Anthropology Commons^™

Policy Making In Welfare Reform, Misty May Wright, Dr. Donald Forsyth

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This paper is to report the results of my study on policy-making in welfare reform. While interning at a special interest group for disability issues in Washington D. C., I conducted ethnographic research through ethnographic interviewing and participant observation. It was my intent to profile the culture of policy-makers, specifically in welfare reform, as part of a more extensive study to compare their culture to those affected by policy. I found that the primary markers of the policy-making culture are information exchange and meetings.

Report On The Tullis Ranch Investigation, Margaret Parnell Grindstaff, Dr. Joel Janetski

Journal of Undergraduate Research

With the grant provided by the Office of Research and Creative activity, I was able to conduct a survey of the Tullis Ranch. The ranch is located northeast of Spring City, UT and is owned by Marta and Lamond Tullis. After purchasing the land in 1997, Dr. Tullis came upon an unusual circular structure, which appeared to be a dwelling of some kind. This grant provided the money to do two sample excavations in this dwelling. The purpose was to discover whether the structure had been built by early pioneer settlers in the Sanpete County or whether the structure predated …

Genetics And History Surrounding Chachapoyas, Peru, Joel E. Myres

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Anthropologists studying human diversity and distribution have long recognized that humans are the recipients of two major informational systems; one cultural and the other biological. Both these components of human diversity are inherited by organisms, be they individuals or populations, across spatial and temporal realms, and retain the ability to influence the behavior or continuance of the organism in terms of fitness. Similarly, the biological record can reflect cultural processes or transitions, such as migrations or disease, much as ethnographic studies can identify elements of cultural adoption, such as ideas or practices. In as much as these elements of culture …

The Maya Sculptor: An Epigraphic And Iconographic Study, Holly Sullivan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The existence of artistic authorship within ancient writing systems, though rare, is a significant diagnostic tool. Such signatures can illuminate social positions of artists and networks of artistic production. They also represent a unique genre of text outside of formal written language which can reveal aspects of the language never considered before. Recently, Mayan epigraphers have begun to ask if such a program of authorship existed among the Classic Maya. For my research project I undertook the collection and decipherment of 95 proposed signatures or “name-tags” on stelae and carved monuments from 23 sites in the Central Maya region of …

Images Of Self: Constancy Amidst Social Change In India, Erika Gilroy

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Social changes currently taking place in India are primarily a result of the Indian government’s efforts to promote technological industries, introduce family planning programs, and provide greater educational opportunities to a larger number of its people. The major effects of these reforms are the movement of an increasing number of Indians from villages to cities in order to find employment, the shift from a dominantly agricultural society to one of urban industry, and the increasing number of Indians who seek, and for the first time are given, the opportunity for an education. While such reforms may be changing many of …

Ancestor Worship Among The Ovahimba Of Namibia, Travis Slade

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The OvaHimba tribe of Southwest Africa have a tradition of ancestor worship that extends back into the past when their ancestors made the long trek from the Horne of Africa into present day Namibia. This subgroup of the Herero tribe are pastoralists with limited horticulture of maize to subsidize their cattle products. These cattle are divided into secular and religious wealth. The religious wealth is inherited from father to eldest son. The religious inheritance of the OvaHimba is called the Oruzo. Oruzo is the religious aspect which I focused on in my studies of genealogy and ancestor worship among the …

What Are Shoshone Knives?, Cindy A. Eccles

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This research project began in pursuit of three goals: (1) establishing the temporal and spatial distribution of distinctive stone blfaces labeled as “Shoshone” knives, (2) determining the function and range of morphological variability of these bifaces and (3) ascertaining whether the label “Shoshone” knives, which centers on ethnic affiliation, is appropriate. Use of this term also raises the issue of style versus function as a cause for the distinctive shape of this biface. Studying this element of the archaeological record will further our understanding of the little studied Late Prehistoric and Protohistoric eras.

Transformations Of Comitancillo, Richard Lynn Paul

Journal of Undergraduate Research

A number of transformations have occurred through the centuries for all Mayan peoples. Some transformations affect only a single area of life while others are major transformations that affect several areas of Mayan lifestyle. These great displacements are turning points during which many cultural beliefs and practices are lost.

An Exhibition On Casas Grandes At The Museum Of Peoples And Cultures, Jeffrey Kent Romney

Journal of Undergraduate Research

During the Fall of 1993 I submitted an application for a research grant through your office and received a $1,000 scholarship on December 9, 1993. My proposed project was to design an exhibition on Casas Grandes at the Museum of Peoples and Cultures here at BYU. The Museum holds a large collection of unique artifacts from this culture. The idea for an exhibit using this collection first carne to mind after doing some research on these collections during the Summer of 1993. Starting in January 1994, therefore, I began the process of research necessary to formulate the informative background for …

Social Changes And Women’S Issues Of Coimbatore India, Dana Diana Bowen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I demonstrated in my application for The Research and Creative Work Scholarship last Fall semester that specific patterns of transition in women’s roles and statuses occur in evolving societies. Examples of this evolution were illustrated in the American, !Kung San, and Chinese societies. I further hypothesized that these same patterns of evolution are also occurring in India and possibly other countries.

Independence: Perceptions Of Self-Identity In The Life Of A Native & American Woman, Tyler K. Lee, David Shuler

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Summer was rapidly approaching and I was busy making plans to visit Oaxaca, Mexico in search of answers. Several cases of labor abuse involving Mixtec Indians from that region working in Californian fields had emerged and I wanted to find out if Mixtec communal living patterns were being altered here in America as opposed to their traditional way of living in the villages of Oaxaca. I was set to leave in April when a friend of mine invited me to her Indian reservation in northeastern California for the weekend. I became so intrigued with the community of Independence, California that …

The Relationship Among Garbage, Culture, And Economics In Puerto Rico As Compared To Guatemala, Jennifer M. Lambert, Dr. John Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this project was to return to Nahuala, Guatemala to continue my research analyzing the relationship between cultural attitudes and treatment of solid waste. I also planned to begin an investigation of the environmental impact of the solid waste there. However, my plans changed when the anthropology department canceled the summer trip to Guatemala. I decided to conduct a parallel two month study in Puerto Rico.

In Search Of Relics: The Pectol-Lee Collection Of Artifacts From Capitol Reef, Michelle R. Munsey, Dr. Marti Allen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

To curate an exhibit of leather goods, pottery and processed raw materials from ancient Puebloan cultures at the Museum of Peoples and Cultures (MPC). This exhibit was one discrete component of a larger umbrella project that included publishing a catalogue of the entire exhibit.

Twentieth Century Chinggis Khan, Joseph Benson, Dr. Paul Hyer

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I spent several months this summer in Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), where I studied how Chinggis Khan (Ghengis Khan) is an icon to the Mongolians of Inner Mongolian, the Chinese of Inner Mongolia and the Mongolians of Mongolian People’s Republic (MPR). My research naturally focused on the Chinggis Khan Mausoleum located in the Ordos region of Inner Mongolia because this mausoleum is the longest standing historical symbol of Chinggis Khan. The mausoleum was established in the late thirteenth century during the reign of Khublai Khan. The protectorate tribe of the Mausoleum, called …

Revealing Identity Through Artifacts, Paul Reed Stavast, Dr. Marti Lu Allen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The first research objective was to study how personal, community, and culture area identities are portrayed through artifacts originating from Mesoamerica. The second objective was to integrate the research done on identity as a sub-theme into an exhibition at the Museum of Peoples and Cultures. The exhibition would include four other cultures areas from around the world.

Assisting Esl Students In Linguilical And Social Integration, Lisa Dione Booher, Dr. Julie Hartley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

With an ever-increasing immigrant population, schools across the nation are being forced to mold their programs to fit the needs of students who do not know the local language and culture here in the United States. These students’ future rests on their success in these matters. If they fail in their new schools, this failure will set the tone for the rest of their lives. Where they work, live, or continue their education all depend on their success at their new schools. For this reason, I chose to survey students, teachers, and tutors/translators to gather their opinions on how to …

Accessioning The Krenutz Collection, Corinda Kelly, John Clark, Shane Baker

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the Fall of 2001 the Museum of Peoples and Cultures (MPC) located at BYU received a donation of a very highly valued collection of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican artifacts as well as several artifacts from the ancient Middle East. According to the American Association of Museums (AAM), one of the main responsibilities of a museum is to “have a formal and appropriate program of documentation, care, and use of collections” (http://www.aamus. org/infocenter/infor01.htm). My project at the MPC involved providing appropriate documentation, care, and use of the objects. Providing accurate documentation on a large collection such as this required many painstaking efforts. …

Seasonality Studies And Research Questions For Faunal Remains At The Coombs Village Archaeological Site In Boulder, Utah., Jennifer Taylor, Dr. Joel C. Janetski

Journal of Undergraduate Research

“The goal of zooarchaeology is to gain a better understanding of the relationship between humans…and other animal populations” (Reitz and Wing 1999:1).

With this in mind, I set out for the Coombs Village archaeological site at Anasazi State Park in Boulder, Utah during the Olympic Break of February 2002. Animal bone, often the only surviving evidence of animals found in the archaeological record, tells a limited story of faunal life in and around areas inhabited by prehistoric humans. Just the species of animal found in an archaeological site offers understanding of the human/animal relationship. Specialized areas of zooarchaeology take further …

The Chronology Of Fremont Farming In Northern Utah, James R. Allison

Faculty Publications

Fremont maize cultivation in northern Utah occurred at the northernmost extent of prehistoric Native American horticulture west of the Rocky Mountains. Fremont chronology currently relies almost entirely on a large database of radiocarbon dates, but most of the existing dates are on wood charcoal subject to old wood problems; dated charcoal also often has unclear associations with maize or other cultural materials. Recent efforts to directly date archaeological maize from museum collections have helped refine the chronology of Fremont horticulture. These new dates indicate that the timing of the earliest appearance of maize varies across northern Utah, and that in …

Cultural And Contextual Differentiation Of Mesoamerican Iconography In The U.S Southwest/Northwest Mexico, Michael T. Searcy

Faculty Publications

Ample research has documented the long-term interaction between Mesoamerica and the U.S. Southwest/Northwest Mexico (SW/NW). Nelson (2006:345) has used the phrase ''Mesoamerican interaction markers" as a way to describe evidence of the is contact in the SW /NW. He further defines these as "a variety of archaeological patterns that are reminiscent of Mesoamerican counterparts" including "objects, practices, and styles." Some of the interaction markers that have been studied at length are trade goods such as copper bells, macaws, shell, and iron pyrite mirrors (Bayman 2002; Bradley 1993; Ericson and Baugh 1993; Kelley 1966, 1995; Mathien 1993; McGuire 1993p; Nelson 2000; …

Exploring The First Ground Stone Quarry Discovered In The Casas Grandes Region Using Ethnoarchaeology, Michael T. Searcy, Todd Pitezel

Faculty Publications

Several researchers have noted and studied the exquisitely formed manos and metates of the Casas Grandes region of northern Mexico. During a survey project in 2013, we located the first quarry ever discovered where these tools were manufactured of vesicular basalt using a suite of stone tools. This paper explores the morphology of the site, the toolkit of the metateros (metate makers), and ethnoarchaeological implications resulting from the study of modern metateros.

Izapa Group B: Excavations, Burials, And Offerings, Rosemary Lieske

Theses and Dissertations

Izapa, a Late Preclassic regional center located in southern Mexico, was heavily excavated by the New World Archaeological Foundation from 1961-1965. However, much remains unclear regarding the details of those excavations, specifically in regards to Group B. In this thesis I hope to present important details derived from those excavations in a way that is meaningful and useful. The purpose of this thesis project is to: (1) reconstruct the excavation history of Izapa Group B, (2) to provide a reconstruction of Group B's architectural history as revealed through the excavations, and (3) to identify and present descriptions of the contents …

The Cultural Whys Of Mental Retardation: Etiologies Among The Asante In Ghana, West Africa, Chelsea Shields, Dr. William C. Olsen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

During my time as an international student at the University of Ghana and volunteering at a school for mentally handicapped children, I uncovered a large lacuna in non-western mental retardation research and decided to return the next year as BYU’s Ghana Medical Anthropology field study facilitator. I desired to document and disclose Asante beliefs behind mental retardation under the hope that such awareness would lead to more positive treatment of handicapped individuals.

Sourcing Stone Tool Raw Materials From The Escalante Basin, Cady Waldrom, Dr. Joel C. Janetski

Journal of Undergraduate Research

An important aspect of the archaeological record is the stone tool technology that ancient people incorporated into their life. Different tools such as projectile points, bifaces, scrapers, drills and choppers enabled ancient people to perform necessary daily tasks. Raw materials for making stone tools consist of different types of rocks that are found in various formations and locations. Specific materials were favored among ancient people, and the ability to find where the sources being exploited are located will help archaeologists better understand the trade and interaction amidst formative peoples.

Multispectral Analysis Of A Vatican Library Palimpsest, M. Bryan Wheeler, Dr. Gene Ware

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the Middle Ages, the cost of writing materials was so prohibitive that scholars often scraped the text from the parchment of a book and copied new writings over the old text. Centuries later, modern scholars often have more interest in the barely discernible, earlier texts. Multispectral approaches to image acquisition have shown promise in restoring the earlier texts. Presently, the primary need of multispectral analysis techniques is the development of effective post processing algorithms. Although many multispectral datasets have already been collected, there remains much work to be done in the image post processing realm.

Na Isevu Sarau: The Function Of Ritual In A Fijian Village, Spencer Walsh, Dr. Julie Hartley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Ceremonial exchange plays a significant role in Fijian ritual and can be viewed as an activity that seeks to promote the health and prosperity of the community. An example of this is the annual ritual of the isevu sarau, or the offering of the first fruits of the tuberous sarau (plant similar to the yam). This ceremony takes place around the beginning of May each year throughout the Yasawa island group of Fiji when the sarau crop reaches maturity. I observed this ritual while conducting research at the village of Tamusua located on the southernmost end of Yasawa Island.

The Himba’S Usage Of Botanical Resources For Medicinal Purposes, Megan Rae Petersen, Dr. David P. Crandall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

How is one to maintain and preserve a dying culture? The Himba tribes of Namibia are facing such a crisis. Globalization continues to displace more and more their traditional way of life. The once deep-seated traditions of the ancestors are being replaced with drunkenness, the wearing of western attire, and mass exodus to the city in hopes of “a better” life. The knowledge that was once respected and honored is vanishing. Documentation seams to be the only form of preservation. Therefore, I headed to Africa to document the Himba’s dying art of healing. My journey began long before I set …

Ritualized Conversion Among Maya Pentecostals Of Ixtahuacan, Guatemala, Michael Jones, Dr. John Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Among two Ki’che’ Pentecostal congregations, I examine conversion as a process for reconstructing one’s disrupted symbolic system or world view. This reconstruction is effected through rituals revealed in ritualized recitation of one’s conversion narrative and in the examination of group interaction. I explore three aspects of the conversion process—motive, mode, and choice of congregational affiliation after acceptance of “el evangelio”—and place conversions in historically and socially relevant contexts. I find that through conversion narratives individuals learn the proper form of conversion and socialization. The narratives reveal the proper way to reform and reconstruct a disrupted symbolic system.

Contemporary Bark Cloth Of Tonga: A Manifestation Of Tongan Women And Society, Kirstin M. Johnson, Dr. Julie Hartley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Thousands of years ago the ancestors of the Tongan people brought with them a tree that would harvest bark prime for making cloth. Since then, Tongan women have exploited the resources of the paper mulberry tree (Broussonetia papyrifera) to produce a bark cloth they term ngatu. Today, fewer and fewer women make ngatu, yet, all women are perpetually in need of it since the cloth itself socially, ceremonially, and sometimes economically supports their lives. Women work endlessly to produce and give this honored fabric due to ingrained feelings of duty to fulfill cultural norms that retard change and leave no …

Ghanaian Healing And Traditional Medicine: An Ethnobotanical Study Of The Use Of Medicinal Plants Among Traditional Ashanti Healers Of West Africa, Patricia Fifita, Dr. William Olsen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

For the importance of this paper, ethnobotany is defined as the study of interactions between plants and people, particularly the influence of plants on human culture. The study of medicinal plant knowledge is an issue of increasing importance and definite urgency, especially as various indigenous peoples around the globe are suffering a great loss of traditional knowledge and practices. Examining traditional plant knowledge holds value in the interest of cultural preservation, as well as providing an important contribution in the area of drug discovery. In this project, I focused on the traditional healing practices and systems of the Ghanaian peoples …