Anthropology Commons^™

Volunteer Fire Departments: A Neglected American Voluntary Association, Michelle C. Akers

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the social and cultural dimensions of volunteer fire departments (VFDs) in West Michigan. Through interviews and observations of four VFDs, important dimensions of social cohesion and variability within and between the departments and communities are revealed. An emphasis is placed upon the gender relations within the departments and their effect upon the relations in the larger community. From these companies, a sketch of a small West Michigan community is derived. If used as a companion with other research of Midwestern communities of a greater scope and sample size, an understanding of social organization and social structure may …

Class And Gender In Southwestern Michigan: Interpreting Historical Landscapes, Deborah L. Rotman

Masters Theses

The gardens, houses, and barns that comprise the cultural landscape embody information about their makers. Because the built environment is not static, it actively serves to create, reproduce, and transform relations of class and gender. Members of society use space to reinforce and resist relations of power, authority, and inequality. For example, the organization of the landscape facilitates the activities and movements of some segments of society, while at the same time it constrains others. Material dimensions of form and space are differentially acknowledged by members of society because individuals occupy multiple roles simultaneously. Material responses to the social world …

Zambian Nurses And The Aids Crisis: Towards A Socio-Cultural Analysis Of Hiv/Aids, Alicia Worley

Masters Theses

This study addresses the need for AIDS research that goes beyond quantitative in formation to deal with the complexities of local context. Sociocultural analyses have been frequently lost in a sea of research that is rooted in a biomedical/quantitative paradigm. As a result of this, issues of political economy, culture, and human agency are often handled at best, tangentially-this to the detriment of prevention and control programs. This study underscores the factors involved in the spread of HIV that lie outside the realm of physiology and medical "fact." The perception and responses of Zambian nurses at a governmental training hospital …

Wintertime Observations On Pig (Sus Scrofa) Decomposition, David Glynn Mcbride

Masters Theses

Detailed knowledge of the behavior of insects and other arthropods associated with decomposing remains is essential to estimate the time since death. To date, many studies have been conducted on human and animal decomposition rates in warm and/or humid climates, but little is known about decomposition rates in a northern wintertime environment. This study was undertaken to document the progression of decay and arthropod activity under these conditions and provide data that can be utilized for estimating time since death in such climates.

Six stillborn pigs (Sus scrofa Linnaeus) were placed in cages in a woodlot near Western Michigan …

Children's Tool Making Capabilities: Implications For Hominid Intelligence Models And Skill Acquisition Theory, Jill S. Mccleary

Masters Theses

The focus of this study was on morphological differences in stone tools that could be attributed to varied instruction and cognition levels.

In this study two groups of children, one second grade class and one fourth grade class, were selected to make stone tools. The tools that they made included both Oldowan-type flake tools and Acheulean-type handaxes. The primary variables considered in this study were the subjects' level of cognitive development (pre-operational versus concrete operational) as determined by a series of Piagetian tests, and the effects of varied instructional techniques.

Results suggest that Oldowan flake tools can be produced, at …

Evidence For The Endoparasite Giardia Lamblia In Human Paleofeces From Salts Cave. Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, Lisa Karen Ruppert

Masters Theses

Three desiccated human feces recovered from Salts Cave, Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, were analyzed for evidence of parasitic infection, specifically Giardia Lamblia. Positive detection of Giardia cysts was made using a direct immunofluorescent assay (IFA) technique. Scanning electron microscopy revealed what appear to be Giardia lamblia trophozoites. One additional fecal sample, analyzed for its dietary content, was composed primarily of Helianthus annuus (sunflower) and Chenopodium berlandieri (goosefoot). Over one hundred seeds of Cucurbita pepo (squash) were also contained within this specimen. This sample has been radiocarbon dated to 2420±90 B.P., falling into the cluster of previous dates from …

Ella Sharp's Hillside Farm: Expressions Of Class And Gender In Nineteenth Century Rural Michigan, Carol A. Nickolai

Masters Theses

This study examined ways in which social class and gender were expressed in the landscape and material culture of the Merriman-Sharp Farm, a nineteenth century upper class farm owned by women in Jackson, Michigan. Material culture studies, landscape architecture, and architectural history were used in addition to available documents to focus on how the Merriman-Sharp family reflected their class and gender affiliations.

The social construction of reality is an ongoing process at the Merriman-Sharp farm through the Ella W. Sharp Park and Ella W. Sharp Museum. The ways in which the Ella W. Sharp Park and Ella W. Sharp Museum …

104-Preliminary Assessment Of Archaeobotanical Remains From The Phase Ii Testing Of Sites In The New Lenox Park District Archaeological Project, New Lenox, Illinois (Midwest Archaeological Research Services), William M. Cremin

Reports of Investigations

In late 1993, Midwest Archaeological Research Services {MARS) conducted limited test excavations at a series of sites recorded earlier during Phase I reconnaissance survey of a 200 acre parcel for the New Lenox Park District in Will County, Illinois. The study area (located in the NE 1/4 of Section 15; the NW 1/4, NW 1/4 of section 14; and the sw 1/4, SE 1/4, sw 1/4, SE 1/4 of Section 10, New Lenox Township (T35N, R11E), for the most part, lies south and on the inside of a sweeping bend in the course of Hickory creek, a tributary of the …

105-Phase I Archaeological Assessment Of The Coldbrook Ada Upgrade, Coldbrook Park, Kalamazoo County, Michigan (Er-940188), William M. Cremin, Arthur Desjardins

Reports of Investigations

On 16 Jul 94, authorization (P.O. #35356) was received from the Office of County Controller for a Phase I archaeological survey of the proposed ADA upgrade at Coldbrook Park in Section 34 of Charleston Township (T2S R9W), Kalamazoo County, Michigan. A literature and site file search was initiated, and on 18 Jul onsite evaluation of the project area was undertaken in order to determine whether the proposed construction activity would adversely impact potentially significant archaeological resources.

Inasmuch as a grant application to fund the proposed construction activity was pending, and the results of our research were entirely negative, our recommendation …

106-Phase I Archaeological Assessment Of The Taube Road Site (West Parcel), Ne 1/4 And Nw 1/4 Of Section 1, Hagar Township (T3s R18w), Berrien County, Michigan (Er-930129), William M. Cremin, Arthur Desjardins

Reports of Investigations

Upon receipt of a request for a proposal and budget from Ms. Lara Spears of ASTI (consultant) and acceptance of same by Mr. Edward J. clements of TechniSand (owner), authorizing a Phase I survey of property located on Taube Road in Berrien county, Michigan, a team of researchers commenced a literature and site file search, looked over information on the property provided by ASTI, and on 24-25 Sep 94 conducted on-site evaluation in order to determine whether the proposed development would have an adverse impact on potentially significant archaeological resources. There follows a report of our research program, together with …

102-Phase I Archaeological Assessment Of The Riverfront Walk-Brookside Park Project, City Of Otsego, Michigan, William M. Cremin

Reports of Investigations

Upon verbal receipt of authorization from Ms. Jennifer Antel of the Office of City Manager, Otsego, Michigan to conduct a Phase I archaeological survey along the Kalamazoo River in Section 23 of Otsego Township (T1N R12W) where the City proposes to create a recreational walkway, the Principal Investigator initiated a literature and site file search and his associated on 17 May undertook an-site evaluation of the project area in order to determine whether the proposed activity would adversely impact potentially significant archaeological resources. Two days later Ms. Antel and the Office of State Archaeologist, Bureau of History, Michigan Department of …

103-Report Of The April 1993 Archaeological Survey Of The Little John Site (20ae344) In Allegan Township, Allegan County, Michigan, Arthur J. Desjardins

Reports of Investigations

In the Fall of 1992, Mr. Mark Horn contacted the Anthropology Department at Western Michigan University regarding property he owns in Allegan County, Michigan. In his assessment, this property exhibited a significant amount of prehistoric cultural material on the surface, and he felt that it might warrant formalized archaeological investigation. Additionally, Mr. Horn, a school teacher in Allegan, asked about the possibility of including his stndents in any future fieldwork that might be conducted on his property. This information was recieved by Dr. William Cremin of the Anthropology Department, who took the matter under consideration as a potential undertaking for …

The Suburban Rice Farmers: Economic And Cultural Change In Japan, Makoto Chiwaki

Masters Theses

The world economic situation is forcing the Japanese government to initiate policies designed to make its rice farming industry more competitive on the world market. These new policies, along with the growth of Japan's urban areas, are causing certain stresses on the cultural institution called bunke among the part-time rice farmers in the Kaizuka region of Chiba City, Japan.

An ethnographic study of these farmers reveals that the farmers of the Kaizuka region have responded to recent changes differently from the farmers of other regions because of their cultural institutions and traditions.

101-Phase I Archaeological Assessment Of Two Parcels Totaling 375 Acres In The Gourdneck State Game Area, Sections 19 And 20, Portage Township, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, William M. Cremin, Timothy D. Knapp, Daniel B. Goatley

Reports of Investigations

Pursuant to the establishment of a cooperative agreement between the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Western Michigan University (with the project period beginning 24 Jan 92 and extending through 30 Apr 92) authorizing a Phase I archaeological study of two parcels aggregating 375 acres of the Gourdneck State Game Area, Portage Township, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, archaeologists in the Department of Anthropology initiated a literature, documents, and site file search and between 2 Mar- 10 Apr conducted on-site evaluation of the project area in order to determine whether any potentially significant resources were present. There follows a report of our …

A Study Of The Correlation Between Alcoholism And Fingerprint Patterns, Miyo Yokota

Masters Theses

The study of 51 white male alcoholics and 50 white male nonalcoholics between the ages of 15 and 40 was undertaken to learn whether there are differences in the fingerprint patterns between the two groups. Previous research demonstrated that fingerprint patterns are genetically determined and influenced by the intrauterine environment. Fingerprint patterns, ridge counts, pattern intensity index, pattern type symmetry and ridge counts on whorls were studied. Both groups were compared by means of the Z statistics and chi-square tests. It was hoped that the differences observed in the fingerprint patterns of the two groups could be used as a …

The Siriono People Of Eastern Bolivia: Cultural Survival Amidst Directed Social Change, Ronald S. Scholte

Masters Theses

This thesis is an ethno-historical reconstruction of the Siriono from their roots among the Paraguayan Guarani of the 16th century to the present Siriono life styles in eastern Bolivia. A description of the Siriono culture at the time of contact is juxtaposed with analyses of the current varying results of post-contact approaches to directed social change taken by outsiders among the Siriono.

The findings from this study indicate that: (a) to the extent that underdevelopment does exist among the Siriono it is not only the result of contact this century, but began as a process of deculturation long before contact; …

98-An Inventory Of Artifacts And Summary Of Communications Found In The Collections Of The Kalamazoo Public Museum And Associated With The Historic Period Indian Cemetery (2dkz118) Along The Kalamazoo River In Section 27, Comstock Township, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, William M. Cremin

Reports of Investigations

In 1989, I received a call from Cheryl Lyon-Jenness of the Kalamazoo Public Museum who requested that I examine a collection of Historic Period Indian artifacts that museum personnel desired to prepare for exhibition. She informed me that the museum had purchased the collection from an area resident same years ago and that the documentation surrounding the purchase suggested that it had been retrieved from an Indian burial ground on the Kalamazoo River.

My examination of the items comprising the collection did indeed reveal that these were objects of personal adornment such as are typically found with human remains of …

99-A Report Of Significant Data Recovered From Features 6 And 48 On Site 2dbe410 During Archaeological Investigations Undertaken By Western Michigan University In The Lower Galien River Valley Of Southwest Michigan, William M. Cremin, Gregory R. Walz, Daniel B. Goatley

Reports of Investigations

During Spring 1990, archaeologists from Western Michigan University conducted test excavations at a series of site loci occupying morainal uplands overlooking the wetland-choked Lower Galien River in the southwest corner of Lower Michigan. While the results of our program of research have been previously reported (Cremin 1990), it is our intent here to elaborate upon the potential significance of two observations made on site 20BE410 and not included in the project completion report prepared last year. Specifically, we refer to the recovery of a carbOnized kernel of developed Eastern Complex maize or corn retrieved from deep within Feature 6, a …

100-An Archaeological Survey Of The Kenzie Creek-Valley Power Transmission Line In Cass And Van Buren Counties, Michigan, William M. Cremin, Gregory R. Walz, Timoth D. Knapp

Reports of Investigations

Pursuant to the establishment of a cooperative agreement between Indiana Michigan Power Company of Fort Wayne, Indiana (dated 23 Apr 91) and Western Michigan University (accepted on 30 Apr 91) authorizing a Phase I archaeological assessment of the Kenzie Creek-Valley power transmission line in Cass and Van Buren counties, Michigan, archaeologists in t~e Department of Anthropology initiated a literature, documents, and site file search and between 1-6 May conducted on-site evaluation of the project area in order to determine whether proposed construction activities would have an adverse impact on potentially significant archaeological resources. There follows a report of our program …

24-Archaeological Test Excavations At The Jean Klock Park Site (2dbe413), City Of Benton Harbor, Michigan, William M. Cremin, Gregory R. Walz, Daniel B. Goatley, Timothy D. Knapp

Archaeological Technical Reports

During Fall 1990, W.M. Cremin Consulting, under contract to the City of Benton Harbor, Michigan and the Troyer Group of Mishawaka, Indiana, conducted a Phase I archaeological assessment of Jean Klock Park. The study area occupies some 90 acres (36.4 ha) in the NW 1/4 of Section 13, Benton Township (West Part) and extends from the lake shoreline on the west to the interchange of Red Arrow Highway on the east (Fig. 1).

In the late 1950's, the channel of the Paw Paw River was filled to permit construction of this interchange, and the river was diverted to its present …

25-Archaeological Investigations In The Ross Field Industrial Park, Benton Charter Township, Berrien County, Michigan (Er-900557), William M. Cremin, Gregory R. Walz, Timothy D. Knapp

Archaeological Technical Reports

With the execution of two contracts between the Community Economic Development Corporation and Western Michigan University, authorizing archaeological investigation of the Ross Field Industrial Park in Sections 8~9, Benton Charter Township, Berrien County, Michigan, archaeologists from the Department of Anthropology undertook a literature, documents, and site file search and on 3 Apr and 5 Apr 91 surveyed the study area in order to determine whether proposed construction activities would have an adverse impact on cultural resources. This Phase I program of research was, in turn, followed by Phase II survey and testing of identified resources in selected portions of the …

Of Berry Pickers, Shanty Boys, And The Jack Pine Bird: Patterns Of Settlement And Subsistence In Nineteenth Century Oscoda County, Rose Lockwood Moore

Masters Theses

The provisions of the Homestead Act of 1863 (U.S. Congress 1862a) required a settlement pattern of dispersed single families on small tracts of land, which, in turn, affected the subsistence strategies available to the homesteaders. The interaction of federal land legislation with the ecosystem of southern Oscoda County resulted in marked spatial and temporal differences between the tracts that were homesteaded as opposed to those acquired for their timber. A sample population of quarter sections was analyzed in terms of the physical and biotic environments, date of entry, and use. The analysis confirmed that the timber lands were located on …

The Changing Roles Of Women In The People's Republic Of China, Priya Helweg

Honors Theses

The present Chinese government has persistently claimed that women have been completely emancipated through the enforcement of Communist ideology. In spite of the claim that women in modern China 'hold up half the sky' traditional beliefs continue to influence the position of women in contemporary China. As a consequence, women in the People's Republic of China — especially students — find themselves in a situation of confusing contradictions and frustrating obstacles. Traditional ideologies, as seen in the patriarchal kinship structure and the economic and political systems, aid rather than hinder the present government as it maintains a similar relation to …

Analysis Of Guatemalan Textiles, Cristina Keiko Tomita

Masters Theses

This study applies John L. Fischer's (1961) hypothesis that design elements reflect certain social variables to 50 Guatemalan textiles from the collection of the Field Museum of Chicago, to test its applicability. The results of the analysis were consistent with expectations, but some modifications to the original hypothesis are suggested to minimize ambiguities. The modified analysis can be applied in areas such as archaeology, art history and museum work to expand the interpretative potential of material objects, including works of art.

Ethnography Of A Lesbian Community In Michigan, Carol W. Burton

Masters Theses

The purpose of this master's thesis is to describe the structure and workings of a community of women in a major western Michigan metropolitan area, who identify themselves as lesbians, and to describe how this subcommunity relates to the dominant American culture in the area. This study examines the ways in which these lesbians define themselves and their subculture.

To facilitate this research, the researcher participated in the group's meetings, both formal and informal, and spoke with individual members about the history of the group, organizational principles, problems and concerns, formal and Informal rules of conduct, values, and any other …

23-Archaeological Investigations In The Lower Galien River Valley Of Southwest Michigan, William M. Cremin

Archaeological Technical Reports

Upon receipt of a grant to Western Michigan University and the author on 9 Feb 90 from Galien River Associates to support follow-up investigations an a series of prehistoric sites recorded during archaeological survey of an upland ares overlooking the Lower Galien River near New Buffalo, Michigan last fall (Cremin and Walz 1989), a team of archaeologists returned to the original study area in April and May for eight days of intensive study of eight sites previously recorded. The report which follows provides a description of the data recovery methods employed and the sorts of information retrieyed, an albeit brief …

92-Phase 1 Archaeological Assessment Of The S. Becker Property, 160th Street, Grand Haven For Resource Management Group, Grand Haven, Michigan 49417, William M. Cremin, Gregory R. Walz

Reports of Investigations

Upon receipt oF authorization from Mr~ David Zuckerman of Recource Management Group on 19 Mar 90 for a Phase I archaeological survey of the S. Becker property on 160th Street in Grand Haven, Michigan, the authors and their associates began a literature and site file search and on 13 Apr conducted on-site evaluation of the project area in order to determine whether proposed development of this parcel of land would adversely impact potentially significant archaeological resources. There follows a report of our program of research, together with recommendations derived from our examination of the study area in light of the …

90-Archaeobotany Of Five Sites Investigated During Phase Ii Testing Of The Cedar Shores Development, Lake Villa, Illinois, William M. Cremin, Gregory R. Walz

Reports of Investigations

The Cedar Shores development in the Village oF Lake Villa occupies more 700 acres in Sections 28 and 33, Antioch Township, T46N R2DE, Lake County, Illinois. This is an area oF deep glacial tills, glacial outwash sands and gravels, and glacial lake deposits that Features gently sloping relieF and poorly deFined drainage patterns. Lying near and within the southern limits oF the project are three standing bodies oF water: Cedar, Deep and Sun lakes. The last lake, Sun, drains by way oF a small creek that Flows north across the study area to Loon Lake, lying outside the northern boundary …

93-Phase I Archaeological Survey Of A Proposed Development On Lake Michigan South Of Duck Lake In Section 24, T11n R18w, Fruitland Township, Muskegon County, Michigan For Resource Management Group Of Grand Haven, Michigan, William M. Cremin

Reports of Investigations

Upon receipt of authorization from Mr. Timothy Bureau of Resource Management Group an 22 Jun 90 far a Phase I archaeological survey of a parcel of land an Lake Michigan south of Duck Lake in Muskegon County, the authors and their associates began a literature and site file search and an 28 Jun traveled to the property to canduct on-site evaluation in order to determine whether a proposed housing development would have an adverse impact an potentially significant archaeological resources. There follows a report gf our program of research, together with recommendations reflecting our findings.

94-Preliminary Results Of The Column Sampling Program Implemented To Retrieve Archaeobdtanical Residues From The B-Grid At The Buchanan Site (13sr153) Near Ames, Iowa, William M. Cremin, Gregory R. Walz

Reports of Investigations

In 1987, as part of a long-term research program jointly sponsored by Iowa State University and the Institute For the History of Material Culture, Polish Academy of Sciences intended to promote comparative studies of post-Pleistocene cultural adaptations on either side of the Atlantic, ISU's Dr. John Bower initiated archaeological excavations at the Buchanan site (13SR153) near Ames, Iowa. Situated in a narrow valley Formed by several small deeply entrenched streams that are tributary to the Skunk River, Buchanan Features alluvial/colluvial sediments revealing the presence of a Late Woodland component overlying multiple Archaic occupations extending to depths in excess of two …