Anthropology Commons^™

The Urban Landscape Of Health, Hygiene, And Social Control: The Development Of Municipal Services In Battle Creek, Michigan, Jared Lee Barrett

Masters Theses

This thesis is outlining the introduction of municipal water and sewer by using archaeological evidence. First, I will lay out a theoretical framework in which this research will be conducted. It will outline what social control is, how others have examined it, and how is it used by elites to retain their position in society. Next, it will outline the health, social, political, and economic conditions that existed that would give rise to this transition from privies and cisterns to municipal water and sewer services. Then the James and Ellen White site (20CA118) will be used to give evidence of …

The Accuracy Of U.S. Age Estimation Standards When Used To Age U.S. And Bosnian Skeletal Samples, Megan Lagrou

Masters Theses

As forensic anthropologists are increasingly becoming involved in human rights work abroad, it is critical to evaluate the applicability of the established US.derived age estimation standards to other populations. This research examines the impact that population variation has on the accuracy of several skeletal age indicators, specifically, the rate of medial clavicular epiphyseal fusion (Webb and Suchey 1985), and the progression of morphological change of the sternal rib end (Iscan, et al. 1984b; 1985), and the pubic symphysis (Brooks and Suchey 1990).

Previous research by Simmons, et al. ( 1999) demonstrated that a Bosnian sample displayed a pattern of morphological …

The Wreck Of The Rockaway: The Archaeology Of A Great Lakes Scow Schooner, Kenneth R. Pott

Masters Theses

During the 19th century, Great Lakes shipping played a vital role in the development of the economies of the United States and Canada. Regional shipyards built thousands of vessels to distribute coal, lumber, grain, iron ore and other goods throughout the Great Lakes network. In time, certain designs were selected for the advantage they offered over others employed in the same trade. The scow schooner was one class of carrier which attained a high level of use in the Lakes region.

This study examines the scow schooner Rockaway and the economic factors which influenced the building and use of this …

Exploring The Social Dimensions Of Grog-Temper Use At The Ink Bayou Site (3pu252): A Plum Bayou Culture Site In Central Arkansas, Eric Chadwick Drake

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the social implications involved with the technological decision to use grog (crushed potsherds) as a ceramic tempering agent by potters affiliated with the Plum Bayou culture of central Arkansas. The analytical technique of point-counting ceramic thin sections is used to search for patterns of grog-temper use at a single Plum Bayou culture site, the Ink Bayou site (3PU252). While the thermal properties of grog-temper may help to explain the variability of use observed at the Ink Bayou site, the social implications of producing grog-tempered pots are best illuminated by the sequence of productive operations employed by the …

An Analysis Of The Lithic Assemblage From The Armintrout-Blackman Site (20ae812), Allegan County, Michigan, Arthur L. Desjardins

Masters Theses

Middle Woodland period Hopewell manifestations in western Michigan were mainly concentrated in the St. Joseph, Grand and Muskegon River Valleys. By constrast, the Kalamazoo River valley is lacking in a significant Hopewell expression, suggesting this area was peripheral to Hopewell developments elsewhere in western Michigan. The Armintrout-Blackman site (20AE812) is a Middle Woodland period encampment in the middle segment of the Kalamazoo River valley and has yielded artifacts bearing Hopewell stylistic attributes. More specifically, this thoroughly excavated site exhibits spatial separation of temporally sensitive ceramic components, reflecting early Havana-Hopewell through late Middle Woodland occupations. This project examines such a situation …

A Histological Approach To Taphonomy: The Freeze-Thaw Cycle And Water Immersion, William A. Souchick

Masters Theses

Previous taphonomic studies have failed to fully study how freeze-thaw cycles, fresh water immersion and salt water immersion affect bone microstructure. Knowledge of how these environs modify bone can help narrow post mortem interval estimations or allow medico legal investigators to differentiate between perimortem damage and damage caused by the surroundings. To date, previous studies of water immersion and freeze-thaw cycles have failed either to relate their findings to forensic taphonomy or to address how bone microstructure was modified. This study was conducted to determine how bone was modified by freeze-thaw cycles and water immersion and to apply the findings …

Ostensible Abductions, Real Anthropology, Timothy F. Mccauley

Masters Theses

A gap has developed in the research agenda of contemporary anthropology with regard to a phenomenon which has received notable attention from research professionals in other fields, such as history and psychiatry. What has been called the "alien abduction phenomenon" has had considerable impact, not only on those who sincerely believe these events are an everyday part of human experience (called "abductees") but also on the changing tapestry of American culture. Alien abduction accounts are closely related to the Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) phenomenon, a theme which has shaped American culture since the tum of the century. This thesis represents …

Reconsidering The Auricular Surface As An Indicator Of Age At Death, Daniel Osborne

Masters Theses

Using standards established by Lovejoy et al. (1985) to score and estimate age at death from auricular surface morphology, the auricular surfaces of 266 individuals of documented age from two different skeletal collections (Terry and Bass Donated Collections) were examined. The age, sex and race of the individuals used in the study were unknown to the investigator during analysis. This study supports the claim proposed in the original study that auricular surface morphology is unaffected by an individual's sex or race. However, this study indicates that auricular surface morphology does not change as regularly with age as was originally proposed. …

Reading Between The Lines: The Business Discourse Of Globalization, Using Amway As A Local Example, Darlene Bos

Masters Theses

Corporate globalization has become an increasingly discussed topic. The impacts of corporate globalization have been studied on many fronts. This thesis seeks to examine how these worldwide impacts are tied to the individuals in the U.S. that consent to and comply with corporate globalization. This thesis is specifically concerned with the impacts of corporate globalization on workers in the U.S. and around the world. Discourse is the way in which information and ideas are expressed and shared. Discourse is the key to understanding the ideology behind corporate globalization. This thesis looks at the discourse about globalization within one company, Amway. …

Dermatoglyphic Analysis Of Male Criminals, Jeremy Matyas

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between genetics and criminal behavior. Using specific dermatoglyphic features of 100 Caucasian male criminals, comparisons were made to a comparable control group of noncriminals. Dermatoglyphics are known to be, in part, genetically determined. Differences between the non-criminal and criminal samples would support the belief that certain criminal behaviors are genetically determined.

Statistical tests were performed on the dermatoglyphic pattern types and ridge counts of the criminal and non-criminal samples. There were three tests of the total ridge counts (TRC) that were found to be statistically significant. The principal difference was …

Ethics In Forensic Anthropology: The Evaluation Of The Forensic Anthropologist As An Expert Witness, Brent D. Benzing

Masters Theses

Within the last two decades technological advancement has enabled the forensic sciences to become much more highly complex and has provided the legal system with a specialized means of interpreting scientific evidence. In this regard, the forensic anthropologist has seen an increasing amount of time spent as an expert witness in judicial proceedings. However, expert courtroom testimony requires that a scientific witness be knowledgeable, accredited, and ethical in his representation of the discipline. This thesis studies the state of ethics among Diplomates in the American Board of Forensic Anthropology.

A survey was designed and sent to Diplomates of the A.B.F.A. …

Saugatuck's Shining Shore: The Transition Of A Michigan Community Into A Resort Town, 1870-1930, Kyran V. Kelley

Masters Theses

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries many communities adapted themselves to the leisure industry with the growth of a middle class that had time for leisure activities within the United States. One impetus for this change suggested for the period is a lack of manufacturing and extractive activities (Brown 1995).

This thesis tests this scenario on one community of the period, Saugatuck, Michigan, by examining the employment and business structures of the town while also examining land use. This was accomplished through the use of both primary and secondary documents.

Data gathered and placed within its historical context …

Of Agrarian Landscapes And Capitalist Transitions: Historical Archaeology And The Political Economy Of A Nineteenth-Century Farmstead, Daniel O. Sayers

Masters Theses

This exposition utilizes Marxian theory in conjunction with archaeological and historiographic data to understand and interpret the significance of the landscape in the political economy of a mid-nineteenth century farmstead in Battle Creek, Michigan. The Shepard site (20CA104) was a family owned, progressive farm that went through many significant changes between the frontier era (ca. 1834) and the eve of the Civil War. By exploring the political, economic, and ideological aspects of the site architecture, the familial gender divisions of labor, and class relations between the family and non-familial workers, many aspects of the political-economic contradictions between the landscape and …

22-An Archaeological Reconnaissance Survey To Locate Remains Of Fort St. Joseph (20be23) In Niles, Michigan, William Cremin, Renee Lutes-Kurtzweil, Christine Mcmillan, Michael S. Nassaney

Archaeological Reports

An archaeological reconnaissance survey was conducted in search of material remains of Fort St. Joseph in a 15-acre parcel owned by the City of Niles, Michigan. The French established the settlement in 1691 for religious, military, and commercial purposes and it served as an important frontier outpost for nearly a century. The British came to control the fort in 1761 until the Spanish briefly captured it two decades later. The site, which was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in the 1970s, has local, regional, national, and global significance. Its changing fortunes have given Niles the nickname, "The …

21-An Intensive Archaeological Survey Of The James And Ellen G. White House Site (20ca118), Battle Creek, Michigan, Hidetsugu Kosaka, Michael S. Nassaney, Carol Nickolai, William Sauck, Daniel Sayers, Brian C. Wilson

Archaeological Reports

An intensive archaeological survey was conducted at the James and Ellen G. White House site (20CA118) in Battle Creek, Michigan over a seven-week period from May 4-June 24, 1998. The house is a well-known local landmark that was occupied from 1856-1863 by a family that was instrumental in founding the Seventh-day Adventist denominational movement. Although the original site has been subdivided and subjected to significant modification since the third quarter of the 19th century, the 1856 wood-frame Greek Revival house remains extant. Investigations were oriented towards identifying the presence of subsurface archaeological remains and site features that can inform about …

Re-Cycling The Menstrual Cycle: A Multidisciplinary Reinterpretation Of Menstruation, Heather H. Rea

Masters Theses

This thesis offers a reinterpretation of the human female menstrual cycle that understands the process as positive, functional, and practical experience. Standard western definitions and understandings of menstruation use negative terminology and focus on menstrual blood as an indicator of failed conception. This view contributes significantly to the negative perception women have of menstruation in general, their own menstrual cycles, and ultimately of their femaleness. This fundamental, physiological process that symbolizes femaleness, the menstrual cycle, has been defined both, bio-medically and culturally, as a negative experience. I propose a reconceptualization of the menstrual cycle that is not only a tool …

Betrayed. The Legacy Of The African American Soldier, Timothy Hampton

Honors Theses

America has called upon its citizens on many occasions to defend its interests. Once called upon, American citizens usually respond with enthusiasm, courage, and great composure. They become American soldiers. The citizen/soldier's obligation is to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic," and to "bear true faith and allegiance to the same...." (Department of Defense Form No. 4, 1992). With this affirmation, military campaigns are launched. Missions are undertaken. Battles are fought. Ultimately, people die fighting for this nation.

Community Empowerment And Social Policy Design: A Case Study Of The Creation Of A School-Based Health Center, R. Ian Costello

Masters Theses

Studies of community empowerment have shown the benefits of involving recipient communities in the process of designing and implementing social aid programs. One of these benefits is the empowerment of previously disenfranchised individuals and communities. Through qualitative ethnographic research, this thesis shows how residents of one low-income community in South-West Michigan have become more empowered through their involvement in the design and implementation of a school-based health center.

A Multiplicity Of Goals In A Migrant Household, Patrick James Maher

Masters Theses

This paper explores data collected on Mexican migrants who were living in southwestern Michigan during the Spring and Summer of 1994. Its purpose is to examine the role of the family among one migrant household and to determine whether the findings coincide with other studies completed on Mexican migrant families.

The data examined indicates two major problems in applying its findings to current migration literature. The first involves the concept of a 'united family unit' and the second relates to the notion of a 'common family goal.' The data suggests that the theory on which these concepts are based must …

Reclaiming Communities And Languages, Rebecca Benjamin, Regis Pecos, Mary Eunice Romero, Lily Wong Filmore

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article discusses efforts by tribal leaders and members of Cochiti Pueblo, one of the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico, to restore aspects of community life that had been damaged by federal programs-programs that had been carried out without careful study of how they might affect the community. The construction of a dam above the Pueblo by the Army Corps of Engineers nearly three decades ago resulted in the destruction of the pueblo's farmlands. It caused profound disruptions in the lives of the people in this agrarian community, not only in economic terms but in nearly every other aspect of …

20-Historical Archaeology In Battle Creek, Michigan: The 1996 Field Season At The Warren B. Shepard Site (20ca104), Nicole Kuemin, Christine Mcmillan, Michael S. Nassaney, Carol Nickolai, William Sauck, Daniel Sayers

Archaeological Reports

An intensive archaeological survey was conducted at the Shepard site (20CA104) in Battle Creek, Michigan from April 29 through July 12, 1996. Historical background research had indicated that the site was the location of Native American activity until the 1830s when it was settled by the town's first school teacher, Warren B. Shepard. In the early 1850s, Shepard constructed a large, brick Greek Revival house on the site that stands to this day. The house and its associated landscape have been the focus of our investigations.

Documentary evidence suggested the presence of various outbuildings and other landscape features that were …

Analysis Of The Skeletal Remains From The Knobloch Site, 20ae633, Allegan County, Michigan, Alexandra D. Bybee

Masters Theses

The skeletal remains of at least thirty individuals were recovered from the Knobloch site, 20AE633, Allegan County, Michigan. The site is from the Late Woodland period, a time which saw a variety of strategies for food procurement, including hunting, gathering, fishing, and agriculture. It is not known to what extent these strategies were practiced. The results of trace element analysis of skeletal samples from the Knobloch site assemblage indicate a diet reliant on hunting and gathering.

Definition And Evaluation Of The Mississippian Lithic Assemblage From The Wymer-West Knoll (20 Be 132), Berrien County, Michigan, Sean R. Brown

Masters Theses

Analysis of the lithic assemblage from the Wymer-West knoll site was undertaken with the following objectives: (1) to define the lithic technology of the Mississippian occupational component of the site, (2) to compare length, width and width/length ratios of triangular projectile points from the Wymer-West knoll with other Mississippian sites to clarify the cultural affiliation of the Wymer-West knoll, and (3) to use site function, from the perspective of the overall Wymer-West knoll material culture in general and the Mississippian lithic technology in particular, as a framework to better understand the Wymer-West knoll's place in the regional culture history.

A …

Interpreting Diet By Age, Status, And Gender And Establishing Weaning Patterns Using Trace Element Analysis On Human Remains From Umm El-Jimal, Jordan, Monica Shah

Masters Theses

The intent of this study is to learn about the dietary patterns of early fourth century occupants of a Late Antique site in northern Jordan. Bone samples of 107 individuals from two distinct cemetery· types, assumed to be status differentiated, were chemically examined for their trace element composition. Trace element analysis can potentially investigate groups of individuals to attempt to determine if gender, age, or status influenced access to food resources.

Statistical tests found that significant differences of trace element concentrations were evident in an inter-burial area study for all adults and subadults, and when examining intra-burial area males and …

A Statistical Analysis Of The Ceramics From The Dieffenderfer Site (20sj179), St. Joseph County, Michigan, Mark A. Steeby

Masters Theses

The Dieffenderfer site, located in Constantine Township, St. Joseph County, Michigan, is a multi-component site situated in the middle St. Joseph River valley. Calibrated radiocarbon dates from several features at the site suggest multiple re-use during the Late Woodland period from A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1400, with the most intensive occupations occurring during the 12th through 14th centuries. These dates are supported by a large Late Woodland ceramic assemblage in association with three spatially discrete activity areas; two of these activity loci are represented by housefloors, suggesting a degree of permanence by the residents.

A cluster analysis performed on the …

Technological Analysis Of Ceramic Surface Treatments At The Wymer-West Knoll (20be132), A Mississippian Site In Southwestern Michigan, Suzannah Greve-Brown

Masters Theses

Red-slipped and blackened, burnished, shell-tempered ceramics from the Wymer-West knoll are described and analyzed. Such ceramics have not been previously recognized or detailed in south west Michigan. Similar ceramics do occur, however, at Mississippian sites in the upper Illinois and the Mississippi River valleys. The Wymer-West knoll ceramics are thus considered to be possible trade items. An X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy test is utilized in order to compare the red-slipped ceramics with ceramics having other surface treatments. A petrographic thin section analysis is also used to distinguish the potentially imported ceramics from shell-tempered, cordmarked ceramics presumably produced at the site. Results …

Kanpo Consumption Among Japanese Students At Western Michigan University: Case Studies In Medical Pluralism, Joseph Paul Siuda

Masters Theses

Many societies have pluralistic medical systems in which biomedicine and alternative therapies coexist. Some anthropologists view medical pluralism adaptively, where the strengths of various therapies complement each other. Others highlight the hegemonic power of biomedicine and its tendency to suppress or co-opt alternative therapies. To understand medical pluralism, one must examine alternative therapies in particular cultural contexts.

Kanpo, or Japanese herbalism, has survived political and legal suppression resulting from Japan's 19th century attempts at westernization and now poses a challenge to the biomedical model of health and illness. Since the 1970's more Japanese are turning to kanpo rather than …

Childhood Health And Nutrition: An Exploration Of Enamel Hypoplasia Studies Using The Milwaukee County Institutional Grounds Cemetery, 1882-1925, Maura K. Polli

Masters Theses

The focus of this study is the dentition of a Midwestern United States historic almshouse population, the Milwaukee County Institutional Grounds cemetery (MCIG), 1882-1925. A survey of linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) in the anterior dentition of a subsample of this population has been conducted to demonstrate incidences of childhood stress. LEH is symptomatic of extended periods of disease or nutritional stress experienced during the formative years of tooth development.

A subsample of 140 individuals was examined for LEH. The labial surface of the anterior dentition was examined for the frequency and chronological distribution of LEH. The frequency of LEH ranges …

Responsibility, Submission, And Power: Social Factors Which Influence Rural Out-Migration Among Women In Southern Vietnam, Jeffery D. Wright

Masters Theses

This paper examines the circumstances that affect the decisions of young women living in rural southern Vietnam to move to Ho Chi Minh City in search of employment. Issues of power, submission, and responsibility that underlie interpersonal relationships in Vietnam will be discussed with special attention to the way they affect the lives of Vietnamese women. It has been widely suggested that rural out-migration in developing countries is largely economically driven. My own field research in Vietnam during the summer of 1996 suggests that the migration of women in southern Vietnam is not simply an attempt to make more money. …

Job Satisfaction Of West Michigan Certified Nurse-Midwives: A Qualitative Study Of Autonomy And Empowerment In The Provision Of Health Care, Martha M. Shafer-Thyen

Masters Theses

Certified Nurse-Midwifery provides optimal health care service to women through all stages of the reproductive cycle. In order to ensure continued growth of this field of health care, prospective students must see it as an occupation which can offer them high levels of job satisfaction, and certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) must be satisfied in their job or they will not continue to practice. In this qualitative study of West Michigan CNMs, two main factors are identified that determine high levels of job satisfaction: (1) The ability to autonomously care for a woman, with recourse to supportive comanagement of the woman's care …