Anthropology Commons^™

A Study Of The Cultural And Geological Environment Of The Magic Mountain Site In Golden, Colorado, Brianna K. Dalessandro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Magic Mountain site, located in Golden, Colorado, has been the subject of intensive academic studies since the 1950s because of its extensive artifact assemblage and long habitation periods. The aim of this thesis was to use ground-penetrating radar, magnetometry, GIS models, and lithic analysis to further study when and how the Magic Mountain site was used during prehistoric times and contextualize a variety of hypotheses about site habitation and migratory patterns of prehistoric people in Colorado.

The results of these analyses indicate the habitation and migratory pattern of the Magic Mountain site was a periodic, but consistent, proximal visitation …

Social Capital, Indigenous Storytelling, And Fish Diversity: Learning Together Through Community-University Partnerships In Downeast Maine, Michelle De Leon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Not only can community-university partnerships be vehicles for mobilizing community resources and affecting change, they also have high potential to produce useful, nuanced research and enable renewed visions of trust. I explore partnerships rooted in trust in the context of a community-university partnership between the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik and the University of Maine and its work through the Passamaquoddy-led StoryMaps Team. To accomplish this, I take a transdisciplinary approach to incorporate diverse perspectives on understanding critical and ethical approaches to engagement with Indigenous communities. The central focus among all three chapters is the need for Indigenous communities and institutions …

Giving Form To Flow: Modeling The Paleohydrological Context For Human Settlement And Water Use In The North-Central Coast Of Peru, Elizabeth Leclerc

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within coastal Andean archaeology there is a growing emphasis on the roles of hydrology and hydrological knowledge in Andean strategies for water management, settlement, and land use. Hydrological methods can not only help reconstruct past water environments but also illuminate the influence of changing climates and conditions in the Andean highlands on coastal water flows. Through a case study of the Supe River basin in north-central coastal Peru, focusing on the period from 5000 to 3000 calibrated radiocarbon years before present (cal. BP), I review several hydrological methods useful for archaeological study. I then combine these to develop a paleohydrological …

Discards & Diverse Economies: Reuse In Rural Maine, Brieanne Berry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents an ethnographic exploration of diverse reuse economies in rural Maine in an effort to illuminate both how used goods move between people and organizations, as well as the value of that movement for people and communities. In response to a growing number of calls for research into the social dimensions of circular economies, this research explores the varied and uneven impacts of materials reuse as they are experienced by local participants. This work uses a qualitative approach, drawing on two main methods: participant observation in reuse establishments and in-depth, semi-structured interviews with reuse participants. This rich qualitative …

Archaeological, Geophysical, And Geospatial Analysis At David Crockett Birthplace State Park, In Upper East Tennessee, Reagan Cornett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A geophysical survey was conducted at David Crockett Birthplace State Park (40GN205, 40GN12) using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and magnetometry. The data indicated multiple levels of occupation that were investigated by Phase II and Phase III archaeological excavations. New cultural components were discovered, including the remnants of a Protohistoric Native American structure containing European glass trade beads and Middle Woodland artifacts that suggest trade with Hopewell groups from Ohio. A circular Archaic hearth was uncovered at one meter below surface and similar deep anomalies were seen in the GPR data at this level. A semi-automated object-based image analysis (OBIA) was implemented …

Multi-Level Governance Of Climate Change Adaptation: United Nations Negotiations And Adaptation Project Implementation In Nicaragua And Samoa, Anna E. Mcginn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rapid entry into force of the Paris Agreement reaffirmed, with certainty, that the international community would continue its efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change impacts opening a new era of international cooperation on climate change. This thesis explores how both negotiations around climate change adaptation and adaptation project implementation have evolved in this post-Paris Agreement era (from adoption in December 2015 to present). Using the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) Adaptation Fund as the central lens, the chapters explore international negotiations around the Fund as well as two Adaptation Fund funded …

Climate-Driven Migration: Prioritizing Cultural Resources Threatened By Secondary Impacts Of Climate Change, Frankie St. Amand

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Archaeological sites suffer increasingly destructive primary impacts of climate-driven natural hazards, including sea level rise, flooding, and erosion. Action is generally limited to mitigation and salvage of immediately threatened sites, with little attention or forethought given to secondary effects, such as destruction of interior archaeological resources by inland migration of affected populations. The United Nations predicts a growing trend in resettlement of climate-affected communities from areas where in-situ infrastructure adaptations are not economically feasible, legal, or physically possible. While adapting existing urban infrastructure (e.g., abating combined sewage overflows) is a viable option in the primary impact zone (e.g. coastal areas …

Utilizing Ground-Penetrating Radar In The Delineation And Cultural Resource Management Of Eroding Maine Coastal Shell Middens, Jacquelynn F. Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Shell middens along the Maine coast archive up to 5000 years of cultural and climatic change, but the record is continually and rapidly lost to the sea through climate-driven coastal erosion and sea-level rise. These sites were constructed by the ancestors of Maine Tribes, and are composed of centimeters to meters of clam (Mya arenaria) and/or oyster (Crassostrea virginica) shells, other faunal remains, and cultural materials. Shell middens record human interaction with the environment and early coastal occupation and adaptation. The faunal remains reflect paleoenvironmental conditions and the distribution of extinct and extant forage-species along the western Gulf of Maine. …

Window Inserts And The People Adopting Them: Building Sustainable Communities In Maine, Daniel Sean Mistro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Residents of Maine face a large monetary expense to heat their homes in the winter. In Maine it takes 540 gallons of heating oil each year to heat a typical home [1]. Interior window inserts may be a practical solution to improve comfort, save money, and consume less environmentally harmful fossil fuels during cold winter months. The window inserts discussed in this paper are custom measured to fit into a window and consist of a wooden frame that is wrapped in two layers of polyolefin film and weather stripped for a snug fit. Commercial inserts cost $20-$36/square foot, or approximately …

Social Ecological Food Systems: Sustainability Lessons From Maine Dairy Networks, Julia B. Mcguire

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Milk production has played an integral role in the culture, landscape, and economy of Maine’s agriculture. Maine dairy farmers have faced numerous sustainability challenges to economic, environmental, and social aspects of their industry. Like many other complex social ecological systems, the Maine dairy industry faces a gap between scientific knowledge and actionable management or policy. A cultural dichotomy exists between conventional and organic farming. Shifting the focus from this binary, metrics such as social capital may play a key role in solving sustainability issues. Difficulties arise in the governance of complex social ecological systems when the scales of assessment, management, …

Los Morteros: Early Monumentality And Environmental Change In The Lower Chao Valley, Northern Peruvian Coast, Ana Cecilia Mauricio Llonto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This doctoral dissertation presents the results of archaeological and geoarchaeological studies carried out at the site of Los Morteros and the Archaeological Complex of Pampa de las Salinas, lower Chao Valley, North Coast of Peru, between September 2012 and July 2014. This research focuses on the study of the mound-shaped site of Los Morteros and the environmental contexts in which this site developed. Previous excavations at the site considered Los Morteros as a “stabilized dune” whose top was used as cemetery for pre-pottery people around cal. 5000 B.P (Cardenas 1995, 1999). However, geo-radar explorations of the mound in 2006 and …

Discovering Rock Features With Geophysical Exploration And Archaeological Testing At The Mississippian Pile Mound Site, Upper Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee, Jeremy G. Menzer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Pile Mound survey includes magnetometry paired with targeted ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electromagnetic induction (EMI) surveys of the mound and testing of associated features over the ca. 6.5 ha site. The GPR survey discovered six rock features (five large rock features within the mound and one marking the outside of the mound). Knowledge of mounds in the Upper Cumberland Plateau (UCP) is lacking—the closest other studied sites are at the Corbin Site, Croley-Evans, Bell Site, and Beasley Mounds, approximately 75 – 100 km away. However, the most similar mound construction is found at Corbin and Cherokee sites, some 175 …

Water And The Mountains: Maya Water Mangement At Caracol, Belize, James Crandall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Water management techniques in the Southern Maya Lowlands are both regionally diverse and site specific. This thesis examines the water management strategies of the Classic Period Maya at the site of Caracol, Belize. While it is likely that elites at Caracol controlled the redistribution of resources, i.e. craft and agricultural products, it is probable that the production of agricultural resources and the maintenance of water resource acquisition took place on a more local level. In order to test this hypothesis, a sample of five reservoirs were examined through original research -- and situated in conjunction with past settlement studies -- …

Geoarchaeological Investigations Along The Tambo-Ilo Coast Of Southern Peru, Louis Fortin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The south coast of Peru has had a long history of cultural occupancy from the Preceramic through Chiribaya periods, and into Spanish Colonial / Post-Colonial periods. Procurement and modification of lithic material was an important activity throughout each of these periods but remains an under-explored dataset for late Prehispanic and Colonial populations in the region. Analysis at the Cola de Zorro archaeological site and within the Tambo-Ilo region examined the relation cultures have with their environment through a geoarchaeological analysis of the local geology and the distribution of lithics. Surveys were completed at Cola de Zorro in the quebrada drainage, …

Sharing A Landscape: The Construction Of Sense Of Place On The Maine Coast, Andrea Jane Ednie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Motivated by interest and concern over the changing coastline in Maine, this study uses the concept of sense of place to develop an understanding of how a range of users share the resource, and to explore how place meanings are associated with their social experiences and perceptions. The site for this study was the Stonington region archipelago, an area that has not yet experienced the same amount of development as seen on the southern Maine coast, yet one that has witnessed a boom in recreational use and an influx of people from other areas. Using a mixed methodology, two groups …

Maya Eclipses: Modern Data, The Triple Tritos And The Double Tzolkin, William Earl Beck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Eclipse Table, on pages 51-58, of the Dresden Codex has long fascinated Maya scholars. Researchers use the mean-value method of 173.3 days to determine nodal passage that is the place where eclipses can occur. These studies rely on Oppolzer's Eclipse Canon and Schram's Moon Phase Tables to verify eclipse occurrences. The newer canons of Jean Meeus and Bao-Lin Liu use decimal accuracy. What would be the effect of modern astronomical data on the previous studies and the Maya Eclipse Table? The study utilizes a general view of eclipses that includes eclipses not visible to the Maya. Lunar eclipses are …

Archaeological Geology And Postglacial Development Of The Central Penobscot River Valley, Maine, Usa, Alice Repsher Kelley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this interdisciplinary study is to provide a geological and environmental context for the Late Pleistocene and Holocene Native American occupation of the central Penobscot River Valley, Maine. In addition, this work provides a model for the regional synthesis of geological, archaeological, and paleoenvironmental data in order to examine large-scale patterns of archaeological site formation and preservation. The postglacial central Penobscot Valley experienced varied and rapid landscape changes. Withdrawal of the Laurentide Ice Sheet was followed by marine transgression and regression. Subaerial exposure initiated landscape development. The postglacial Penobscot River rapidly excavated a channel through glacial sediments, creating …

12,000-Year Record Of Lake-Level And Vegetative Change At Mathews Pond, Piscataquis County, Maine, Usa, Andrea Masterman Nurse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study of late-glacial and Holocene changes in lake-level and vegetation at Mathews Pond contributes new information about Holocene environments in northeastern North America. The research establishes a 12,000-year record of paleohydrology for the watershed adjacent to Big Reed Forest Reserve, the largest stand of old-growth forest in the northeastern United States. Mathews Pond is a 7.4 ha, closed-basin, groundwaterseepage lake located in an upland, forested region of the Aroostook River drainage system. Glacial meltwater briefly filled the basin - 13.0 ka (1 ka = 1000 I4C yr BP)). The lake existed as a shallow pool in the deep area …

Variability And Continuity Between Paleoindian Assemblages In The Northeast: A Technological Approach, Edward Cyrus Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Paleoindian record in Maine consists almost exclusively of stone artifacts. Of these artifacts, the fluted projectile point is the most widely recognized and researched, particularly its morphology. Very little is known of the technological strategies involved in the production of Paleoindian stone tools or whether these strategies were consistent between Paleoindian sites. This research examines stone tool production methods and technological organization between two Paleoindian sites in Maine (Janet Cormier and Nicholas) using remnant technological attributes observed on discarded artifacts. Both sites are located in southwestern Maine within the Little Androscoggin River. The sites are situated on elevated, well-drained …

Late Maritime Woodland (Ceramic) And Paleoindian End Scrapers: Stone Tool Technology, Pamela J. Dickinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Archaeologists tend to view lithic assemblages from a predominately morphological perspective, stressing the importance of the fluted point as the defining characteristic of the Paleoindian culture period (ca. 10,000 years B.P.). In applying such a characteristic, Paleoindian sites have been identified throughout the Northeast. However, there are no identified Paleoindian sites in New Brunswick. It is possible that some sites are largely ignored or thought to lack a Paleoindian component if a fluted point is absent. If such sites are being overlooked, then the database may under represent the Paleoindian culture period. Spurred end scrapers commonly occur in known Paleoindian …

Lithic Analysis Of Chipped Stone Artifacts Recovered From Quebrada Jaguay, Peru, Benjamin R. Tanner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Quebrada Jaguay, a Terminal Pleistocene to Early Holocene archaeological site in Southern Peru, is recognized as one of the few sites in the Americas that features evidence of a Paleoindian maritime adaptation. Faunal remains from this multicomponent shell midden include shellfish, fish, crustaceans, and shorebirds. Lithic remains recovered from the site over the course of two field seasons (1996 and 1999) provide information about the technology of the site's inhabitants and afford comparisons with other contemporary sites. These lithic materials provide answers to questions dealing with lithic procurement and production strategies and questions about relationships with other groups along the …