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Full-Text Articles in Anthropology

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Annual Report, 2015, Michael S. Nassaney Dec 2015

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Annual Report, 2015, Michael S. Nassaney

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

This year the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (hereafter the “Project”) established new standards in research, teaching, and public outreach in the study of the fur trade and colonialism in southwest Michigan. The Project continues to collaborate in the generation and dissemination of knowledge under the auspices of the Fort St. Joseph Archaeology Advisory Committee (FSJAAC), Western Michigan University (WMU) faculty and students, interested stakeholders, supporters, members, and community volunteers. Highlights of 2015 include:

  • Fort St. Joseph was featured in the exhibit “Evidence Found” at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum in 2015, enjoyed by some 60,000 visitors.
  • The Register of Professional …


“Men Of Good Timber”: An Archaeological Investigation Of Labor In Michigan’S Upper Peninsula, Aaron Howe Dec 2015

“Men Of Good Timber”: An Archaeological Investigation Of Labor In Michigan’S Upper Peninsula, Aaron Howe

Masters Theses

This study approaches the material assemblage of Coalwood, a cordwood camp that operated from 1900-1912 in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, with a dialectal method and a theory of internal relations in order to understand how daily life was produced and reproduced. Common sense notions often see home and work as separate entities that only relate to one another externally. My archaeological and historical research abstracts domestic labor as a set of social relations that are dialectically and internally connected to the processes of capital accumulation. My archaeological analysis concludes that both productive and reproductive labor was conducted within the home and …


The Taphonomic Factors On Human Remains Inside Chullpas: Marcajirca, Peru, Samantha Lauren Lininger Dec 2015

The Taphonomic Factors On Human Remains Inside Chullpas: Marcajirca, Peru, Samantha Lauren Lininger

Masters Theses

This study explored the taphonomic factors that contributed to the preservation of human skeletal remains inside ancient above-ground tomb in Marcajirca, Peru. This study incorporated one hundred and eighteen bones from three chullpas. Five taphonomic factors were examined: bone type, plant activity, root presence, weathering, and cultural factors. Surface layers inside each chullpa were analyzed using Geographic Information System (GIS) software. Chi-square tests were employed to investigate preservation and taphonomic factors. The results from the statistical tests indicated that there was a significant difference in the taphonomic factors on different bone types. Chullpa 6 was significant because it was unique …


Patterns In Faunal Remains At Fort St. Joseph, A French Fur Trade Post In The Western Great Lakes, Joseph Hearns Dec 2015

Patterns In Faunal Remains At Fort St. Joseph, A French Fur Trade Post In The Western Great Lakes, Joseph Hearns

Masters Theses

Faunal studies have the potential to detect a variety of patterns in animal processing activities at an archaeological site. The spatial relationships of taphonomic mechanisms observed within the animal bone assemblage illuminate the use of space on a site as well as the patterns of waste discard. Patterns within the formation processes influencing the distribution of faunal remains serve as the basis for interpretation of animal processing behaviors. This study analyzes a sample of animal bones from Fort St. Joseph (20BE23), an eighteenth-century French fur trade post in the western Great Lakes region. This post was a hub of exchange …


Breastfeeding With The Bronson Mothers’ Milk Bank, Marykate Bodnar Aug 2015

Breastfeeding With The Bronson Mothers’ Milk Bank, Marykate Bodnar

Masters Theses

Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo is home to one of only 15 certified breast milk banks in the United States. Women have shared breast milk for centuries through wet nurses, but this institutionalized and regulated version of sharing is distinct from previous forms. Breastfeeding has become a symbol of successful motherhood; donor milk adds a new dimension to this aspect of idealized motherhood. This study explores how the milk bank works: its organizational structure within a hospital, how donors are selected, and how recipients qualify for donor milk. It is grounded in Feminist and Medical Anthropology literature. Using semi-structured interviews …


Canning Jars And Patterns Of Canning Behavior: A Study Of Households On The Hector Backbone, New York. 1850-1940, Jayne Ann Michaels Aug 2015

Canning Jars And Patterns Of Canning Behavior: A Study Of Households On The Hector Backbone, New York. 1850-1940, Jayne Ann Michaels

Masters Theses

Typically, late 19th or early 20th century domestic sites contain fragments of a common item: canning jars. Such is the case regarding 21 sites along the Hector Backbone in New York State. These sites, investigated by the Finger Lakes National Forest Farmstead Archaeology Project, produced a rich sample of over 250,000 artifacts and thousands related to canning.

The objective of this thesis is to explore the potential of these common artifacts to yield important information about these Backbone households. Specifically, my questions include: when did these households adopt canning and who were they?

The intentional decision to include …


25-Archaeological Investigations Of 20ok476: A Late Eighteenth Century Native American Site On Apple Island, Oakland County, Michigan, David S. Brose Jun 2015

25-Archaeological Investigations Of 20ok476: A Late Eighteenth Century Native American Site On Apple Island, Oakland County, Michigan, David S. Brose

Archaeological Reports

Archaeological investigations of Apple Island in Orchard Lake, Oakland County, Michigan, were casually begun in the early decades of the 20th century when the owners of the centrally located Campbell family farm plowed up and then reinterred a Native American burial accompanied by a pewter bowl filled with white shell beads. 2000 and 2003 discontinuous shallow excavations conducted by local middle school students under the direction of Michael Stafford of the Cranbrook Institute of Science, yielded quantities of animal bone and a scattering of European trade goods. Stafford assigned these to a “Fur Trade” site but never fully reported on …


Reproductive Genetics: Desired Genes, Gendered Ethics, And Eugenic Echoes, Marykate K. Bodnar May 2015

Reproductive Genetics: Desired Genes, Gendered Ethics, And Eugenic Echoes, Marykate K. Bodnar

The Hilltop Review

Present knowledge of genetics and assisted reproduction make fertile ground for a new type of eugenics: reproductive genetics. Proponents of reproductive genetics aim to separate these techniques from the problematic and negative connotations associated with historical eugenic policies by claiming them as part of the liberal eugenic movement. In-vitro fertilization (IVF), the market for sperm and eggs, and prenatal genetic testing allow conscious decision-making regarding the potential genetic make-up of children. Decisions are made in a gendered and politicized environment, shaping understandings of genes, eggs, and sperm around stereotypes and ideal social norms. In choosing “desirable” characteristics, whatever they may …


Special Purpose Structures, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Apr 2015

Special Purpose Structures, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Panel 3. Special Purpose Structures: Places of Rituals and Daily Practice


Domestic Structures - 1, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Apr 2015

Domestic Structures - 1, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Panel 5. Eighteenth Century Domestic Architecture in the St. Joseph River Valley


Architectural Hardware, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Apr 2015

Architectural Hardware, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Panel 6. Eighteenth Century Architectural Hardware


Domestic Structures - 2, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Apr 2015

Domestic Structures - 2, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Panel 5. Eighteenth Century Domestic Architecture in the St. Joseph River Valley


Military Fortifications, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Apr 2015

Military Fortifications, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Panel 4. Fortifications and Military Buildings in New France


Structures Introductory Panel, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project, Michael S. Nassaney Apr 2015

Structures Introductory Panel, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project, Michael S. Nassaney

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Panel 1. Seeking Shelter from the Storm; Architecture in Eighteenth Century New France


Storage Structures, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Apr 2015

Storage Structures, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Panel 2. Military and Commercial Storage Buildings


Horses: How Saddle Style Defines A Culture And The Skeletal System, Brandy Morgan Mar 2015

Horses: How Saddle Style Defines A Culture And The Skeletal System, Brandy Morgan

Honors Theses

This paper examines the way in which various parameters affect injury type and prevalence in horse eventing. The human-horse relationship has a long history that has continued to evolve, and their relationship is still strong today, especially in the role of sports and entertainment. In equestrian sports, horseback riding has been found to be extremely dangerous in terms of prevalence and severity of injury. This paper evaluates how saddle style, the sex of the rider, rider experience, and nature of event impacts injury patterns specifically within horse eventing which utilizes an English styled saddle.


Horses: How Saddle Style Defines A Culture And The Skeletal System, Elizabeth Brandon Mar 2015

Horses: How Saddle Style Defines A Culture And The Skeletal System, Elizabeth Brandon

Honors Theses

Throughout history different cultures have been greatly impacted by horses and their uses. Today horseback riding is still a very popular sport, and though it is more dangerous than other forms of transportation, such as motorcycle riding, horseback riding is still used in entertainment, occupational, and leisure activities. Saddles have long been an important piece of equipment for riding. As the horse became a mode of transportation, many cultures had their own saddle style, but today there are two prominent saddle styles, the western and english styles. The western saddle style is used more for leisure, occupational, and rodeo riding. …


Proof Of Heaven?: Controversy Over Near-Death Experiences In American Christianity, Joel Sanford Jan 2015

Proof Of Heaven?: Controversy Over Near-Death Experiences In American Christianity, Joel Sanford

The Hilltop Review

Testimonies claiming firsthand experience of Life after Death have been circulating in many cultures since antiquity. Among these experiences are those occurring at, near, or beyond the point of death or apparent death. Testimonies of this kind of experience, now widely referred to as a Near-death Experience (NDE), were popularized by Raymond Moody's publication of Life after Life in 1975. In the last 10 years, it seems there has been a growing American public interest in these experiences, resulting in a slew of New York Times best-sellers. With such provocative titles as Proof of Heaven and Heaven is for Real …


27-Phase Ii Site Examination: James Mcdonald Farm Site 12 Or 509, Hoosier National Forest, Orange County Indiana, Joseph Puntasecca, Louann Wurst, Cara Mosier Jan 2015

27-Phase Ii Site Examination: James Mcdonald Farm Site 12 Or 509, Hoosier National Forest, Orange County Indiana, Joseph Puntasecca, Louann Wurst, Cara Mosier

Archaeological Reports

This report documents the findings of a Phase II Site Examination conducted at the McDonald Site 12 OR 509 in the Hoosier National Forest in Southeast Township, Orange County, Indiana (Fig 1.1). The section of the forest where the site is located was formerly a 40-acre parcel representing the SENE parcel of T1S R1E Section 28 of the Southeast Township. This parcel was owned by a farmer named James McDonald from 1850-1893, and it represented but a small part of his 200 acre farm. The U.S. Forest Service acquired the property in 1936.

A Phase I archaeological survey was conducted …


Controversy In Skeletal Biology: The Use Of Pathological And Osteological Markers As Evidence For Activity Patterns, Anna Alioto Jan 2015

Controversy In Skeletal Biology: The Use Of Pathological And Osteological Markers As Evidence For Activity Patterns, Anna Alioto

The Hilltop Review

One of the most pressing controversies today within a multitude of disciplines in biological anthropology including bioarchaeology, paleoanthropology and especially skeletal biology is whether or not physical activity patterns of individuals can be inferred from skeletal material and what types of activities can be reconstructed from that data (Jurmain et al., 2011). While many authors have published articles that incorporated the use of pathological and osteological markers as evidence for activity patterns, there is still much dispute within the skeletal biological community on the validity and the accuracy of the techniques used. This paper will discuss what types of markers …