Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Parturition On Pelvic Age Indicators, Rosanne Bongiovanni

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Estimating age from skeletal remains provides a critical component of the biological profile of an individual. To date, there are different methods used on select parts of the skeleton to assess the age of the individual, and currently, the pelvis is relied upon heavily to obtain accurate and reliable age ranges (Berg 2008; Brooks and Suchey 1990; Buckberry and Chamberlain 2002). Many have stated that age related changes follow different trends in males and females, with parity presented as one of the possible causes for such differences (Berg 2008; Meindl and Lovejoy 1989; Resnick and Niwayama 1998; Suchey and Katz …

Geography’S Place In Big Sky Country: A Study Of Motivating And Demotivating Factors For Teaching Geography In The Montana Classroom, Kayde Ellen Kaiser

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The purpose of this research was to develop an understanding of the motivating and demotivating factors for teaching geography. The research examined what aspects of policy, preparation, administration, etc. affect a teacher’s desire to teach geography concepts in the (K)-12 classroom. By understanding these factors, organizations and programs can begin to mitigate them with the intention of encouraging teacher to teach quality geography concepts, and ultimately produce students with increased geographical knowledge and literacy. The research created a set of primary source data that will be utilized for further research and strategic planning. The research will assist the Montana Geographic …

A Culture Specific Grief Intervention And Its Affects Upon Coping Behavior And Perceived Social Support Among American Indians: A Treatment Development Study, William Henry Shunkamolah

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Numerous theorists have linked centuries of historical trauma to continued unresolved grief, a high level of distress (e.g., depression), and high rates of social problems (e.g., substance use/abuse) in American Indian communities, but interventions aimed at addressing the losses experienced by this population are virtually non-existent. Members of a tribe in Montana identified historical unresolved grief and personal grief, as the most salient underlying factors related to health disparities in their community. Collaboration between the tribal community, the tribal Community College, The University of Montana, and Montana State University led to the development of a culturally anchored grief intervention for …

Psychological Adjustment And Relational Development In Ethiopian Adoptees And Their Families, Waganesh Zeleke

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The number of American families choosing to adopt a child from Ethiopia has increased exponentially since 2004. Over the past five years alone, between 2006 and 2011, 13.5% of internationally adopted children in the U.S. came from Ethiopia. The purpose of this study was to examine psychological adjustment and relational development of Ethiopian adoptees who have been adopted during 2007 -2010 and their families who reside in Montana.

Using a convenience-sampling method, data were collected from 25 adoptive parents who adopted a total of 35 children from Ethiopia. All families live in Montana and responded to questions through an online …

"Conspicuous Consumption:" Germs And Climate Cures In Denver, 1882-1915, Sydney Rene Gwinn

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis argues that the health-seeker’s quest for climatic cures persisted after the germ theory of disease began to alter medical approaches to tuberculosis after its announcement in 1882. Buoyed by anti-modern sentiments and a lack of effective medicinal interventions, physicians continued to recommend that tuberculosis patients travel to Denver to seek recovery in a healthier climate. In turn, Denver’s polity and public health approaches were shaped by the influences of the migration of tuberculosis patients to the city. After 1882, new approaches focused on sanitation and isolation began to take hold among physicians and public health reformers who worked …

Defining Postmortem Changes In Western Montana: The Effects Of Climate And Environment On The Rate And Sequence Of Decomposition Using Pig (Sus Scrofa) Cadavers, Jessica R. Spencer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The rate and sequence of human decomposition permits forensic anthropologists to estimate time since death for remains from the forensic context. Preliminary research conducted in western Montana indicates that decomposition does not follow the patterns found in other geographic locations. The purpose of this study is to better define western Montana’s unique environmental factors that affect the rate and pattern of decomposition by documenting changes in mature pigs (Sus scrofa) employed as human proxies. The pigs were deposited during the cold months of October and December and analyzed by comparing the rate and sequence of decomposition with climatological and environmental …

The Lived Experience Of American Indian Teen Parents From A Northern Plains Tribe, Ann Marie Douglas

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Although there is extensive research on the outcomes of teen mothers and their children, there is little research to date on how teen parents, especially American Indian teen parents, are functioning in their new role. This is alarming as the rate of births to American Indian teens is far greater than the same-aged Non-Hispanic White population. This study examined the lived experiences of teen parents currently living on a Northern Plains Indian Reservation. Seven participants were interviewed using a phenomenological method. Interviews were analyzed using NVivo and Giorgi’s method. The themes that emerged were traditional roles (child role, parent role, …

A Preliminary Analysis Of Saw Mark Degeneration In Bone Due To The Application Of Hydrated Calcium Oxide, Heidi Lynne Johnson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The use of calcium oxide (lime) in both agricultural and burial customs has been seen since the Iron Age. Due to this usage, the myth stating that the application of this chemical will expedite the complete destruction of human remains developed. This myth, in conjunction to historical and contemporary instances of its usage related to criminal activities has demonstrated a need to better understand the interactions of this chemical with bony tissue, particularly as it relates to saw cutmarks. Using pig elements as proxies for human remains, this research aims to systematically examine the degenerative effects resulting from the application …

Defining Postmortem Changes In Western Montana: A Longitudinal Study Of The Rate And Sequence Of Surface And Burial Decomposition, Tory Nicole Huey

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Estimating time since death is difficult because of the multitude of factors that can alter postmortem change. Initial research conducted in western Montana indicates that decomposition does not follow the patterns found in other geographic locations. The purpose of this study is to better define how western Montana’s unique environmental factors affect the rate and pattern of decomposition of surface remains and buried remains. In May 2012 one mature pig (Sus scrofa) was placed on the surface and a second pig was buried. Throughout a nine-month period the following variables were monitored for the surface pig: rate and pattern of …

Avian Scavenging, Mummification, And Variable Micro-Environments As Factors Affecting The Decomposition Process In Western Montana, Teresa Ann White

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The purpose of this research study was to empirically study the temporal order of events of postmortem changes in Missoula, Montana utilizing pig (Sus scrofa) cadavers as human proxies by documenting postmortem changes and rate of soft tissue decomposition of three pigs over the course of one year and 19 days. The data from this study will be compared and contrasted to studies that have occurred elsewhere. A full understanding of the postmortem changes and rate of soft tissue decomposition in this area will help forensic anthropologists better understand why the postmortem interval (PMI) may be different in western Montana …

If Rocks Could Talk: Using Central Place Foraging Theory In Lithic Production And Utilization Research, Sara Hocking

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This research addresses microeconomic decision making during the Fur-Trade Occupation at Housepit 54 of the Bridge River Site. Specifically, it addresses the lithic production in regard to field processing and technological investment at the site. Field processing considers the importance of cost in transporting lithic raw material, while technological investment examines the amount of retouch and usewear based upon the distance from the quarry. The research tests the hypothesis that: the farther away the quarry is from the village site, the more flakes will be dominated by late stage reduction while the extent of retouch and usewear per tool will …

The Brave Heart Society: An Oral History Of An Indigenous Women's Society, Brook Spotted Eagle

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study examines the Brave Heart Society and the ways in which Brave Heart women collectively approaches trauma-healing outside of the programmatic structures of federally funded tribal systems. National statistics speak to the contemporary struggles impacting most US Indigenous populations in the present-day. Such struggles are residual symptoms rooted in a long history of domination and US imperialism. These data indicate that most tribes have not fully recovered from federally imposed systems of deprivation. Within the context of the Ihanktonwan Dakota community in southeastern South Dakota, the nuanced ways in which trauma impedes development and community wellness is both realized …

Investigation Of Craniofacial Morphological Variation At Sully (39sl4), Elizabeth Rose Agosto

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study utilizes a theoretical framework of modern quantitative population genetics to identify factors contributing to the morphological variability between multiple, geographically distinct burial areas associated with the Sully village site (39LS4) in the Middle Missouri region of South Dakota. In particular three burial areas at Sully (A, D, and E) provide adequate samples for assessing intra-site variation. It has been a long-held belief that the observed morphological variability between burials areas is due to temporal sequencing; however, this explanation lacks hard craniometric and archaeological support. This study reassesses the assumption of temporal sequencing through the investigation of post marital …

‘Planting The Seeds Of Educational Change’ Indigenous Voices, Multicultural Education, And The Us Democratic Ideal, Miranda Crystal Laber

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

‘Planting the Seeds of Educational Change’ Indigenous Voices, Multicultural Education, and the US Democratic Ideal An Exploration of the Potential Roles and Influences of Indigenous Voices in Education on Collective Perceptions of Truth and Democracy

Pristine Places And Passive People? Responses To Neoliberal Development And Maoist Conflict In Nepal's Northwest Himalayas, Catherine Lee Sanders

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In Humla District, Nepal, agro-pastoralists' confrontations with forces of change in the last generation have altered villagers' abilities to gain access to scarce resources. Development efforts and Nepal's recent armed conflict, in particular, introduced novel technologies and ideologies that affected Humli vulnerabilities. This dissertation is based on field research comparing two Hindu villages in northwest Nepal during 2009 and 2010. One village had more extensive ties to development than the other, and these villagers and other change agents co-created transitional contexts of vulnerability in the post-conflict setting of rural Nepal. An armed conflict dominated the political landscape in Nepal for …

Opportunities And Constraints To Community Forest User Groups Participating In Redd+ Payment Programs In Nepal, Alexander Cuthbert Smith

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In response to global concern for the consequences of climate change, the United Nations’ Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) program was developed to support greenhouse gas emission reduction and carbon sequestration in developing countries. While still being developed around the world, in Nepal a REDD+ pilot project is being conducted with the involvement of the Nepali government’s Department of Forestry (DoF) and its community forestry program. The pilot project is called “REDD+ in Community Managed Forests in Nepal” (RCMFN). The commitment of Nepal’s government to carry out this project makes it an ideal location to study carbon …

Queer Panic In Native American Literature, Theodore Cecil Decelles

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Indigenous American sexual minorities and alternatively gendered voices went underground due to Eurowestern sexual colonization from the time of the conquistador invasions of the early 16th century to the political campaigns of cultural homogenization of the mid-20th century. A cultural distortion still exists in the postcolonial era. In the past many North American indigenous nations had culturally specific sexualities and genders that reflected the cultural heterogeneity of the Americas. Today cultural assimilation negatively affects queer Native Americans, and culturally imported attitudes of homophobia are reflected in Native American literature. An interdisciplinary approach must be used to study the cultural distortion …

The Archaeological Investigation Of Cedar Bark Basket Trees In Western Montana: Background, Methods, And Trial Study Of Culturally Modified Trees, Dean Sonneah Nicolai

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis explores the potential for archaeological investigations of culturally modified trees (CMTs) in the northern Rocky Mountain region of Western Montana. Culturally modified trees are considered to be living artifacts, representations of traditional culture, and a lasting physical manifestation of long term use by inhabitants. The goal of this thesis is to offer an archaeological perspective for investigation of cultural modifications of the cedar basket tree (Thuja plicata), and to contribute to the development of a method for inquiry and analysis. Two primary research questions were posed: How does the study of behavioral archaeology and the methodological approach presented …

The Ethnography Of On-Site Interpretation And Commemoration Practices: Place-Based Cultural Heritages At The Bear Paw, Big Hole, Little Bighorn, And Rosebud Battlefields, Helen Alexandra Keremedjiev

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Using a memory archaeology paradigm, this dissertation explored from 2010 to 2012 the ways people used place-based narratives to create and maintain the sacredness of four historic battlefields in Montana: Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument; Nez Perce National Historical Park- Bear Paw Battlefield; Nez Perce National Historical Park- Big Hole National Battlefield; and Rosebud Battlefield State Park. This research implemented a mixed-methods approach of four data sources: historical research about on-site interpretation and land management of the battlefields; participant observations conducted during height of tourism season for each battlefield; 1,056 questionnaires administered to park visitors; and 32 semi-structured interviews with …

Silent Sentinels: Archaeology, Magic, And The Gendered Control Of Domestic Boundaries In New England, 1620-1725, C. Riley Auge

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The following dissertation is an historical archaeological study of the material culture of gendered protective magic used by Anglo-Europeans in seventeenth-century New England as a tactic to construct boundaries that mitigated perceived personal, social, spiritual, and environmental dangers. Such boundary construction was paramount in the seventeenth-century battle between good and evil epitomized by the belief in and struggle against witchcraft. This dissertation sought to answer three interrelated research questions: 1) What constitutes protective magical material culture in seventeenth-century contexts and how is it recognizable in the archaeological record? 2) What signifies gender specific protective magical practices and what can these …

Ancestral And Sex Estimation Using E.A. Marino’S Analysis Of The First Cervical Vertebra Applied To Three Modern Groups, Victoria Marie Swenson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Developing a biological profile in forensic anthropology is vital for the medico-legal field. Forensic anthropologists have long sought to develop ancestry and sex determination methods using complete and fragmented skeletal elements. Ancestry is most commonly assessed using cranial traits. Sex is assessed using the os coxa and cranial traits. Post-cranial methods for identifying individuals are needed in the field because cranial and pelvic elements are often broken and incomplete. Examining other elements can increase the likelihood of identification of the individual in question. Eugene Marino (1993; 1995; 1997) developed a method for estimating ancestry and sex from eight measurements of …

Lithic Technology And Risk: Winter Houses At Bridge River Villages, Kelly French

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The 2012 excavation of a single housepit (Housepit 54) at the Bridge River Village site (EeR14) offers the unique opportunity to look at lithic organization and techinological strategies during the Fur Trade era in the Middle Fraser Canyon. The main goal of this research is to understand how the winter occupation of Housepit 54 may have affected the lithic technological strategies carried out at Bride River Village. As a winter pithouse, lithic raw material sources would be inaccessible during the three months of occupation. The hypothesis of this thesis is structured with a theory of risk framework in order to …

The Sweet Grass Hills And Blackfeet Indians: Sacredness, Land, And Institutional Discrimination, Cassie Sheets

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Sweet Grass Hills of north-central Montana are part of the four Tribes of the Blackfoot Confederacy’s traditional territory and play a vital role in perpetuating Blackfeet culture. The Blackfeet Tribe of Montana was forced to sell the Sweet Grass Hills to the federal government in 1888 after the decimation of bison populations. In 1992, the first large-scale corporate mining proposal in the Sweet Grass Hills was proposed by Lehmann and Associates and Manhattan Mineral, Ltd. In response to public outcries, environmental impact statements were issued by the Bureau of Land Management, the agency that manages the area, and Secretary …

Household Organization In The Fur Trade Era: Socioeconomic And Spatial Organizations Of Housepit 54, Alexandra Christine Williams

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Households are fundamental units of society that possess powerful explanatory potential; however, few studies have approached household organization during the critical contact period within the Mid-Fraser Canyon. The 2012 excavation of Bridge River’s Housepit 54 (HP 54) offers a rare opportunity to investigate such socioeconomic relationships and their spatial manifestations. Hypotheses structured with a household archaeology theoretical framework emphasize household socioeconomic strategies. The first hypothesis outlines a network strategy characterized by greater centralization of power, hierarchical complexity, and material-wealth that is reflected in residential units with individual features and disparate accumulations of prestige goods and high utility resources. Such floor …

Using Landsat Imagery To Evaluate Landscape-Level Impacts Of Natural Gas Field Development: Tazovsky Penninsula, Russia, 1984-2007, Jesse Stevens Wallace

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Yamburg gas condensate field in northwestern Siberia sits atop the largest natural gas and petroleum basin in the world. Infrastructure related to the extraction and transport of natural gas is both geographically widespread, and has been shown to affect a much larger area than the immediate infrastructural footprint. Because field studies of the environmental impacts of development are often costly or unfeasible given the remoteness of these areas and access restrictions, the use of remote-sensing technologies is a valuable asset for assessing and quantifying disturbance over large areas. Freely available 30 meter resolution Landsat imagery from 1984 to 2007 …

Archaeology Database Management: A Case Study In The Solution Of Incompatibility Issues Between Different Archaeological Databases, Nathaniel Scherr

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Archaeologists tend to use computerized databases to record data recovered from excavations. These databases contain large collections of information that can aid archaeologists in making educated decisions, interpretations, and test hypotheses from the recovered data. As time passed, databases became bigger and varied in the information that can be stored. As a result, more data could be recorded from the field that in turn can be used to ask more complicated questions of archaeological remains. However, the use of computerized archaeological databases does not come without its own problems. For example, since each archaeological project can be governed by different …

Community Resilience Training Project Proposal, Delyla Wilson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Community Resilience Training (CRT) Project Proposal is a design for the creation and implementation of a multi-level, adaptive curriculum designed to improve community resilience to disasters and other major disruption. Grounded in chaos theory and the complexity paradigm of disaster response, the CRT program is designed to provide information at the community level to promote change throughout the disaster preparedness, response, relief, and recovery process. The CRT project incorporates permaculture technology, wilderness medicine protocols, community organizing skills, and transnational advocacy competencies with traditional community knowledge to create a culturally specific training curriculum. Through the research process, community knowledge and …

Asymmetry Of The Humerus: The Influence Of Handedness On The Deltoid Tuberosity And Possible Implications For Osteometric Sorting, Carrie Brady Legarde

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The identification of individuals from commingled human remains can be a difficult task. Osteometric sorting is often utilized for these purposes since it sorts remains based on size. This research investigates whether asymmetry of the humerus is present, if it is due to an individual’s hand preference, and if this asymmetry can adversely affect the osteometric sorting method. The osteometric sorting formulae for pair-matching was used to classify individuals as asymmetric when elements were considered significantly different in size. Significant asymmetry was seen in multiple measurements and the asymmetry could be due to handedness. This relationship appeared more consistent with …

The Changing Role Of Sámi Women In Reindeer Herding Communities In Northern Norway And The 1970-1980s Women’S Resistance And Redefinition Movement, Marcie Kaye Bremmer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Historically, different nations-states at different times have tried to claim authority over the Sámi in the circumpolar north. After the nation state borders were drawn in the 1700s and 1800s, separating Russia, Norway, Sweden and Finland, Norway introduced a harsh and 1800s separating Russia, Norway, Sweden and Finland, Norway introduced a harsh assimilation policy that lasted over a century. Cultural Darwinist views and national assimilationist legislation and social strategies chipped away at Sámi society and its identity as an indigenous people. Over time Sámi women found their accustomed social, economic, and political autonomy eroded. Post World War II, the emerging …

Authorship Of The Ghost, Nathan Ronald Tonning

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Authorship of the Ghost