Anthropology Commons^™

The Mystery Of The Missing Megafauna, Maggie Colangelo, Bernard Means

Virtual Curation Lab's Comic Publications

The creative team behind Founding Monsters and Founding Monsters Tales have created a new comic that takes a more scientific and less historic approach to the giant mammals that once roamed North America. The Mystery of the Missing Megafauna explores how changing climate impacted biodiversity and megafauna populations in North America at the end of the last Ice Age. Particular attention is placed on the extinction of mastodons, mammoths, giant ground sloths and other megafauna whose fossils are found at Saltville in southwestern Virginia. This comic draws a connection to contemporary climate change and the major extinctions happening today. The …

Being Welcoming: Community Engaged Research On Immigration To Bloomington-Normal, Gina Hunter, Sierra Naomi Erb, Rebekah Greenslaugh, Laura Keeran, Ryleigh Hickman, Elise Ulrich, Alexander Koch, Apollo Johnson, Madeleine Mcreynolds, Benedict Sales, Dela Youngman, Charles Roelant

Student Research - Sociology and Anthropology

This project was part of a collaborative effort between Illinois State University (via the Center for Civic Engagement) and BN Welcoming (BNW), a local non-profit organization working to make Bloomington-Normal a safe and supporting community for immigrants and refugees (BN Welcoming). Conversations between BNW and an interdisciplinary group of faculty began in Spring 2023. As part of the collaboration, Dr. Gina Hunter proposed to involve students in her Fall 2023 Anthropology 302/402 (Ethnography/Advanced Ethnographic Methods) course in a community-engaged research project to document the stories of recent immigrants to our community. In conversation with BNW, they began with the guiding …

Urban Food Security: Examining The Unique Challenges And Opportunities Associated With Ensuring Food Security In Urban Areas, Michael Atuahene Djan

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

Food security is a significant concern in urban areas (UAs). With the rapid increase in urbanization, addressing this issue has become increasingly important. Despite interventions to tackle food security issues, the world has achieved varying degrees of success in eradicating hunger, and food security in cities is critical. This study examined the unique challenges and opportunities associated with ensuring food security in urban areas. The study reviewed empirical literature and relevant reports in the last five years (2018-2023). This study identified several challenges in ensuring food security in urban regions, across the world, including rising food prices, limited water and …

Bluegrass Backstory: Connecting People To Local History Through Podcasting, David Hunter Hartlage

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Kentucky has a rich cultural identity, built upon a storied local history. Unfortunately, certain aspects of local cultural history, such as the origins of Kentucky vernacular music or how the bourbon industry has promoted growth in Kentucky’s communities, are not readily apparent. The increasing popularity and accessibility of podcasting offers local historians an opportunity to address this problem.

The goal of this project was to create a podcast program which makes information regarding the history, culture, and identity of Kentucky accessible to all in a scholarly—but engaging—way. I researched podcasting equipment and how to use it, then purchased that equipment …

Ua12/2/78 Kappa Sigma, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about Kappa Sigma fraternity and it's forerunner fraternities Delta Tau Sigma, Kappa Sigma Tau and Phi Kappa Alpha.

Ua12/2/75 Sigma Phi Epsilon, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about Sigma Phi Epsilon.

Ua12/2/71 Gamma Beta Phi, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about Gamma Beta Phi.

Ua12/2/80 Pi Kappa Alpha, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about Pi Kappa Alpha and its forerunner fraternity Lambda Sigma Epsilon.

Mapping Gothicism In Hiv/Aids Art, And The Importance Of Art In Understanding Queer Cultural Trauma: Canadian Perspectives, Riley Buist

2023 Undergraduate Awards

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Canada continues to be a defining moment in queer trauma and cultural production. Since the 1990s, queer academics and theorists have become increasingly interested in how queer people navigate and negotiate trauma. With the establishment of Queer Studies and Gothic Studies, the two fields have been considered complementary both historically and contemporarily. Queer academics and theorists have discovered that queer cultural production continuously evokes gothic themes, tropes, and atmospheres to understand cultural trauma. Previous research primarily focuses on literature, and my research seeks to expand the field into visual mediums. My research is interested in understanding …

2021 Excavations Of The Dearfield General Store And 1930s Dance Pavilion At The Dearfield Townsite And National Register Of Historic Places District, Robert H. Brunswig

Dearfield Archaeological Reports

Historical archaeology, except in cases where physical evidence is missing or destroyed, can often make significant contributions for reconstructing earlier lifestyles, economies, and social, political, and faith histories. The scientific recovery and interpretation of archaeological evidence in the form of artifacts, architecture, and human-organized spatial patterns is essential in understanding and contextualizing documentary, photographic, and memoric (e.g., oral history) evidence. In the case of the early 20th Century Dearfield townsite and its associated African American farming colony, retrieving their surviving archaeological records is both rewarding and challenging. Dearfield the townsite represents the founding seed from which the larger colony community …

Of Game Keepers, Opportunism, And Conservation, Raymond Hames

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

In this collection, gamekeepers are supernatural entities that regulate wildlife hunting in a wide variety of ways. They assist the hunters in pursuit of their prey, ritual respect for the game, and the reincarnation of slain animals. In addition, broader considerations are described, such as the mutual moral obligations between hunters and the supernatural. Gamekeepers seem to be nearly universal in those societies that depend on game animals as an important part of their diet, making the topic interesting from a ideological perspective. Some of the chapters argue that gamekeepers play a role in the conservation of prey types. The …

Down The Bay Oral History Project Newsletter - Summer 2023, Center For Archaeological Studies, Mccall Library

Down the Bay Oral History Project Newsletter

Public newsletter sharing information about progress and discoveries during the ongoing Down The Bay Project.

Down The Bay Oral History Project Newsletter - Spring 2023, Center For Archaeological Studies, Mccall Library

Down the Bay Oral History Project Newsletter

Public newsletter sharing information about progress and discoveries during the ongoing Down The Bay Project.

Down The Bay Oral History Project Newsletter - Fall 2023, Center For Archaeological Studies, Mccall Library

Down the Bay Oral History Project Newsletter

Public newsletter sharing information about progress and discoveries during the ongoing Down The Bay Project.

El Refugio De La Imagen Chamánica En El Mundo Malagana, Sonia Blanco, Catalina Simmonds Caldas

Segundo congreso internacional de iconografía precolombina. Barcelona, 2023. Actas.

La voluntad de elaborar una pieza antropomorfa, es incidir sobre el objeto, haciéndolo actuante. Tratándose del mundo Malagana – sociedad prehispánica colombiana –, que consideró el papel primordial de la mujer, esta imagen femenina y robusta, en cerámica, de pie, portadora de una máscara, como pieza – soporte simbólica contendría en su epidermis y gesto, una narrativa ritual. Desarrollada en un espacio funerario, como ajuar, personificaría los atributos del mono aullador y convocante de los “espíritus (auxiliares) alter-ego”, de los monos ardilla, intervendría de forma ritualista sobre los humedales del pueblo Malagana, aportándoles el equilibrio para la inflorescencia de la …

Diet Change Over Time In The Ais Community Of Cape Canaveral, Florida, Allyson Shenkman

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Diet change over time is assessed for a Malabar II period (900 C.E. to 1565 C.E.) Ais indigenous community in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at the Penny Plot site (8BR158). To this end, 7,760 faunal fragments were examined, with 1,876 identified at the species, genus, or family level. Through identification and analysis of faunal remains, it can be concluded that, while the amounts of overall remains left behind as a whole increased, there were no significant changes in the types of fauna utilized or patterns of consumption. This suggests that the indigenous people who occupied this site managed their resources very …

Investigating Mobility Across The Life Course Through Stable Isotope Analysis At The Early Medieval Site Of Berettyóújfalu Somata, Hungary, Brianna Jayne Muir

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The Migration Period (375 to 568 CE) of Central and Eastern Europe was a tumultuous time politically, culturally, and socially. Historical and archaeological evidence provide support for the large-scale movement of multiple tribes and groups, including the Gepids and Avars, although biogeochemical evidence for mobility is currently limited for these populations. Mobility can impact individual and group health and identity, and has socio-political implications for broader regions involved. As such, identifying the extent and scale of mobility within a given population can provide nuanced insights into multiple aspects of life and society in the past. To investigate mobility in a …

Lived Experience At Plinkaigalis, Lithuania: An Integrated Approach Using Stable Isotope, Spatial, And Statistical Analyses, Alexandria Orozco

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The Migration period (4th-7th century AD) represents a time of major sociopolitical change, but relatively little is known about this time in Lithuania's history (Bliujien?, 2013; Jankauskas & Kozlovskaya, 1999). The focus of this dissertation is to understand the lived experiences of individuals interred in the Migration Period cemetery at Plinkaigalis, Lithuania, through integrated analyses of stable isotope, statistical and spatial methods to assess 253 human bone/tooth samples. Isotopic analysis included assessments of stable carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen stable isotope values. Statistical analysis included a MANOVA (Multivariate Analysis of Variance) test. Spatial methods included buffers, kernel density, spatial statistics (Moran's …

Analysis And Observation Of Decomposition Of Immature Pigs In The Minnesota Winter/Early Spring, Rachael Herbes

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study analyzes the multiple factors affecting the decomposition of pigs in the Minnesota Winter/Early Spring within the first twelve weeks postmortem. The winters in the Minnesota River Valley can vary in regard to weather patterns and temperature changes. Adding the variable of location and accessibility to the study creates a mix of important research conducted in a less populated area. Pig carcasses were used in lieu of human remains to allow the data to be as close to a real scenario as possible. One pig was placed next to a farm site and the other about a half of …

2015-16 Antarctic Travel Project Data Set, Clare A. Sammells, Claudia Roedel, Duane Griffin

Other Faculty Research and Publications

During the 2015-2016 season, links to an internet survey were distributed to Antarctic travelers traveling with two different tour companies with expedition ships leaving from Ushuaia, Argentina, A paper brochure was placed in the expedition ship cabins of tourists before their arrival, and expedition staff gave reminders to complete them. 175 travelers, largely from two ships, completed this internet survey through Qualtrics. Tourists received links to the survey from expedition leaders who volunteered to distribute paper explanations of the survey with the link, including one author of the study (Roedel). This document gives the questions from the Qualtrics survey and …

2018-19 Antarctic Travel Project Data Set, Clare A. Sammells, Claudia Roedel, Duane Griffin, Alexander Busato

Other Faculty Research and Publications

For the 2018-2019 season, we distributed paper surveys to travelers on expedition ships leaving from Ushuaia, Argentina for the Antarctic peninsula. That instrument is included here. We received 461 responses. The Ushuaia Tourism Office, INFUETUR, graciously assisted us in distributing surveys to the expedition guides. Guides then distributed the surveys to their passengers onboard, collected completed surveys, and returned them to the INFUETUR office. These were then mailed to the authors to be analyzed. We offer our deep thanks to all those who assisted with this survey! Responses were collected between December 2018 and February 2019, a timeframe that corresponds …

2017-18 Antarctic Travel Project Data Set, Clare A. Sammells, Claudia Roedel, Duane Griffin, Alexander Busato

Other Faculty Research and Publications

For the 2017-2018 season, we distributed paper surveys to travelers on expedition ships leaving from Ushuaia, Argentina for the Antarctic peninsula. That instrument is included here. We received 362 responses, which is the n throughout the dataset. “Unanswered” indicates that nothing was written on the survey instrument for that question. The Ushuaia Tourism Office, INFUETUR, graciously assisted us in distributing surveys to the expedition guides. Guides then distributed the surveys to their passengers onboard, collected completed surveys, and returned them to the INFUETUR office. These were then mailed to the authors to be analyzed. Once the paper responses were received …

A View Into Collaborative Methods Between Minority Organizations And Archivists At The University Of Kentucky, Claudia Elizabeth Benito

Anthropology Presentations

This poster examines the white and male-dominated narrative promoted in the archives. Archivists hold the power to record and contribute to what is included in the archives. The lack of descriptions and identifiers causes archivists to define materials to the best of their ability. A third party is then creating historical notes that may not be complete and the materials lose, to some extent, their meaning and value. This becomes even more problematic when the materials have originated from or highlight minority individuals or groups. Particular language, or lack thereof, can make locating and understanding these materials more difficult for …

The Beauty Of Hip-Hop Culture: Linguistic Connections Through Music, Poetry, And Literature, Aminah Patel

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis enters the developing conversation in the linguistic domain about the culture and struggles of the Black community. It explores the collectivist perspective of the Black community in the 20^th and 21^st century through the umbrella of Linguistics and its subfields. Collectively, the literary and musical works in this study demonstrates the frustrations of the Black community—including its correlation to antebellum slavery—the lamentations of oppression, which showcases in a collection of poems and their syntactical aspects, and the Black pride emulating from the societies. Despite the clear correlation between Hip-Hop culture and literary works from the early …

Bibliography, Donna C. Parker

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Bibliography of publications by Donna Parker.

Bibliography, Anthony Harkins

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Bibliography of publications by Anthony Harkins.

Entangled Mangrove Roots: The Shrimp Industry, Ancestral Afro-Descendant People, And Community Resistance In Esmeraldas, Ecuador, O'Philia Le

Pitzer Senior Theses

Mangroves are one of the most important ecosystems because of the many services they provide on a local and global scale, but in contrast, are one of the most threatened by anthropogenic activities at a global level. Being sources of food for various kinds of fish, crustaceans, and mollusks, they are essential for the economy, culture, and livelihood of locals in Esmeraldas, Ecuador. This thesis takes an environmental justice approach in the discussion of the loss of mangroves in Esmeraldas, Ecuador. While toxic industries may not be apparent at first, environmental injustice prevails in adverse human health effects, environmental degradation, …

Parental Status Influences Human-To-Pet Caregiving Behaviors, Attachment, And Attitudes In A Finnish Sample, Shelly Volsche, Sydney Schultz, Sara Alsaifi, Marika Melamies, Jari Pulkkinen

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

A growing body of literature suggests people are choosing to forego parenthood, bringing companion animals into the home as a focus for people’s attachment and caretaking behavior instead. This emergent “pet parenting” can be defined as the parent-like investment in companion animals and has been linked to countries that are experiencing or have experienced the Second Demographic Transition (SDT) marked by subreplacement fertility, changing marriage norms, increased educational attainment, and a flexible life orientation no longer focused solely on reproduction. In this research, we sought to determine if Finland, a country where the SDT has already been evidenced, is also …

Hot, Dry, Flooded And Burned: Measuring Climate Vulnerability For Cultural Heritage In Us National Parks, Pei-Lin Yu

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cultural heritage parks make up more than 60% of the total number of America’s national parks, and cultural heritage exists in 100% of our parks. This heritage, which includes more than 10,000 years of Indigenous culture, is being irreparably changed or lost due to impacts of climate change, yet there is no standardized method to measure the vulnerability of cultural heritage resources. This severely hampers our ability to identify, measure, and implement adaptive measures to save cultural heritage in US national park units. In this paper I present new strategies for assessing exposure to climate impacts in US National Parks, …

Ethnoarchaeological Studies Of Riverine Fisheries And Butchery In Pakistani Punjab, William Belcher

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

In order to have an understanding of ancient third millennium BCE fisheries, as part of the Indus Valley Tradition (ca. 3300 to 1700 BCE), appropriate ethnoarchaeological models should be developed. The research reported herein was conducted between the years 1991 and 1999, with most of the data collection completed in 13 months between the years 1993 and 1994. The primary fishing methods are related to seine and cast nets, with some specific traps as well as hookand- line. Fishing follows a particular seasonal focus on oxbow lakes that form after the recession of the monsoon floods. Additionally, the fish include …