Anthropology Commons^™

The Sacred Role Of Animal Beings In Iroquois Lore, Melissa J. Martinelli

English Theses

The act of storytelling provides a connection between the spiritual and physical spheres, and the Haudenosaunee people (more commonly recognized as Iroquois) utilize the oral narrative to convey the most sacred truths of their culture. In focusing primarily upon animals and animal beings, one can recognize the deep reverence traditional tribal members feel toward animals as certain legends seek to unite individuals with the spirits, personalities, and bodies of such creatures in narrative form. Too often animals are overlooked as “lesser” beings, yet in legends of the Iroquois they possess potent orenda (great power) that can help one achieve success …

Geoarchaeology Of The Orontes River Floodplain Surrounding Tell Qarqur, Syria, Anna Flora Wieser

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project combines geoarchaeological soil description and GIS analysis of archaeological site distribution to investigate the history of marsh formation in the northern Ghab Basin, located within the Orontes River Valley of western Syria. Tell Qarqur, the archaeological site around which this project is focused, has a continuous occupational sequence throughout the Holocene. Annual inundation of the site by seasonal marshlands suggests that the marsh was either smaller or non-existent in the past, but its history remains unknown. The objectives of this investigation are to interpret the nature of depositional environments, particularly fluvial action, in the vicinity of Tell Qarqur, …

Navigation And Accessibility For Persons With Disabilities: An Anthropological Study Using Gis On The University Of Arkansas Campus, Deborah Jean Raiees-Dana

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The University of Arkansas was founded in 1871 on the top of a hill overlooking the Ozark Mountains, resulting in a campus that has steep slopes and numerous historical buildings that were not designed with ADA regulations in mind. This makes getting around campus especially difficult for students with limited mobility, and no campus maps exist that include handicapped accessibility features to help navigate the terrain and limited parking options. This study examines this issue using a holistic approach that explores cultural and technological factors to produce a map of the Historic Core District of campus.

Geographical Information Systems enable …

Determination Of The Biological Sex Of Juveniles Based Upon The Odontometrics Of The Primary Dentition, Kendall Mccollough

HIM 1990-2015

Sex determination in human skeletal remains is difficult under the most ideal circumstances; however, in juvenile skeletal remains it is nearly impossible. Currently no accepted techniques exist to identify the biological sex of the juvenile skeleton, other than, when possible, DNA. Thus, developing an accessible and non-destructive technique would benefit both the field of Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology. The ability to provide a quick and accurate determination of sex would greatly expedite the identification process in any case where juvenile skeletal remains are involved. This project aims to establish an accessible and non-destructive method for determining the sex of juvenile …

Health Care Providers' Perspectives On Male Involvement In Their Sexual And Reproductive Health Care Needs, Lilian Milanes

HIM 1990-2015

Young men are at the greatest risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) within the U.S. male populations, yet are the least likely to make a sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care visit. Clinical approaches in these areas that include the outreach to and the involvement of male partners of female patients can prove particularly useful in expanding SRH care to men and can also improve health outcomes for women who have sex with men. In this study I examined UCF's healthcare provider's approaches to educate and involve men (between the ages of 18 and 30) and male partners of …

Indigenous Communities In Peru And The Peruvian Nation State, Jenna Rose Scanlon

Honors College Theses

In today’s society there are indigenous communities that live and thrive the way that their ancestors did. These people try and maintain their culture while modern society tries to impose their beliefs and practices on them. Peru is a country that is quickly developing and westernizing. These indigenous communities in Peru are considered citizens but do not receive the rights that are granted to them by their constitutions. They have their land unlawfully seized, they are forced into menial jobs where they are abused and exploited, they do not receive adequate education if any, and they are excluded from the …

Planting Seeds Is A Metaphor: Being Agrarian, Agricultural Activism, And Emergent Identity In New Mexico, Elise Trott

Anthropology ETDs

In recent years, small-scale agriculture and acequia (traditional ditch irrigation) practices have become a significant locus for the goals and agendas of multiple stakeholders in New Mexico, attracting political, scholarly, and popular interest from a wide variety of groups and individuals. For this reason, local acequieros (acequia irrigators) and farmers are constantly engaged in processes of boundary-making, identity formation, and negotiation over the limits, claims, and goals of their involvement in agricultural activism, as well as the involvement of others. This thesis addresses the content, meaning, and implications of the strategic identity formation and boundary-making practices of one organization at …

Florentine Palaces, Costly Signaling, And Lineage Survival, Michael K. Church

Anthropology ETDs

My dissertation evaluated whether the palaces built in Florence, Italy during the Renaissance are a form of costly signaling. Costly signaling theory was developed to explain why organisms have attributes and behaviors that appear to defy basic Darwinian logic by having costs that are not offset by obvious benefits. The theory proposes that such attributes and behaviors persist because they are reliable signals of information about the signalers. Signal audiences use the information content of signals to rank signalers and to modify their interactions with signalers in ways that benefit signalers. These interactions can involve mate choice, predation avoidance, status …

The Grissom Site (45kt301): A Review And Synthesis Of Investigations And Exploration Of The Site's Research Potential, Holly Ann Cecilia Shea

All Master's Theses

The Grissom site (45KT301) is a multi-component archaeological site in northeast Kittitas Valley excavated by Central Washington State College from 1967-1971. The site is significant because it is one of few scientifically excavated upland sites in the Columbia Plateau and likely represents part of Che-lo-han, the intergroup gathering of Plateau cultures known to occur annually in the Kittitas Valley. Furthermore, the Grissom site collection is a rehabilitated archaeological collection and, therefore, provides a cost-effective way to explore research questions while still gaining new knowledge about the past. Excavations at the site produced 13,622 catalogued bags of pre-contact and historic artifacts …

Zapatista Materiality Disseminated: A Co-Construction Reconsidered, Ilse Biel

Anthropology ETDs

In this study, I explore two central examples of Zapatista material culture, the Zapatista mask and the souvenir muñecas zapatistas [Zapatista dolls], as they become plot lines in the co-constructed encuentro that shapes the Zapatista concept internationally leading to a false image of Zapatista homogeneity. Taking on their own dynamic substance that frequently is dislodged from the context of the people they appear to represent they become indicative of the discourse about the Zapatistas, one that does not necessarily originate in the activities of the Zapatistas. I suggest that, within the broader encuentro process between Zapatistas and non-Zapatistas, the Zapatistas …

Investigation Of Histomorphometric Values In An East Arctic Foraging Group, The Sadlermiut, Joseph Kenneth Purcell

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

A sample of second metacarpals (n=78) obtained from the Sadlermiut, Inuit (1285-1903 A.D.), a genetically isolated East Arctic foraging group, was analyzed histologically in this study. The Sadlermiut subsisted nearly exclusively on small marine mammals and fowl. Based on known adaptations to a cold environment, a high level of physical activity, and a diet high in protein, it was predicted that Inuit bones would show elevated levels of cellular activity. The size and density of secondary osteons in the Sadlermiut are used in this study to compare their bone metabolic processes with known data from a sample of Euro-Canadian metacarpals …

A Comparative Look At The Energetic Efficiency Of Bipedal Locomotion In Humans Versus Quadrupedal Locomotion In Primates: Measurements Of Femoral And Humeral Proximal Head Articular Surface, Kelly Danielson

Anthropology

No abstract provided.

Analyzing Tophets: Did The Phoenicians Practice Child Sacrifice?, Katelyn Dibenedetto

Anthropology

This paper examines the controversies surrounding Phoenician religious practices and in particular, the Phoenician Tophet, a cemetery containing the cremated remains of infants and young children in clay jars. According to ancient Hebrew and Greek sources, in the ceremony known as mulk, the oldest son was placed on the arms of a bronze statue and dropped into a brazier below. Though these ancient authors were unanimous in criticizing Phoenician religious practices as cruel and savage, the use of these biased sources to conclude that child sacrifice did occur remains controversial. Both the Hebrew and Greek sources were xenophobic and furthermore, …

Sizes Of Joint Articular Surfaces In Homo Sapiens And Pan Paniscus And The Relevance To Locomotor Differences, Jacqueline Kenitz

Anthropology

No abstract provided.

Prehistoric Foraging Strategies In The Piute Valley Of Southern Nevada, Christopher Alan Brosman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Piute Valley of Southern Nevada is an incredibly diverse but arid zone in the eastern portion of the Mojave Desert. Most of this diversity can be attributed to the elevation shifts ranging from the Colorado River basin to the peaks of the surrounding mountain ranges. These peaks and valleys provide a multitude of resource zones in which prehistoric hunter-gatherers could provision themselves throughout the year. For this thesis I have used archaeological survey, paleo-climate models, life-sciences data and ethnographic research to perform an in-depth land use analysis of prehistoric forager adaptations to this challenging but life-sustaining environment.

Recent investigations …

Environmental Adaptations At Neolithic Ghwair I As Seen From A Zooarchaeological Perspective, Doss F. Powell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Understanding the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) environmental adaptations, subsistence patterns, and lifestyles in the southern Levant is pivotal in investigating the consequences of the human transformation from the exploitation of wild resources to the production of food through domestication or, the "Neolithic Revolution". At the most fundamental level, this investigation provides a comprehensive zooarchaeological study of the archaeological faunal assemblage from Ghwair I, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) community in southern Jordan, in effort to explore local exploitation patterns and refine our understanding of the community's social and economic systems. This type of investigation enhances our current understanding of the spatial …

Modern Modesty: The Renegotiation Of Female Pious Dress In Modern Pentecostal Assemblies, Amanda Beth Phillips

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hair buns, high necklines, long sleeves, ankle length skirts, and simple yet practical work style shoes have exemplified Pentecostal women's dress throughout the history of the movement. Their bodies fervently protected from impropriety and immorality, through prescribed attire, are the sites upon which the church inscribes its vision of the modest Pentecostal woman. How dress is used within the community to `set apart' those assembly members whom have achieved the appropriate holiness lifestyle not only makes them upstanding members of the church assembly but also defines them as `saints' (sanctified ones, holy assembly members) and helps to develop their relationship …

Reappraising The Land Behind Baghdad: Using Corona Satellite Imagery To Reassess The Archaeological Landscape Of The Diyala Plain, Iraq, James Henry Wesolowski

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

High-resolution low-cost declassified CORONA spy satellite imagery is used to detect archaeological sites and relict canals in the Diyala Plain to the east of Baghdad, Iraq. This project seeks to improve upon the ground survey conducted there in the 1950s by providing better geographic control and discovering sites and canals that were not included in the original survey. CORONA imagery provides a sub-2-meter spatial resolution and was acquired shortly after the original ground survey was conducted, providing an excellent medium for comparison. CORONA imagery is subject to significant spatial distortions because of its camera technology and the LPS package for …

Ambushed At Dawn: An Archeological Analysis Of The Catastrophic Defeat Of The 1720 Villasur Expedition, Benjamin J. Bilgri

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

In August of 1720, a Spanish expedition of more than one hundred soldiers, settlers, and Native American allies was destroyed by a group of Pawnee Native Americans at the confluence of two rivers in Nebraska. The precise location of the battlefield has been the subject of debate over the past century, and a systematic archeological investigation to attempt to locate and study the remains of the battle had never been conducted. In order to determine the most likely engagement location and allow an archeological survey of the battlefield site, the author conducted a multifaceted study of the campaign. This included …

Reclaiming The Sacred Within The Legal Pluralism Phenomenon: Ndigenous People's Rights Over Cultural Property, Angela Mae C. Buenafe

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Indigenous Peoples’ (IPs’) collective rights over their sacred and cultural properties are inherent human rights recognized in international declarations like the United Nations’ Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN-DRIP) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). The incorporation of these international declarations’ standards within the United States (US) and Philippine federal laws conflicts with the attainment of Indigenous Peoples’ collective rights to protect and preserve Indigenous Peoples’ sacred cultural properties. Through a critical and Indigenous methodological framework of legal pluralism, this study describes how the Omaha sacred (medicine) bundle and the Ifugao sacred bulul …

Predictive Geospatial Modeling For Archaeological Research And Conservation: Case Studies From The Galisteo Basin, Vermont And Chaco Canyon, Wetherbee Bryan Dorshow

Anthropology ETDs

Geospatial modeling of ancient landscapes for predictive scientific research and hypothesis testing is an important emerging approach in contemporary archaeology. This doctoral dissertation is comprised of three published North American case studies that clearly demonstrate the value of predictive geospatial modeling to address explicit goals of contemporary archaeological research, conservation and cultural resource management. The case studies consist of a GIS-based prioritization analysis of natural and cultural resources conservation value in the Galisteo Basin of north-central New Mexico, an archaeological sensitivity analysis (site-discovery potential) for the state of Vermont, and a predictive model of agricultural potential during the Bonito Phase …

Exhibition And Interpretation Of Virginia History: Transforming Mulberry Hill, Alyssa R. Foley

Theses & Honors Papers

This thesis is divided into two parts. The first, "Examining Virginia's Historic House Museums," is an examination of historic house museums in the United States, and Virginia in particular. This section discusses the role of historic house museums as educational tools, their history in the United States, and the crisis they currently face. The second part is focused on Mulberry Hill, which is owned by the Staunton River Battlefield State Park in Charlotte County, Virginia. The house is currently not open to the public, but there are plans for preservation and interpretation that would make this a possibility. This section …

Anderson, Linda Allen (Fa 77), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 77. “Stone Masons and Their Craft in the Bluegrass Area of Kentucky,” interpretive paper and interviews executed for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University in 1986. Collection includes photographs of stone cutting and stonework in the Bluegrass region.

Barefoot, Jeffrey Allen (Fa 78), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 78. “The Middle Bridge Ghost” interpretive paper and videotaped interviews executed for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University.

Beck, Louis Marvin, 1933-1992 (Fa 76), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and audio file (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Folklife Archives Project 76. Interview with Ophelia Ellen Johnson Hanna about her family and education growing up as an African American in Warren County, Kentucky. Includes taped interview and index.

Gipson, Kenneth Todd (Fa 80), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 80. “Occupational Folklore of Monument Makers.” Interviews with Carroll Monument Company employees regarding their occupation and related stories. Includes one summary and one transcript.

Religious Rx: The Roles Of Faith And A Religious Community In The Treatment Of Mental Illness, Autumn Elizabeth Shroyer

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

One in seventeen Americans is diagnosed with serious mental illness (NIMH 2009). Despite its prevalence people with mental illness are stigmatized, creating barriers to effective treatments and recovery. The best treatments today are highly effective; between 70 and 90 percent of individuals have significant reduction of symptoms and improved quality of life with a combination of medication and psychological therapies (NAMI 2011). Additionally, studies have shown benefits of social supports.

For those with religious belief, participation in a religious community could offer social support and provide incentive to maintain treatments. However, historically some religious institutions have marginalized those with mental …

The Hegemony Of English In South African Education, Kelsey E. Figone

Scripps Senior Theses

The South African Constitution recognizes 11 official languages and protects an individual’s right to use their mother-tongue freely. Despite this recognition, the majority of South African schools use English as the language of learning and teaching (LOLT). Learning in English is a struggle for many students who speak indigenous African languages, rather than English, as a mother-tongue, and the educational system is failing its students. This perpetuates inequality between different South African communities in a way that has roots in the divisions of South Africa’s past. An examination of the power of language and South Africa’s experience with colonialism and …

La Sociolinguistique Postcoloniale En Amérique Hispanophone Et En Afrique Francophone : Un Drame Linguistique En Deux Actes, Eva Valenti

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis analyzes the sociolinguistic situations in postcolonial Latin America and francophone North Africa (the Maghreb) through a comparative lens. Specifically, it examines the ways in which Spain and France’s differing colonial agendas and language ideologies affected the relationships between colonizer and colonized, and, by extension, the role that Spanish and French play(ed) in these regions after decolonization. Finally, it explores how Spain and France’s contemporary discourses frame colonial participation in the two languages’ development, and the psychological effects these ideologies have had on the formerly colonized.

Poynter, Shawn (Fa 184), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 184. Paper titled “The Usage and Importance of the Rule of Thirds in Newspaper Photography” written by Shawn Poynter for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University. The collection looks at the usage of the “rule of thirds” as it appears in the Park City Daily News. The “rule of thirds” refers to a photograph guideline that requires subjects to be in either one of the sides, top or bottom third of the frame. The collection contains analysis, graphs, tables and newspaper …