Anthropology Commons^™

Domestication And Significance Of Persea Americana, The Avocado, In Mesoamerica, Amanda J. Landon

Nebraska Anthropologist

The avocado (persea americana) is grown all over the modern world in tropical and subtropical climates for food and cosmetics (Humani 1987). In antiquity, the avocado was important to the Ancient Maya not only for food but also as a part of their mythology. Avocados were grown in sacred gardens, and important ancestors were thought to become reborn through fruit trees, including the avocado. Here, I examine the cultural context of the avocado and the issues related to understanding the domestication of the avocado and other tropical fruit trees. I discuss archaeological and molecular evidence, and offer direction …

Utopian And Communal Societies: The Importance Of Institutionalized Awe Through Ideology, Matthew H. Brittingham

Nebraska Anthropologist

America s utopian and communal societies have a long history of using transcendence as a commitment mechanism for followers and converts. The most prevalent commitment mechanism is institutionalized awe through ideology. This principle is extremely important to utopian communities and societies in terms of longevity. Sometimes the ideologies need to be changed in order to help a community sustain awe, and, through the awe, membership. Some of the most successful utopian communities in American history utilized the flexibility of their ideologies to maintain awe and sustain the needs of their members, especially in tragic and difficult circumstances. The American communal …

"This Countries Ladies": Gender Negotiations At The Northwest Company, Grand Portage, Andrew E. Labounty

Nebraska Anthropologist

French interactions with Indians during the fur trade were characterized by intermarriage and cultural assimilation. Later, when Canadian traders took over, women were notably present at the Northwest Company s depot at Grand Portage, and participated in its affairs. Although the seasonal workings of Canadian fur trade depots are well-established, gender roles have been typically overlooked in the day-to-day recount of fur trade societies. This paper will thus investigate the aspect of gender at fur trade posts, and particularly at Grand Portage, as a study in cross-cultural negotiations for the fulfillment of gender roles.

Shipbuilding And The English International Timber Trade, 1300-1700: A Framework For Study Using Niche Construction Theory, Jillian R. Smith

Nebraska Anthropologist

Much scholarship has been undertaken with regards to the evolution of the European shipbuilding traditions and their physical changes, but few explanations for the changes are given. This paper seeks to identify the correlations between the expansion of the English timber trade in the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries and the changes in shipbuilding at the time, thereby creating a framework for future study of this correlation and its possible relatedness using Niche Construction Theory as a framework. Directions the research can take and the data needed are the focus of this work.

Trends Of Pathogen Overload And The Influence On Social Behavior, Dylan Wall

Nebraska Anthropologist

A review of the literature has been undertaken showing that higher levels of pathogen stress have been positively correlated with multiple aspects of social structure: non-sororal polygyny (Ember et al. 2007; Low 1990), exogamy and bride capture (Low 1990), resource defense (Barber 2008; Hames 1996), and male-female body alteration (Singh and Bronstad 1997). Non-sororal polygyny is the most effective reproductive strategy to defend against pathogen stress, as it promotes much genetic variability within gene pools, allowing for more pathogenic resistance in individuals because of heterozygous al/eles. In order to secure mates while faced with ecological extremes, individuals will modify their …

Nebraska Anthropologist Volume 24 : 2009 Table Of Contents

Nebraska Anthropologist

The Expansion of Class Concepts and the Colorado Coal Field War Project (David M. Amrine)

A Preliminary Survey of Lesser-Known Polyandrous Societies (Katie E. Starkweather)

"This Countries Ladies": Gender Negotiations at the Northwest Company, Grand Portage (Andrew E. LaBounty)

Utopian and Communal Societies: The Importance of Institutionalized Awe Through Ideology (Matthew H. Brittingham)

Domestication and Significance of Persea americana, the Avocado, in Mesoamerica (Amanda J. Landon)

Trends of Pathogen Overload and the Influence on Social Behavior (Dylan Wall)

Shipbuilding and the English International Timber Trade, 1300-1700: a framework for study using Niche Construction Theory (Jillian R. Smith)

Animal Helminths In Human Archaeological Remains: A Review Of Zoonoses In The Past, Luciana Sianto, Marcia Chame, Cassius S. P. Silva, Marcelo L. C. Gonçalves, Karl Reinhard, Martín Horacio Fugassa, Adauto Araújo

Karl Reinhard Publications

The authors present a review of records of intestinal parasitic helminths from animals in human archaeological remains, reported since the emergence of paleopathological studies. The objective was to relate paleoparasitological findings to geographic, biotic, and abiotic factors from the environment in which the prehistoric populations lived, and understand some aspects related to the process of human dispersion and biological and cultural evolution. Modification of eating habits and the incorporation of new cultural practices are analyzed from the perspective of zoonoses from prehistory to the present day, especially in Brazilian indigenous populations. Three tables identifying the helminths, their natural hosts, dates, …

The Expansion Of Class Concepts And The Colorado Coal Field War Project, David M. Amrine

Nebraska Anthropologist

The Colorado Coal Field War Project was an attempt by McGuire, Reckner, and others to develop a 'working-class' archaeology that served the public as well as the archaeologists performing excavations and research. The attempt was successful, promoting and supporting ideas that had been discussed in archaeology about gender, class, and the treatment of archaeology as a craft. Their example of using archaeology to benefit communities as well as academic interests can and should be tested in other regions of the United States as well as the rest of the world.

Sojourners In Mexico With U.S. School Experience: A New Taxonomy For Transnational Students, Víctor Zúñiga, Edmund T. Hamann

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

There are many school-age children involved in the transnational movement of peoples between the United States and Mexico. Among those currently in Mexico (typically regarded as a sending country rather than a receiving country), most expect to return to the United States someday, although not necessarily permanently, and they variously identify as Mexican, Mexican American, or American. This suggests that the prospect of enduring geographic mobility affects the complicated work of identity formation and affiliation. Central to this negotiation are Mexican schools, which, like U.S. schools, are not deliberately designed to consider the needs, understandings, and wants of an increasingly …

A Preliminary Survey Of Lesser-Known Polyandrous Societies, Katie Starkweather

Nebraska Anthropologist

To challenge the common misconception that there are only four societies in the world that allow polyandry, this paper uses types of polyandry, suggested by Levine and Sangree (1980), to identify polyandrous societies from India, Africa, South America, and North America. Basic issues of these societies are examined within the context of four commonly cited attempts to explain the existence of polyandry. The goal of the paper is a preliminary look at the existence of polyandry around the world and an initial exploration of issues that mayor may not be associated with this form of marriage.

How Does A Riverine Setting Affect The Lifestyle Of Shellmound Builders In Brazil?, Sabine Eggers, C. C. Petronilho, K. Brandt, C. Jericó-Daminello, J. Filippini, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

The contact of inland and coastal prehistoric groups in Brazil is believed to have been restricted to regions with no geographical barrier, as is the case in the Ribeira de Iguape valley. The inland osteological collection from the riverine shellmound Moraes (5800–4500 BP) represents a unique opportunity to test this assumption for this region. Despite cultural similarities between riverine and coastal shellmounds, important ecological and site distribution differences are expected to impact on lifestyle. The purpose of this study is thus to document and interpret health and lifestyle indicators in Moraes in comparison to coastal shellmound groups. Specifically we test …

Lifestyle Of Shellmound Builders In Brazil (Galley Proofs), Sabine Eggers, C. C. Petronilho, K. Brandt, J. Filippini, Karl J. Reinhard

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The contact of inland and coastal prehistoric groups in Brazil is believed to have been restricted to regions with no geographical barrier, as is the case in the Ribeira de Iguape valley. The inland osteological collection from the riverine shellmound Moraes (5800–4500 BP) represents a unique opportunity to test this assumption for this region. Despite cultural similarities between riverine and coastal shellmounds, important ecological and site distribution differences are expected to impact on lifestyle. The purpose of this study is thus to document and interpret health and lifestyle indicators in Moraes in comparison to coastal shellmound groups. Specifically we test …

A Pilot Study Into The Effects Of X-Ray And Computed Tomography Exposure On The Amplification Of Dna From Bone, Britta M. Grieshaber, Daniel L. Osborne, Alison F. Doubleday, Frederika A. Kaestle

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

This research investigates the intersection of radiography and aDNA, two commonly used methods in bioarchaeology. The goal of this project was to investigate the effects of radiation on the ability to amplify DNA from bone. Bones (n = 124) from domestic pig (Sus scrofa) feet were randomly sorted into a control group and four treatment groups: (1) single exposure X-ray; (2) single exposure CT; (3) multiple exposures X-ray; and (4) multiple exposures CT. Number of PCR cycles required to amplify DNA in 100 bp, 200 bp and 400 bp segments were used as a proxy for the …

The Role Of Basketry In Early Holocene Small Seed Exploitation: Implications Of A Ca. 9,000 Year-Old Basket From Cowboy Cave, Utah, Phil R. Geib, Edward A. Jolie

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Despite ranking at the low end of the continuum in net caloric benefit relative to other foods, small seeds assumed great dietary importance in many parts of the world, including western North America. In a series of publications, Adovasio (1970a, 1974, 1980, 1986) argued that coiled basketry technology was invented in the eastern Great Basin during the early Holocene as a specialized food-processing technique. Coiled baskets are indeed useful for collecting and processing seeds, but it does not necessarily follow that they were originally designed for this purpose. A whole basket recently discovered at Cowboy Cave in southeastern Utah returned …

Archaeoparasitology, Karl J. Reinhard, Adauto Araújo

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Parasites are the major cause of ill health and early death in the world today. Malaria, sleeping sickness, amoebic dysentery, and hookworm infection are examples of commonplace parasitic diseases that are endemic in most parts of the world (see Health, Healing, and Disease). They were significant threats in prehistory, especially in cultures whose social complexity outstripped the development of effective sanitation, hygiene, and germ theory awareness.

Burials: Dietary Sampling Methods, Karl J. Reinhard, Vaughn M. Bryant, Jr.

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

The analysis of burials for botanical and zoological remains evidence of diet is a proven method of nondestructive analysis in the mortuary setting. The value of such analyses is directly dependent on sampling strategies that must include a number of control samples.

Time-Averaged Deposits And Multi-Temporal Processes In The Wyoming Basin, Intermontane North America: A Preliminary Consideration Of Land Tenure In Terms Of Occupation Frequency And Integration., Luann Wandsnider

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Archaeological time perspectivism encompasses the notion that archaeological deposits are formed through the operation of processes occurring at a variety of tempos over the short, medium, and long term (Bailey 1981, 1983, 1987, 2007, this volume). The processes involved may be behavioral, social, formational, organizational, or evolutionary, to name a few. Through their operation, material consequences may be immediate, lagged, or follow after some threshold is breached. Moreover, interaction may occur among and between different processes, depending on whether they operate at approximately the same scale (Bailey 1983; Fletcher 1995).

A corollary of the first statement is that different archaeological …

Time In Archaeology: An Introduction, Simon J. Holdaway, Luann Wandsnider

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Lifeway reconstruction is listed as one of the objectives of "World Prehistory," the ubiquitous course taught in universities and colleges the world over (e.g., Fagan 1995:8). It complements well the other subdisciplines of anthropology, at least for beginning anthropology students, offering them a familiar approach to foreign material: if cultural anthropologists study the behavior of present-day (or at least near-to-present-day) peoples, then archaeologists may be expected to deal with peoples' behavior from the past. Certainly, some archaeologists study the past aided by textual records, and some cultural anthropologists are interested in past historical experience. But this overlap only enhances the …

References For Time In Archaeology: Time Perspectivism Revisited, Simon J. Holdaway, Luann Wandsnider

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

22 pages of reference bibliography for the 2008 anthology of articles on archeology, methodology, and time.

Archeological Survey Within The Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Murray County, Oklahoma, Alan J. Osborn, Ralph J. Hartley

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Introduction

The Midwest Archeological Center (MWAC), National Park Service in Lincoln, Nebraska was contacted by the staff of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Sulphur, Oklahoma to request assistance in the completion of an archeological survey of areas that would be impacted by future renovations, rehabilitations, and upgrades of facilities within Chickasaw NRA. These projects include: 1) installation and/or replacement of twenty-two 18’ steel culverts along back country roads; 2) the installation of thirteen vault toilets; 3) rehabilitation of the comfort station near Buffalo Springs; 4) installation of a electrical conduit and solar panel at Antelope Springs; 5) upgrade of …

Temporal Insanity: Woodland Archaeology And The Construction Of Valid Chronologies, Erin C. Dempsey

Nebraska Anthropologist

This paper will bring to light the problems existing in the current, working chronology employed in Woodland Period archaeology and determine how, possibly, these problems can be alleviated. I assert that creating new chronologies that speak to specific research questions and doing away with a static and unchanging culture-historical perspective in Woodland Period archaeology will help archaeologists better investigate how people lived and interacted during this time and, more importantly, how they facilitated and experienced cultural change in the Eastern Woodlands of North America. By lifting the framework culture history has superimposed on the archaeology of Woodland peoples (i.e. Adena, …

Technological Introductions And Social Change: European Technology On The Great Plains, Andrew Labounty

Nebraska Anthropologist

This paper will explore the changing structure of American Indian society with the introduction of Euro-American technology and practices on the Plains. I intend to compare and contrast social aspects of Indian culture before and after contact, including the presence and intensity of marriage exchanges, levels of exogamy, the intensity of polygyny, and degree of stratification among native groups. These comparisons will shed light on the mechanisms of culture change, showing the entire process to be gradual and often due to conscious, immediately beneficial decisions.

Collective Memory Of The Prehistoric Past And The Archaeological Landscape, Cynthia J. Wiley

Nebraska Anthropologist

The crossroads of archaeological investigation and indigenous oral tradition are ripe with potential for increased interaction between archaeologists and Native Americans. This interaction may become increasingly mandated in the future as NAGPRA affects excavations and material culture collections. Currently this body of information is not being fully utilized. However, as examples of chronologically lengthy prehistoric memory develop, including myths and traditions related to Pleistocene mammals, archaeologists must be prepared to incorporate this information into research designs and interpretations. Strong (1934) and Echo-Hawk (2000) provide a way to critique and organize oral tradition for analysis. Archaeologists must build on this foundation …

From Nuevo León To The Usa And Back Again: Transnational Students In Mexico, Edmund T. Hamann, Víctor A. Zúñiga, Juan Sánchez Garcia

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

The movement of Mexicans to the United States is both longstanding and long studied and from that study we know that for many newcomers the attachment to the receiving community is fraught and tentative. The experience of immigrant children in U.S. schools is also relatively well studied and reveals challenges of intercultural communication as well as concurrent and contradictory features of welcome and unwelcome. What is less well known, in the study of migration generally and of transnational students in particular, is how students moving in a less common direction — from the U.S. to Mexico — experience that movement. …

Dental Health At Oakwood Mound, Will County, Illinois, Daniel L. Osborne

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Human dentitions from Oakwood Mound were examined to ascertain dental health in this population. Attrition rate, carious lesions, and antemortem tooth loss were scored for each adult. No significant differences were present between the aforementioned variables by age or sex. The attrition rate supports the hypothesis that the individuals interred in Oakwood Mound shared similar subsistence strategies. The prevalence of carious lesions suggests a dependence on carbohydrates as a major dietary resource. High rates of antemortem tooth loss also may have resulted from reliance on this food source, although this connection is not as direct as the caries data. These …

Age Discrepancies With The Radiocarbon Dating Of Sagebrush (Artemisia Tridentata Nutt.)., Phil R. Geib

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

When ancient hearths at open archaeological sites do not yield carbonized annual plant remains or other highquality samples, wood charcoal is commonly used for radiocarbon dating. Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.), a shrub frequently used for fuel across much of the western United States, seems a potentially better candidate for 14C dating than tree wood since the possibility for significant age discrepancy might be less. A comparison of multiple assays from single features reveals that sagebrush can overestimate age more than even tree wood charcoal. A plausible cause of this appears to be persistence of the shrub on the ground surface …

Nebraska Anthropologist Volume 23 : 2008 Table Of Contents

Nebraska Anthropologist

In Search of Blood-Stained Earth: A Consideration of Battlefield Archaeology's Applicability to Pre-Historic Conflict in the Eastern and Central Regions of North America (Andrew P. McFeaters)

Technological Introductions and Social Change: European Technology on the Great Plains (Andrew LaBounty)

Temporal Insanity: Woodland Archaeology and the Construction of Valid ChronologIies (Erin C. Dempsey)

Time Perspectivism, Temporal Dynamics, and Battlefield Archaeology: A Case Study from the Santiago Campaign of 1898 (William E. Altizer)

Collective Memory of the Prehistoric Past and the Archaeological Landscape (Cynthia J. Wiley)

Cultural Mentoring at Lincoln North Star High School: A Case Study (Stephen Damm)

The "How" of …

Parasite Pathoecology Of Salmon Pueblo And Other Chacoan Great Houses: The Healthiest And Wormiest Ancestral Puebloans, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

Two fields of paleopathological investigation originated in the Southwest. Archaeoparasitology is the study of ancient parasite infection (Reinhard 1990, 1992b). It includes comparisons between time periods of single societies as well as comparisons of parasitism between different, contemporaneous cultures. For example, Fry (1980) compared Fremont and Anasazi parasitism, and also Archaic hunter-gatherer and ancestral Pueblo parasitism. All of these studies fall into the definition of archaeoparasitology.

By contrast, pathoecology is the reconstruction of relationships among behavior, environment, and disease organisms in the development of illness (Martinson et al. 2003; ReinhardandBuikstra2003; Reinhardet al. 2003; Santoro et al. 2003).1his field developed from …

Paleoparasitology: Perspectives With New Techniques, Adauto Araújo, Karl Reinhard, Otilio M. Bastos, Ligia C. Costa, Claude Pirmez, Alena Iñighez, Ana Carolina Vicente, Carlos M. Morel, Luiz Fernando Ferreira

Karl Reinhard Publications

Paleoparasitology is the study of parasites found in archaeological material. The development of this field of research began with histological identification of helminth eggs in mummy tissues, analysis of coprolites, and recently through molecular biology. An approach to the history of paleoparasitology is reviewed in this paper, with special reference to the studies of ancient DNA identified in archaeological material.

Paleoparasitologia: perspectivas com novas técnicas
Paleoparasitologia é o estudo de parasitos encontrados em material arqueológico. O desenvolvimento deste campo da pesquisa teve início com a identificação de ovos de helmintos em tecidos mumificados, análise de coprólitos e, recentemente, através da …

Alumnos Transnacionales: Las Escuelas Mexicanas Frente A La Globalización, Víctor Zúñiga, Edmund T. Hamann, Juan Sánchez García

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Counter to the expectations that Mexico-U.S. migration is one-way, adult, and from Mexico to the United States, this Spanish-language book includes nine chapters describing various facets of the lives and educational circumstances of students encountered in Mexican schools who have previously attended U.S. schools. Data were derived from written questionnaires from a sample of more than 24,000 students in the Mexican states of Zacatecas and Nuevo León, of whom 632 had U.S. school experience and/or a U.S. birthplace and thereby American citizenship, and from more than 125 interviews with transnational students and their teachers. This study variously considers transnational students' …