by broad serrated sutures. With increasing age the suture gaps narrow, fuse, and ultimately obliterate.

The purpose of this study is to develop a method of estimating …

Modernization In West Africa: How Women's Lives Have Been Marginalized, Patricia S. Peterman

Masters Theses

Social scientists have documented the effects of colonialism and independence in West Africa, but have focused on male roles in economic institutions. Recent research reveals not only the importance of women as agricultural producers but also the marginalization of women in contemporary national society. Development projects have not eased economic hardship, rather emphasis on industrialization has led to agricultural underdevelopment, borne more heavily by women and children than by men.

This paper looks at the micro-level issues of the division of labor, the structure of the household, the status of women, and issues concerning fertility and reproduction. In doing so, …

Lead Seals From Fort Michilimackinac, Mackinaw City, Michigan, Diane L. Adams

Masters Theses

Archaeologists have routinely identified small lead seals found on sixteenth- to eighteenth-century sites in North America as "bale seals." An analysis of the lead seals from Fort Michilimackinac, Mackinaw City, Michigan, (1715-1781) was conducted to determine whether the seals are actually cloth seals from individual textiles.

Four lines of evidence were examined in order to clarify the function(s) of lead seals: documentary sources, quantitative analysis of archaeological data from Fort Michilimackinac, comparative data from site reports, and cloth imprint analysis.

Available evidence supports an interpretation that most lead seals are cloth marks. Lead seals served as indicators of quality, ownership, …

Sex Determination Of Fragmentary Crania By Analysis Of The Cranial Base: Applications For Study Of An Arikara Skeletal Sample, Margaret M. Williams

Masters Theses

A total of 175 adult human crania from an Arikara Indian skeletal sample are used in this evaluation of a discriminant function analysis for determining the sex of fragmentary crania. The method used was developed by Holland (1986b) and employs nine cranial base measurements. Only crania with associated innominates are used for development of the discriminant functions and a total of 26 crania without innominates are used as a test sample.

A test of measurement error indicates an average of 17.5% of variation due to measurement error for all measurements except the Distance between Foramina (DF). Data from the DF …

The Mexican American Elderly And Barriers To The Utilization Of Health Care Services, Kathleen Anne Hoekstra

Masters Theses

The utilization of health care services by the Mexican American elderly is low compared to the severity of their health problems. This thesis examines the sociocultural factors which affect the interaction of the Mexican American elderly and mainstream health professionals. Included is a brief history detailing discriminatory practices, a description of traditional Mexican cultural practices and attitudes, and an exploration of the cultural barriers which limit access to health care.

A Cultural Study Of The Hispanic Population In Kalamazoo, Michigan, Diane M. Rodriguez

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to detail the cultural diversity of the Hispanic population in Kalamazoo, Michigan, so as to enhance the efforts of social and government agencies in dealing with the social and economic needs of these people.

While other studies have been conducted on Hispanics, this project was unique in that (a) data were collected while the researcher was in the role of advocate as an employee of the Hispanic-American Council, and (b) emphasis was placed on the cultural components of each Hispanic group in Kalamazoo. The discussion centers on the Mexican-Americans, Cubans, and Panamanians, with briefer …

An Archaeological Survey Of Big Bone Cave, Tennessee And Diachronic Patterns Of Cave Utilization In The Eastern Woodlands, George Martin Crothers

Masters Theses

An archaeological survey of Big Bone Cave, Tennessee was conducted by the author from August 1984 to August 1985. Results of the survey indicate that while numerous historic activities, particularly the mining of saltpetre, have disturbed prehistoric deposits in the cave, evidence of aboriginal use of the cave remains intact. The nature of prehistoric remains, their context, and the radiocarbon dated period of activity are used as evidence to support the interpretation that extensive mining of selenite gypsum occurred in the cave, primarily during the Early Woodland period.

The radiocarbon age chronology from Big Bone and other similar cave sites …

The Effects Of Kinship On Land Transfer: A Study Of Settlement On The Cumberland Plateau Of Kentucky And Tennessee, Jeffrey W. Gardner

Masters Theses

This thesis examines specific aspects of nineteenth century Euroamerican settlement on the Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky and Tennessee. Primary historical documents i.e. county deed records, are used as the principal data source in a study of the effects of kin relationship on the process of land transfer. Blevins family property transfers, recorded between 1800 and 1910 in Wayne County, Kentucky and Scott County, Tennessee are examined systematically to: 1) test previous ethnographic and ethnohistoric empahses placed on kinship as a primary settlement determinant and the principal basis for local group solidarity; and 2) demonstrate the utility of deed record information …

Socioeconomic Variability In Federal Period Overhill Cherokee Archaeological Assemblages, Brett High Riggs

Masters Theses

During the early nineteenth century, Cherokee society rapidly evolved from its traditional state of social and economic homogeneity into a state of marked socioeconomic heterogeneity, This transformation is attributable to differential acculturation of Anglo-American economic strategies, material culture, and ideologies by various sectors of Cherokee society. Such socioeconomic heterogeneity is expected to be manifested in the archaeological record by a high degree of intercontextual variability in Federal Period Cherokee assemblages, contrasting with low levels of variability in Colonial Period Cherokee assemblages. This proposition is addressed in this study through comparative analysis of 13 Federal Period Cherokee assemblages, two Federal Period …