Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Omaha, Nebraska's Costly Signaling At The Trans-Mississippi And International Exposition Of 1898, Courtney L. Cope Ziska

Anthropology Department: Theses

At the close of the nineteenth-century, Omaha, Nebraska hosted the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition of 1898. Despite financial depression, drought, and war, the city chose to allocate its limited financial, time, and energy resources to the Exposition effort with no guarantee of success and little potential for profit. This thesis aims to make sense of this seemingly wasteful or irrational event by exploring its possible function as a costly social signal of Omaha’s qualities to potential residents, businesses, and city partners. Utilizing data from historical, geophysical, and demographic resources, this thesis assesses the Exposition as a costly signal and the …

The Road To Pomp And Circumstance For Ell Students: The Perceived Ambivalent Schooling Experience Of Ell Students With Mexican Ancestry In An Urban Midwestern High School, Kristine M. Sudbeck

Anthropology Department: Theses

Perceptions of high school faculty and staff members about the graduation outcomes of English language learners of Mexican ancestry were explored. Throughout the course of one semester, observations were made and field notes taken in classrooms and other school locations. Interviews were conducted with 25 faculty/ staff members and 7 students, all of whom were former or current English language learners of Mexican ancestry. The author used a mixed methods strategy; interviews were coded for themes to assess qualitative data, and SPSS was used to analyze quantitative data. Faculty/staff perceived the top three indicators of whether or not an ELL …

Taking Archaeology To The Classroom: A Model For A Fifth Grade In-Class Fieldtrip, Tamara J. Luce

Anthropology Department: Theses

Public archaeology has grown over the last decade due to interest in the field and Cultural Resource Management requirements (Smith and Smardz 2000:25). One group that is often overlooked in outreach efforts is children.

For my thesis I designed an in-class archaeology fieldtrip for fifth grade students. The overarching goal of my program is to introduce children to the field of archaeology in an age-appropriate way that teaches basic archaeological concepts and generates interest and awareness of the field. To create the strongest program possible I conducted research on outreach programs, and surveyed public archaeologists and teachers to determine what …

Status And Prosociality In Egalitarian Societies, Zachary Garfield

Anthropology Department: Theses

Egalitarian societies have been the subject of significant academic attention for their unique cultural qualities, both as a representation of a distinct political category, and as a base line in the context of biological and cultural evolution. Although the domains and degrees of egalitarianism vary cross-culturally, certain characteristics seem universal. Egalitarian societies are nonstratified social systems that lack hereditary statuses with ascribed coercive power. In egalitarian societies leadership is achieved and dependent upon personal qualities and individual behavior. Leaders are granted authority but lack coercive power and rely on techniques such as persuasion to exert influence over others. Multiple theories …

The Social Bioarchaeology Of Childhood As Applied To The Analysis Of An Excavated Mid- To Late-Nineteenth-Century Mennonite Cemetery, Berne, Indiana, Jennifer L. Hildebrand

Anthropology Department: Theses

This thesis provides a social-bioarchaeological analysis of the Old Mennonite Cemetery (1852-1896) in Berne, Indiana, with emphasis on treatment of child burials as a reflection of Mennonite identity and beliefs. Social bioarchaeology combines the methods of both social archaeology and bioarchaeology. When applied to the study of children in a mortuary context, social bioarchaeology allows determination of cultural age categories and a fuller understanding of childhood. In this study, various forms of historical documentation were utilized to provide a social context for analysis of the cemetery. These materials revealed a collective religious identity based on practices pertaining to children, most …

Dynamic Reconfiguration Of Pawnee Social Organization In The Proto-Historic And Historic Eras, Amanda F. Callahan-Mims

Anthropology Department: Theses

The standardized practices and closed context of burials has created an excellent opportunity to observe social change among the Pawnee over time. The Proto-historic Period and Historic Period on the Plains are marked by external trade with Euro-Americans, requiring adaptation among Plains tribes to trade goods from the east. External and internal economies were altered by this trade. Levels of material wealth changed dramatically during these two periods. The purpose of this research is to gauge economic changes that occurred, and, if possible, make determinations based on ethnohistorical data as to why these changes transpired. Additionally, it may be possible …

Displays Of Personal Adornment And Body Decoration By Nineteenth Century Lakota (Sioux) Tribes: A Costly Signaling Model, Michelle L. Night Pipe

Anthropology Department: Theses

Throughout the nineteenth century, Lakota (Sioux) individuals devoted an enormous amount of time, energy, and resources to the production and purchase of lavish clothing, headdresses, and accessories. These items seemingly lack any practical value, making them difficult to account for in economic terms. Costly signaling theory, however, predicts that the costs of the production of personal adornment and body decoration may be offset by the accumulation of prestige. For Lakota men, prestige translated into higher status, membership in warrior and headmen's societies, leadership opportunities, marital opportunities, and ultimately, differential reproductive success. Lakota women also garnered prestige based on the quality …

Ambushed At Dawn: An Archeological Analysis Of The Catastrophic Defeat Of The 1720 Villasur Expedition, Benjamin J. Bilgri

Anthropology Department: Theses

In August of 1720, a Spanish expedition of more than one hundred soldiers, settlers, and Native American allies was destroyed by a group of Pawnee Native Americans at the confluence of two rivers in Nebraska. The precise location of the battlefield has been the subject of debate over the past century, and a systematic archeological investigation to attempt to locate and study the remains of the battle had never been conducted. In order to determine the most likely engagement location and allow an archeological survey of the battlefield site, the author conducted a multifaceted study of the campaign. This included …

Reclaiming The Sacred Within The Legal Pluralism Phenomenon: Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Over Cultural Property, Angela Buenafe

Anthropology Department: Theses

Indigenous peoples’ (IPs’) collective rights over their sacred and cultural properties are inherent human rights recognized in international declarations like the United Nations’ Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN-DRIP) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). The incorporation of these international declarations’ standards within the United States (US) and Philippine federal laws conflicts with the attainment of indigenous peoples’ collective rights to protect and preserve indigenous peoples’ sacred cultural properties. Through a critical and indigenous methodological framework of legal pluralism, this study describes how the Omaha sacred (medicine) bundle and the Ifugao sacred bulul …

Alternative Individual Cartridge Case Identification Techniques, Curtis H. Sedlacek

Anthropology Department: Theses

Individual cartridge case identification is an essential component of historic battlefield archeology. With individual cartridge case identification archeologists are able to track the movement of the combatants as they move across the battlefield, giving a highly detailed view of the past. While useful, current methods of individual cartridge case identification require expensive equipment and extensive training and time to conduct. In this thesis two alternative methods of cartridge case identification are evaluated in order to determine if recent developments in the areas of 3D scanning and statistical analysis can be utilized to develop new methods of individual cartridge case method. …

Nebraska Phase Occupational History Through The Study Of Various Taphochronometric Indicators, Brittany A. Brooks

Anthropology Department: Theses

I report on an analysis of materials from several Nebraska phase sites, 25SY31 (i.e., Patterson site), 25RH69, and 25RH70 to better understand the occupation history of these sites. This study focuses on retouched flakes and the interpretation of them in terms of indices of reduction. The significance of this work lies in the production of a more nuanced understanding of structure use and abandonment within the Nebraska phase. The Nebraska phase occupation histories may allow for a better understanding of land use dynamics on the Central Plains.