Digital Commons Network^™

Prehistoric Adaptations On Fishers Island, New York: Progress Report, Robert E. Funk, John E. Pfeiffer

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Archaeological and paleoenvironmental research since 1985 on Fishers Island, New York has delineated a partially radiocarbon-dated Native American cultural sequence beginning in the Late Archaic period c. 4200 B.P. and ending at the Contact period c. A.D. 1600. Investigated settlement types included shell middens, lithic workshops, and inland hunting-gathering camps. Subsistence remains, including nuts, mollusks, and the bones of mammals, fishes, and birds indicate sporadic occupation of the island from spring through fall. Pollen recovered from both fresh water bogs and salt marshes evidence a typical postglacial forest succession beginning with the spruce-fir zone at about 13,000 B.P. and ending …

The Primacy Of Context: An Exploration Into The Causes Of Food Insecurity In Kitere, Kenya., William O. Aludo

Capstone Collection

The purpose of this study was to explore the specific reasons why households in Kitere village, Kenya experience persistent food insecurity every year while the region enjoys the advantage of two planting/harvest seasons in a year. Kitere village lies within the lakeside region of Nyanza Province in Kenya, generally considered to be one of the more agriculturally productive parts of the country. The Participatory Rural Appraisal method was employed to gather qualitative data on the causes of food insecurity in Kitere village. The data sources were focus groups and a self-administered, one-time survey of random and non-random samples of key …

The Eternal Newcomer: Chinese Indonesian Identity From Indonesia To The United States, Gregory S. Urban

LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University

The construction of identity among the ethnic Chinese populations in Indonesia has been a complicated and incomplete process. The temporal and spatial formulation of identity has allowed for continual change in which marginalization and discrimination have resulted. This paper utilizes Stuart Hall’s theory in which identity always multiplies and changes throughout history, determined by a “splitting between groups. From the colonization of Indonesia to modern times, the identity of ethnic Chinese has constantly been changing, while being kept apart from what Benedict Anderson calls the national imagined community. Indonesia’s national dictum, “Unity in Diversity,” has dismissed the small Chinese ethnicity …

Prehispanic Use Of Chili Peppers In Chiapas, Mexico, Terry G. Powis, Emiliano Gallaga Murrieta, Richard Lesure, Roberto Lopez Bravo, Louis Grivetti, Heidi Kucera, Nilesh W. Gaikwad

Faculty Articles

The genus Capsicum is New World in origin and represents a complex of a wide variety of both wild and domesticated taxa. Peppers or fruits of Capsicum species rarely have been identified in the paleoethnobotanical record in either Meso- or South America. We report here confirmation of Capsicum sp. residues from pottery samples excavated at Chiapa de Corzo in southern Mexico dated from Middle to Late Preclassic periods (400 BCE to 300 CE). Residues from 13 different pottery types were collected and extracted using standard techniques. Presence of Capsicum was confirmed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)/MS-MS Analysis. Five pottery types …

Sally N. Cummings. Understanding Central Asia: Politics And Contested Transformations. New York: Routledge, 2012., Emilian Kavalski Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Global Carbon-And-Conservation Models, Global Eco-States? Ecuador’S Yasuní-Itt Initiative And Governance Implications, Conny Davidsen Ph.D., Laura Kiff

Journal of International and Global Studies

The “global carbon age” marks a structural change far beyond the economic realms of implementing carbon trade, affecting the fabric of global environmental governance and its actors. Carbon trade and conservation in the Global South have taken on various forms, and climate change mitigation efforts in light of continued rainforest deforestation are scrambling to establish effective approaches. Ecuador’s Yasuní-ITT Initiative proposes a new global carbon-and-conservation model in the Ecuadorian Amazon that leaves oil reserves of the Yasuní Ishpingo Tambococha Tiputini (ITT) oil fields underground, in exchange for international compensation payments that would be based on voluntary contributions of governments and …

I Know It's Only Rock 'N' Roll But They Like It! A Community History, Popular Music, And Public Audiences, Stefan Bielinski

Northeast Historical Archaeology

The author discusses community history, popular music, and public audiences using a multidisciplinary approach. These themes are discussed with an example from the Colonial Albany Social History Project.

Como El Hijo De Nadie: Internal Divisions And The Struggle For Attention In Bocana De Paiwas, Alina Rosenfeld

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Paiwas is a municipality located at the intersection of the Región Autónomo de Atlántico del Sur (RAAS),1 the Región Autónomo de Atlántico del Norte (RAAN),2 and the Pacific National half of Nicaragua. The autonomous regions are part of Nicaragua, but have their own regional government, control over their natural resources, and are dedicated to preserving indigenous culture, language, and traditions. Just as it is physically, Paiwas is an intersection between the regional autonomous government and the various levels of government on the Pacific side of the country: all governing entities in some way play a role in the development and …

Subsistence And Resistance On The British Columbia Coast: Kingcome Village’S Estuarine Gardens As Contested Space, Douglas Deur, Nancy J. Turner, Adam Dick, Daisy Sewid-Smith, Kim Recalma-Clutesi

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

A case study is presented on the contested land ownership of the estuarine gardens in Kingcome Village, British Columbia (BC) between white settlers and the native Kwakwaka'wakw Indian Nation during the 19th century. The role that the natural resources of Kingcome Village's estuarine gardens played in white colonists' settlement of the Kingcome Village area is discussed.

Late Holocene Tsunami Deposits At Salt Creek, Washington, Usa, Ian Hutchinson, Curt D. Peterson, Sarah L. Sterling

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We interpret two thin sand layers in the estuarine marsh at Salt Creek, on the southern shore of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, as the products of tsunamis propagated by earthquakes at the Cascadia subduction zone. The sand layers extend for about 60 m along the left bank of the creek about 800 m from the mouth, and can be traced to the base of a nearby upland area. One layer is exposed in the creek bank about 400 m further upstream, but they are only patchily distributed in the rest of the central area of the marsh. Both …

Beyond Ramaluk: Towards A More Inclusive View Of Identity In The Tibetan Diaspora, Shani Shih

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper is an investigation of identity in the Tibetan diaspora in India, informed by the oral histories and narratives of Tibetan diasporic youth living in the capital city of Delhi. By documenting, comparing, and analyzing the experiences of Tibetan youth growing up in India (both Indian-born and Tibetan-born), and attempting to understand their varying notions of Tibetan identity, as well as perspectives on its role in their community, it seeks to answer the following: Why and how do dominant notions of Tibetan identity and/or “Tibetanness” become dominant? What are the unintended consequences of affirming these notions of Tibetan identity …

K’Iche’ Kinship Terms And Social Identity, Kristine Kinship Whipple, Dr. John Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

During the summer of 2005, I lived and worked among the indigenous Maya-K’iche’ of the Guatemalan highlands. Prior to leaving, I had anticipated examining kinship terms in a bilingual country and whether the use of K’iche’ terms vs. Spanish terms would indicate a difference in the type of kinship relationship created. Upon arrival, I learned that I would spend the season in a rural, monolingual K’iche’ hamlet. Without my informants knowing any Spanish, I abandoned my bilingual project altogether and studied, instead, the native conceptions of communication and how these conceptions interplayed with their models of kinship and family. Having …

The Kingdom Of Tonga And The Unwritten Order, Doug Farr

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In this paper I will address the unwritten order that exists in the highly stratified society of the Kingdom of Tonga. The relationship between power and rank in Tonga has created informal laws that govern the people. These informal laws, as well as a struggle for power, have created a division between the elite class and the powerless class, and this division is generating an uprising of the powerless class. I argue that the powerless class may win independent battles against the informal laws, however they will not defeat it completely, as this system has proven to be a testing …

How The Past Becomes A Place: An Example From 19th-Century Maryland, Julia A. King

Northeast Historical Archaeology

This paper examines how certain landscapes were remade as places important in the collective memory in 19th-century America. Specifically, archaeological, documentary, and literary evidence are used to show how Susquehanna, a 19th-century tobacco and wheat farm in St. Mary's County, Maryland was reconfigured as a place important in the state's past. By imagining Susquehanna and the region in which it was located as a place in time, many upper and middle class Marylanders were able to reconcile the growing differences between the southern and northern parts of the state. The actions of these 19th-century men and women are not unrelated …

Rethinking The Mengkom-Mixing Bowl: Salvage Archaeology At The Johannes Luyster House, A Dutch-American Farm, Gerard P. Scharfenberger, Richard F. Veit

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Salvage excavations at the Johannes Luyster Farm (28Mo261) revleade extensive archaeological depostis reflecting three centuries of life on a Dutch-American farm. These deposties, when taken in conjunction with the architecture of the house and surviving primary documents, provide a glimpse of the changing lifestyles of the Jersey Dutch during the 19th century. Although the Luysters maintained some aspects of their ethnic heritage, they also participated in many aspects of the larger society. Case studies of the individual sites such as this one are a first step towards understanding the interrelationships between national trends and their local manifestations. Furthermore, they highlight …

The Archaeology Of 19th-Century Farmsteads: The Results Of A Workshop Held At The 1997 Annual Meeting Of The Council For Northeast Historical Archaeology, Terry H. Klein, George L. Miller, Mark Shaffer, Wade Catts, Mary Beaudry, Lu Ann De Cunzo, Dena Doroszenko

Northeast Historical Archaeology

A workshop was held at the 1997 annual meeting of the Council for Northeast Historical Archaeology (CNEHA) to address the question "What do we do with 19th-century farmsteads in the Northeast?" The workshop involved several brainstorming sessions in which the participants examined topics and problems associated with current approaches to the archaeological investigation of farmstead sites. These brainstorming sessions examined questions such as: "What is a 19th-century farmstead?" "What are the research and public values of these sites?" "Which sites should be examined?" and "How should these sites be investigated?" The workshop ended with the development of an action agenda …

Analysis Of Uniparental Lineages In Two Villages Of Santiago Del Estero, Argentina, Seat Of “Pueblos De Indios” In Colonial Times, Maia Pauro, Angelina García, Rodrigo Nores, Darío A. Demarchi

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

Based on the analysis of the mitochondrial control region and seven biallelic markers of the Y Chromosome, we investigated the genetic composition of two rural populations of southern Santiago del Estero, Argentina, that were seats in colonial times of “pueblos de indios”, a colonial practice that consisted of concentrating the indigenous populations in organized and accessible settlements, to facilitate Christianizing and policing. We found the Native American Y chromosome haplogroup Q1a3a in only 11% (3/27) of the males. Haplogroup R, common in European populations, is the most frequent haplogroup in Santiago del Estero (55%). In contrast, the persistence of Native …

Exploring The Relative Importance Of Spatial And Environmental Variation On The Craniometrics Of The Modern Portuguese, Katherine E. Weisensee

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

Previous research on the causes of craniometric variation within and among human populations has invoked both genetic and environmental explanations. Recent studies of modern populations in the United States and Portugal, among other populations, suggest that changes in environmental conditions have resulted in significant changes in cranial morphology. While similar changes in cranial morphology have been observed in genetically diverse populations, these populations do not appear to be converging on a common form. This study seeks to understand the role that population history and environmental variation play in explaining craniometric variation in the modern Portuguese. Using three-­‐dimensional craniometric data collected …

Intermittence For Humans Spreading 45,000 Years Ago: From Eurasia To The Americas, J. C. Flores

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

From northeastern-Eurasia to the Americas, a three stage spread of Modern Humans is considered through large scale intermittence (exploitation/relocation). Conceptually, this work supports intermittence as a real strategy for colonization of new habitats. For the northeastern Eurasia travel, the first stage, we adapt our model to archaeological dates determining the diffusion coefficient (exploitation phase) as D=299.44 [km²/yr] and the velocity parameter (relocation phase) as v_o=4.8944 [km/yr]. The relative phaseweight (≈ 0.46), between both kind of motions, is consistent with a moderate biological population rate (r'≈ 0.0046 [1/yrs]). The second stage is related to population …

The Mayaarch3d Project: A 3d Webgis For Analyzing Ancient Architecture And Landscapes, Jennifer Von Schwerin, Heather Richards-Rissetto, Fabio Remondino, Giorgio Agugario, Gabrio Girardi

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

There is a need in the humanities for a 3D WebGIS with analytical tools that allow researchers to analyze 3D models linked to spatially referenced data. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) allow for complex spatial analysis of 2.5D data. For example, they offer bird’s eye views of landscapes with extruded building footprints, but one cannot ‘get on the ground’ and interact with true 3D models from a pedestrian perspective. Meanwhile, 3D models and virtual environments visualize data in 3D space, but analytical tools are simple rotation or lighting effects. The MayaArch3D Project is developing a 3D WebGIS—called QueryArch3D—to allow these two …

Plant Management Systems Of British Columbia's First Peoples, Nancy J. Turner, Douglas Deur, Dana Lepofsky

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article provides an overview of the diverse plant resource management strategies of First Nations of British Columbia. Management practices range from relatively large-scale (geographically) and longterm activities – such as the use of fire to clear prairies and subalpine meadows – to very focused actions, such as the pruning of individual shrubs. We describe plant resource management practices and the diverse methods used to identify them, and focus on three case studies to augment this description. These case studies exemplify the range of plants and ecosystems that were managed as well as the combinations of strategies and outcomes encompassed …

The Stress Revolution: An Examination Of Acculturative Stress And An Emerging Modern Human Stress Response, Jeffrey Nicklas

Social Sciences

In a world that is so fast pace and always changing, the human biological systems have need to adapt just as swiftly. WIth the dependence on culture that humans all share has led to the building of societies with complex rules, ideals, and accepted roles and ways of life. In these complex societies, great cities and governments have arisen but so too have unnoticed changes to human biology. One of these changes is with environmental stressors and the effects it has on the nervous system. The human body, in these modern times, still responds to perceived stressors with the release …

Vol. 36 No. 1/2 (2013): Pacific Studies Full Issue, Et Al Miranda Forsyth

Pacific Studies

Pacific Studies is published two times a year by The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i #1979, 55–220 Kulanui Street, Lāʻie, Hawai‘i 96762, but responsibility for opinions expressed in the articles rests with the authors alone. Subscription rate is US $26.00 yearly, payable to The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies. The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies (formerly The Pacific Institute) is an organization funded by Brigham Young University Hawai‘i. The Center assists the University in meeting its cultural and educational goals by undertaking a program of teaching, research, …

Books Noted: Recent Pacific Islands Publications: Selected Acquisitions, January 2012-December 2012, Riley Moffat

Pacific Studies

THIS LIST of significant publications relating to the Pacific Islands was selected from new acquisitions list received from Brigham Young University-Hawaiʻi, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Bernice P. Bishop Museum, University of Auckland, East-West Center, University of the South Pacific, National Library of the Australia, Melanesian Studies Resource Center, Center for Pacific and Asian Studies, University of Nijmegen, University of California, San Diego, Secretariat of the Pacific Community Library, Center for South Pacific Studies, University of New South Wales, Macmillan Brown Library at University of Canterbury, and the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau's Center for the Pacific Development Training. Other …

Indigenous Cuisine: An Archaeological And Linguistic Study Of Colonial Zapotec Foodways On The Isthmus Of Tehuantepec, Michelle R. Zulauf

Graduate Masters Theses

Cuisine refers to the ethnically idiosyncratic food choices and the manner and methods in which these foods are prepared and served. In this investigation I will explore traditional Zapotec cuisine and its early colonial changes and continuities on Mexico's Isthmus of Tehuantepec by examining available food sources, food preparation techniques and equipment, and food serving traditions evidenced at the archaeological site of Rancho Santa Cruz. In order to achieve this I developed a two-fold analysis. The first component was the analysis of the Vocabulario en Lengua Zapoteca published by Fray Juan de Córdova in 1578. This historical dictionary provides an …

Rock Art Tallies: Mathematics On Stone In Western North America, James V. Rauff

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Western North America abounds with rock art sites. From Alberta to New Mexico and from Minnesota to California one can find the enigmatic rock paintings and rock carvings left by the pre-Columbian inhabitants. The images left behind on the rocks of the American plains and deserts are those of humanoids and animals, arrows and spears, and a variety of geometric shapes and abstract designs. Also included, in great numbers, are sequences of repeated shapes and marks that scholars have termed "tallies." The tallies are presumed to be an ancient accounting of something or some things. This article examines rock art …

Parowan Valley Potting Communities: Examining Technological Style In Fremont Snake Valley Corrugated Pottery, Scott M. Ure

Theses and Dissertations

Defining the Fremont archaeological culture has challenged archaeologists for decades. There is still considerable debate about the origins of the Fremont, their eventual demise, their genetic relationship to modern Native American tribes, and myriad other issues. In nearly a century of Fremont research, socio-political, economic, and religious complexity remain elusive subjects. Examining technological style, the manifestation of socially influenced choices during each step of production as a means of passive communication, is one useful avenue to examine Fremont material culture to uncover the social patterns they may, or may not contain. I examine whether or not technological style in Fremont …

Humanitarianism And The Anthropology Of Hunger, Kate Klein

Undergraduate Theses—Unrestricted

While the early view of hunger as the product of a world population too large to sustain has largely been eliminated, and the mainstream international community has come to accept that food insecurity results from issues of distribution rather than an insufficient global food supply, the emphasis on biotechnology in agriculture, humanitarianism in international aid, and social justice in international human rights law in the contemporary era has contributed to other barriers that prevent hunger alleviation.

In this thesis, I argue that these previous contemporary developments have had the capacity to hide hunger. My analysis of technology and humanitarian aid …

Participant/Observer Vol. 6. No. 1 Summer 2013, Anthropology Department

Participant/Observer

A Newsletter of the friends of the Western Michigan University Department of Anthropology

Table of Contents:

• Welcome from the Editor
• Recent Investigations of Fort St. Joseph
• 2012 Finger Lakes National forest Farmstead Archaeology Project Season
• Michigan Archaeology Day
• Liberty Hyde Bailey Museum Project in South Haven
• Where Are Our Alumni Now?
• Faculty Updates
• Annual Speaker Series
• WMU at SHA
• Recognize anyone?
• 2012-13 Department of Anthropology Awards

Soy Gaucho: Nationalism And Modernity In Argentina, Geneva M. L. Smith

Anthropology ETDs

Set in rural Argentina, debates over cultural recognition, land rights, and economic opportunity have been waged throughout the countrys history. By lodging the analysis in Argentina's rural zones, this project examines the series of neoliberal economic policies that led to a widespread shift to agricultural biotechnology, the ensuing social effects including urbanization due to decreasing rural labor opportunities, and the potential for new or hybridized political economies in the form of post-neoliberalism that have emerged out of Argentina's devastating 2001 economic crisis. In recent years, there have been accelerated agronomic and demographic shifts in Argentina's rural sector as farmers turn …