Anthropology Commons^™

Site Location Modeling And Prehistoric Rock Shelter Selection On The Upper Cumberland Plateau Of Tennessee, Lucinda M. Langston

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using data collected from 2 archaeological surveys of the Upper Cumberland Plateau (UCP), Pogue Creek Gorge and East Obey, a site location model was developed for prehistoric rock shelter occupation in the region. Further, the UCP model was used to explore factors related to differential site selection of rock shelters. Different from traditional approaches such as those that use (aspatial) logistic regression, the UCP model was developed using spatial logistic regression. However, models were also generated using other regression-based approaches in an effort to demonstrate the need for a spatial approach to archaeological site location modeling. Based on the UCP …

The Consciousness Of Water: Narrative Flows, Environmental Change, And The Voice Of Yemen, Tricia Nellessen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Icebergs are melting in the Arctic. The Gulf of Mexico is warming and producing hurricanes such as Katrina. The delta of the southern United States is drying. And, Yemen will be the first country in modern history to experience a lack of accessible ground water, as soon as 2017 possibly. Yemen's situation has been tracked by scholars and governments since the 1960s. Despite this fact, cities have expanded in Yemen and the population has increased its use of water while little has been invested in desalination or infrastructure to offset growth. Climate change has affected humans for thousands of years; …

Chronologies Of Pain And Power: Violence, Inequality, And Social Control Among Ancestral Pueblo Populations (Ad 850-1300), Ryan Patrick Harrod

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Analysis of human remains in the Greater Southwest offers important insights into mechanisms underlying cultural processes, human adaptability as well as behavioral flexibility and resilience in the face of change. Data collected from human remains from several sites throughout the Four Corners region of the Greater Southwest provides information on the ways that violence and social inequality were used to maintain a regional complex between AD 850 to AD 1300. Human remains were used to provide empirical data on biological (age, sex, stature, and robusticity) and cultural (mortuary context, burial practice, and site layout) identity. Skeletal remains provided information on …

An Examination Of Chipped Stone From Two Middle Holocene Archaeological Sites In The East Central Great Plains, Christine A. Nycz

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

This study examines aspects of movement and mobility of hunter-gatherer groups in the east central Great Plains during the Middle Holocene, between 8500 cal and 5000 cal B.P. Few published reports detail archaeological assemblages or address features of prehistoric mobility in this subregion of the Great Plains. Current research on the Great Plains emphasizes bison procurement and low regional bison mobility. This thesis presents interpretations of hunter-gatherer mobility based on examination of chipped stone assemblages from two Middle Holocene archaeological deposits (the Hill and Simonsen sites) in western Iowa. The resulting analysis demonstrates restricted hunter-gatherer mobility within this subregion, with …

Re-Examining Late Chalcolithic Cultural Collapse In South-East Europe, Harvey Benjamin Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research into the Balkan Chalcolithic often overlooks the dramatic changes in society that occurred beginning in the late Fifth Millennium BCE. Most settlements were abandoned along with changes in mortuary customs, ceramic and decorative traditions, domestic rituals, crafts, housing styles, mining, and metallurgy. These changes happened at a time when these Chalcolithic societies seemed to be at their peak. Theories as to what caused these changes include migrations/invasions, anthropogenic environmental degradation, gradual internal changes through innovation and outside contacts, and climate change. This thesis attempts to synthesize, and critique material relating to this topic, and ultimately provide my own opinions …

"An Ample Provision For Our Posterity": Transportation, Ceramic Diversity, And Trade In Historic Arkansas, 1800-1930, Katherine Rose Cleek

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation I present a method to study transportation using ceramic diversity and access to transportation infrastructure. Ceramic tableware richness, or the number of types present, is analyzed over time as a proxy for access to local transportation infrastructure at seven sites in Arkansas, dating from approximately 1800 to 1930. Previous efforts to look at trade in historical archaeology including Adams (1976), Riordan and Adams (1985), and Adams, Bowers, and Mills (2001) have not thoroughly assessed transportation as a means of trade. This dissertation looks at the many ways of assessing diversity in archaeology, biology, business, and economics, as …

Cypriot Religion Of The Early Bronze Age: Insular And Transmitted Ideologies, Ca. 2500-2000 B.C.E., Donovan Adams

Anthropology

The Early Bronze Age of Cyprus is not a very well understood chronological period of the island for a variety of reasons. These include: the inaccessibility of the northern part of the island after the Turkish invasion, the lack of a written language, and the fragility of Cypriot artifacts. Many aspects of protohistoric Cypriot life have become more understood, such as: the economic structure, social organization, and interactions between Cyprus and Anatolia. Despite this improvement in some areas, religion is still largely not understood. With the arrival of new animals and symbols, there is clearly a shift in reverence. However, …

Molecular Actions Of The Vitamin D Receptor In Mammary And Skin Carcinogenesis, Samantha L. Chu

Anthropology

Vitamin D has been linked to breast cancer risk in animal and human studies, suggesting that the active metabolite 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25D) might protect breast cells from transformation. In human mammary epithelial (HME-hTERT) cells, which express vitamin D receptor (VDR), 1,25D exerts anti proliferative and pro-differentiating effects, but the molecular mechanisms that mediate these actions are unknown. In previous studies we used genomic profiling to classify 1,25D regulated networks in HME-hTERT cells that may contribute to the anti-cancer effects of vitamin D. Through this approach we detected a 60-fold increase in the cytokine CD14 in HME-hTERT cells treated with vitamin …

Implications Of Tanzanian Culture On Nutrition And Their Effects In People Living With Hiv/Aids, Jennifer Pollard

Anthropology

Many Africans living with HIV/AIDS also suffer from malnutrition. Together, HIV and malnutrition greatly compromise the immune system of an individual, with each condition increasing the effects of the other. This field study examines Maasai in the Arusha region of Tanzania where approximately 5.6% of the population is infected with HIV/AIDS and 45% of children exhibit stunted growth, indicating chronic malnutrition within the population. Cultural factors including gender inequality, knowledge levels, and traditions associated with Maasai (the predominant tribe in the Arusha region) were analyzed in their contributions to malnutrition and HIV. The study was conducted over three months in …

Botanical Resource Use In The Bronze And Iron Age Of The Central Eurasian Mountain/Steppe Interface: Decision Making In Multiresource Pastoral Economies, Robert Nicholas Spengler

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

This dissertation examines botanical resources as components of Central Asian economies in the Bronze: ca. 2500 - 800 B.C.) and Iron Ages: ca. 800 B.C. - A.D. 500) using a paleoethnobotanical data set from four archaeological sites, Begash, Mukri, Tasbas, and Tuzusai. These sites are located in the Semirech'ye region of eastern Kazakhstan, and they occupy distinctive microenvironmental zones along the mountain and steppe boundaries; furthermore, they show a great deal of material cultural similarity and are placed into the same culture groups by researchers. The introduction of macrobotanical studies to Central Asian archaeology allows for a critique of former …

The Spatial And Temporal Ecology Of Seed Dispersal By Gorillas In Lopé National Park, Gabon: Linking Patterns Of Disperser Behavior And Recruitment In An Afrotropical Forest, Marc Steven Fourrier

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Western lowland gorillas: Gorilla g. gorilla) consume large quantities of fruit and disperse a great number of seeds. The majority these seeds are dispersed intact and viable in the dung. Dung is often deposited around the rim of a night nest or at a nest-site. Gorillas often construct nests in areas that have a sparse canopy, flattening the ground vegetation. These locations can be beneficial to the growth and survival of the seed species they disperse. Thus, not only are gorillas effective in terms of depositing seeds great distances from parent plants, away from the highest seed rain densities, they …

Moving Targets: Meanings Of Mobility In Metropolitan Nairobi, Meghan Elizabeth Ference

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

This dissertation is an ethnographic and historical study of the urban transportation system in Nairobi, Kenya and the large youth workforce who operate it. Currently, the informal mini-bus taxi system made up of vehicles called matatus, carries nearly 80% of the urban population in Nairobi on a daily basis. It is, by far, the most popular form of transportation in the country and employs the largest number of young people, as well. This type of transportation is not unique to African countries as mini-bus: 14-32 passengers) and midi-bus: 32-48 passengers) taxis are common in Turkey, Jamaica, Philippines, Russia and Chile …

Artists In Residence - Boyd County (Fa 611), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 611. Project conducted in Boyd County, Kentucky to identify and utilize local folk artists in a county elementary school. Project coordinator Julia Morgan interviewed local folk artists and performers. Afterwards she made presentations in schools about the information she collected and invited some of the artists to perform and/or demonstrate.

Filling A House With Meaning: The Construction Of A Chicago Housing Cooperative, Laura Hones

Honors Projects

A housing cooperative is a non-profit form of housing tenure that has been a feature of American university campuses since the 1930s. Living in a co-op allows members the benefits of low rent, a close-knit social group, and democratic control of their living space. Unlike communes, however, members do not typically share income or unite around a particular ideology. This paper is the result of ethnographic research of one such house, Haymarket House of Qumbya Housing Cooperative in Hyde Park, Chicago. In 1988 the founders of Haymarket established its methods of structuring everyday life on principles of socialism, egalitarianism, and …

Anthropology In The Real World: Year Vii, William Torres B.A., Nicole Benigno B.A.

Petersheim Academic Exposition

No abstract provided.

Native American Projectile Points: What Stories Can They Tell Us?, Katelyn S. Scott

Honors Projects

Native American Projectile Points are ubiquitous throughout the United States and have been an important icon of indigenous peoples of North America and their past. This paper explores what projectile points can tell us about the people who made and used them, the history of collecting projectile points, and the challenges associated with projectile point research and collection management. The focus of this research is a collection of Native American projectile points in the Tate Archives and Special Collections in The Ames Library at Illinois Wesleyan University. In addition, the paper also describes the process used to catalog the collection, …

The Biomechanics Of Spear Throwing: An Analysis Of The Effects Of Anatomical Variation On Throwing Performance, With Implications For The Fossil Record, Julia Marie Maki

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Accurate, high velocity throwing is a skill unique to humans among living species. It likely provided an adaptive advantage for our hominin ancestors, either in the context of hunting, or protection from predators. Thus, understanding how variation in body form and anatomy influences throwing ability may provide insight into the evolution of human morphology. Research has been done on various forms of ball and javelin throwing, yet the biomechanics of spear throwing were completely unknown. Moreover, it has been suggested that early modern humans had lesser effective mechanical advantage: EMA, the ratio of moment arm to load arm) than Neandertals, …

Growing Up Tamarin: Morphology, Reproduction, And Population Demography Of Sympatric Free-Ranging Saguinus Fuscicollis And S. Imperator, Mrinalini Watsa

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

The Callitrichidae are family of small New World primates with a suite of distinctive morphological and behavioral adaptations that set them apart from other primates. Of primary interest is their reproductive system that includes compulsive twinning: ≥80% of births) and cooperative care of offspring by individuals other than biological parents: termed alloparenting). Further, hematopoietic tissues in callitrichids display signals of both self and sibling DNA, due to an exchange of stem cells early in gestation that renders twin callitrichids as cellular mosaics of each other. This phenomenon is known as genetic chimerism, which increases genetic relatedness between individuals and is …

Artists In Residence - Bourbon County (Fa 610), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 610. Project conducted in Bourbon County, Kentucky to identify and utilize local folk artists in a county elementary school. Project coordinator Sue Massek conducted interviews with local folk artists and performers. She then presented information about them at the school and asked some of the folk artists and performers to perform or demonstrate.

Anthropology In The Real World: Year Ix, Angela Ashman B.A., Catherine St. James B.A.

Petersheim Academic Exposition

No abstract provided.

Risking It: An Examination Of Risk Perception Amongst Obstetricians And Certified Professional Midwives In Missouri, Allison R. Horan

Undergraduate Theses—Unrestricted

The concept of risk is pervasive in contemporary discussions of childbirth –both amongst professionals and consumers. While risk is often presented as an objective entity, in reality it is an elusive concept to define, particularly within the context of maternity care. Since the nineteenth century, obstetricians and midwives have conceptualized the risks of birth differently. This thesis examines how two groups of practitioners in Missouri, obstetricians (OBs) and certified professional midwives (CPMs), perceive risk in pregnancy and childbirth. By combining archival investigation techniques with original qualitative research, I hope to demonstrate that risk in maternity care is far from a …

Addressing The Elephant In The Room: Understanding The Daily Life Of Undocumented High School Youth, Sylvia Rusin, Meghan Burke, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

The 1.5 generation are the undocumented students who were born abroad and were brought to the United States by their parents at an early age. Many of these children came here during the population boom in the 1990’s and are now teenagers or in their mid 20’s. As they are finishing high school, nearly all of them are confused about their post-secondary options because of their undocumented status. The IL Dream Act, passed in 2011, qualifies undocumented youth to pay in-state tuition when attending public universities in Illinois and provides counselors who are aware of the college options and post-secondary …

Snapped Into Focus: Addressing The Challenges Faced By Undocumented Mexican Immigrants In The United States, Nora Peterson, Rebecca Gearhart, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Utilizing collaborative research methods and visual media, this poster provides an insider's perspective of the experience of someone who has lived as an undocumented immigrant in the United States. Examined through the lens of Jennifer Carrillo, who immigrated to the United States with her family at the age of 10, this research focuses on the difficult process of immigration and the consequences for those who are unable to become legal residents. This poster also explores the moral responsibility felt by immigrants who have successfully navigated the immigration system to actively try to improve the status of undocumented immigrants in the …

Do You Know How To Dance?: Mediating Identity Through Film And Dance In Visakhapatnam, India, Kaitlin Patterson, Dr. Charles Nuckolls

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I went to India to study gender relations in the family, but as I spent more time there I came to know a group of striking individuals and instead focused my research on a similar topic, film as a mediator of culture, but in this case a mediator for the deaf. The Omkar and Lions School for the Deaf (OLSD) looks out onto the bright blue bay of Visakhapatnam, India. Despite the beautiful view, the students rarely spend time in the water; their time is consumed with other things. They have school to go to, homework to complete, temple to …

A Modern Ethnohistorical Understanding Of Ancient Plant Use, Emphasis On The Fremont Near Goshen, Utah, Insight Into Diet And Medicine, Madison Mercer, Dr. Michael Searcy

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The research for this project began in August 2011 and finished in April 2012. The goal was to understand how plants were anciently used for food or medicine. To determine this, archaeological data would have to be coupled with more modern ethnographic data of living peoples. This is because there is no clear way to determine how people anciently used plants and because it is possible that modern indigenous groups used plants in similar ways.

Prophets, Scripts, And Nations: Hmong Religious And Ethnonational Borders In Northern Thailand, Belinda Ramirez, Dr. Jacob Hickman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As a sociocultural anthropology major, my ORCA project entailed spending three months on an ethnographic study. I chose to conduct this study in northern Thailand among the Hmong, a small hill tribe ethnic group. During my stay in a Hmong community near Pua, Nan Province, I spent much of my time with a small messianic religious group known as Is Npis Mis Nus (pronounced “ee bee mee new”), or Is Npis for short. My goals were to understand the various concepts of nationalism and ethnicity for both the Is Npis and the Hmong in general, which I ascertained largely through …

Who Is “We”?: Community Development In El Salvador, Hilary Munger, Dr. Jacob Hickman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Where will you be vacationing for Fiestas Agostinas? During the weeks leading up to the most anticipated holiday in El Salvador I was asked this question by almost every individual with whom I came into contact. As a new comer to the country and its customs reusing others greetings and topics of conversation from one social interaction to the next became a common practice as I endeavored to give the impression that I understood what was going on around me. As I traveled outside the capitol to indigenous communities living in the periphery, both literally and figuratively, my assumptions of …

Change And Continuity In A South Indian Fishing Village, Andrew Pieper, Dr. Charles Nuckolls

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Vasuvanipalem, a once isolated fishing village on the South Eastern coast of India has in recent years been absorbed in to the rapidly growing city of Visakhapatnam. The accompanying changes of urbanization and modernization within this community have changed dramatically the lives of fishermen within the community and their families.

Investigations At The Fort St. Joseph Archeological Project Unit N25 W9, Erika Mammen

Honors Theses

The Western Michigan University Archaeological Field School is a program that allows students with an interest in Anthropology or History an opportunity to participate in a learning community devoted to the practice of archaeology. Since 2002 the field school has been held regularly at the site of historic Fort St. Joseph (20BE23). During the summer field season of 2011 I was a student archaeologist at Fort St. Joseph. For my honor’s thesis I am presenting a summary of my field experience and a discussion of my findings.

The purpose of this thesis is twofold. First, I aim to provide future …

Short-Distance Cultural Remittances Of Shakti Among Domestic Workers In Vizag, India, Kirk Hepburn, Dr. Charles Nuckolls

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The project under question has taken turns dramatic enough to make it nearly unrecognizable and its title almost entirely inapplicable. Problems, faced early in research but insurmountable, make it necessary that the collected data be used for purposes beside my original intent. While I originally planned to study the remittance of shakti notions among domestic workers, the project now seeks to describe the social power-based elaborations and subtractions that made translation work among this group unwieldy and useless for my purposes. While I cannot address my original hypothesis, this current iteration of my project speaks to literature detailed in the …