Anthropology Commons^™

Consciousness Vis-À-Vis The Restraints Of Language, Angela-Maria Martinez

Honors Program Theses

In my work, I explore the overlooked complexities of linguistics within the languages I speak and I examine the philosophical ideologies that surround the different perspectives offered by those languages I do not understand. As a bilingual, I have often pondered about the languages I speak fluently and how their differences allowed me to understand my surroundings in distinctive ways. Through the use of peaceful colors and audio, a combination of abstract and minimalist imagery, and a time-based medium, I seek to reveal the undiscovered possibilities of spoken language. It is through tranquil imagery and audio that I attempt to …

A History Of Fire At Hitchcock Nature Center, Western Iowa, Reconstructed Through An Analysis Of Macroscopic Charcoal And Soil-Magnetic Properties, Christoph E. Geiss, Nicole E. Towner

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

We analyzed soil-magnetic properties and macroscopic charcoal abundances for two soil profiles located in Hitchcock Nature Center (HNC), Honey Creek, Iowa. Both profiles are located on valley bottoms in the Loess Hills of western Iowa and developed in redeposited Peoria loess. Site HNC 15D is located on an elevated stream terrace and contains a moderately well-developed modern soil. Site HNC 15G is located on a valley floor and consists of a poorly developed modern soil and a series of buried soil horizons. Both sites record consistently low charcoal concentrations of 0.5 mm2 /g in prehistoric deposits. While site HNC 15D …

Contextos Mortuorios En La Consentida, Oaxaca, Durante El Formativo Temprano, Guy David Hepp, José Aguilar, Paul A. Sandberg

Anthropology Faculty Publications

En este trabajo reunimos las evidencias bioarqueológicas y de espacios funerarios para los orígenes de cementerios formales, y los cambios en la salud observada en los restos óseos durante el período Formativo temprano (2000–1000 a.C.) en la costa de Oaxaca. Las excavaciones en el sitio de La Consentida (1950–1525 cal a.C.) recuperaron 14 o posiblemente 15 individuos en 12 entierros. El fechamiento de estos entierros está basado en una muestra de radiocarbono de un fémur procesado con purificación XAD, en la asociación del mismo con otros entierros y en los elementos que los rodean, además de otras fechas adicionales de …

Introducción: Bioarqueología De Oaxaca: Identidades Y Cambios Sociales Entre La Sociedad Antigua Del Suroeste De México, Ricardo Higelin Ponce De León, Guy David Hepp

Anthropology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Paleoethnobotanical Evidence Of Early Formative Period Diet In Coastal Oaxaca, Mexico, Éloi Bérubé, Guy David Hepp, Shanti Morell-Hart

Anthropology Faculty Publications

In this paper, we discuss dietary and possible medicinal practices of an Early Formative period (2000–1000 BCE) community transitioning from Archaic-style to Formative-style lifeways. The results we present come from the analysis of plant residues, including microbotanical and macrobotanical remains, which were excavated at the village site of La Consentida in coastal Oaxaca, Mexico. Phytoliths and starch grains were recovered by sonication from twenty ceramic and lithic artifacts. The microbotanical analyses identified plant remains from four different families: Bombaceae (flowering plants), Dioscoreaceae (yam family), Fabaceae (bean family), and Poaceae (grasses, including maize). We also report on limited macrobotanical analysis, including …

The Symbolism, Use, And Archaeological Context Of Masks In Formative Period Coastal Oaxaca, Mexico, Guy David Hepp, Sarah B. Barber, Jeffrey S. Brzezinski, Arthur A. Joyce, Rachael L. Wedemeyer

Anthropology Faculty Publications

The production and use of masks at multiple scales and in diverse contexts is a millennia-long tradition in Mesoamerica. In this paper, we explore some implications of Mesoamerican masking practices in light of materiality studies and the archaeology of the senses. We also discuss a collection of 22 masks, miniature masks and representations of masks from the lower Río Verde valley of coastal Oaxaca, Mexico. The iconography of these artefacts as well as their recovery from well-documented archaeological contexts inform our interpretations of masking practices during an approximately 2000-year span of the Formative period (2000 BC–AD 250). Specifically, we argue …

Mass Grave Localization Prediction With Geographical Information Systems In Guatemala And Future Impacts, Perla Santillan

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

Conducting physical searches for mass grave locations based on anecdotal evidence is a time consuming and resource intensive endeavor in circumstances that often pose a threat to personal safety. The development of tools and procedures to speed such searches can greatly reduce the risk involved, increase the number of individuals whose remains are recovered and identified; and, more importantly, reunite these remains with their loved ones to provide them with a proper burial. Geographic information systems (GIS) software, which can analyze and manipulate the spatial characteristics of known mass grave data, represents a powerful tool that can be used to …

The Public And The Personal: Mapping The Nyc Subway System As An Urban Memoryscape, Soledad O. Tejada

Library Map Prize

No abstract provided.

Digital Cultural And Historical Preservation, Natalie Heacock

Student Scholars Day Posters

The intent of this research is to test the effectiveness of photogrammetry and 3D scanning technology for the purpose of digital cultural and historical preservation. The case studies presented are of two historic pots, a lithic, a bitumen sample, a shipwreck, and an historic windmill. This research proves that 3D models for digital perseveration can be created through data acquisition, image processing, and the use of different software. Each study shown provides an example of how photogrammetry software can further efforts in historical and cultural preservation, as well as research in the archaeological field.

Please email any questions or comments …

A Functional Analysis Of Recorded Pre-Contact Archaeological Sites On Lopez Island, Washington, Julia Kunas

All Master's Theses

Lopez Island, Washington has been the subject of archaeological study for over a century. Through an evolutionary archaeology framework, this thesis uses a functional analysis of recorded precontact sites on Lopez Island to determine how previous sampling and research strategies have influenced what is known about the island’s archaeology. Knowing what is currently known about the island’s archaeology shows how recorded sites can be further investigated to address regional Salish Sea research questions. I developed and applied a paradigmatic classification to 54 sampled sites from the Washington DAHP’s WISAARD database by their level of previous research, microenvironment, and archaeology. This …

Lithic Technological And Functional Variability Between Mesa And Riverine Environments In The Mid-Columbia River Basin, Josh Allen

All Master's Theses

This study develops a theoretically informed method and technique to compare variability between pre-contact riverine and hinterland Mesa archaeological resources of the mid-Columbian River Basin in Central Washington. To test the developed model, the study follows suggestions made by Dr. William Smith (1977:82) to “develop a testable hypothesis” using Mesa sites and other site types across environments with a more “sophisticated system for the classification of both artifacts and features.” Three sites (Mesa 06, 12, and 36) are compared to a riverine site (45DO673) to determine how the frequency of technological and functional traits of lithic stone tools and debitage …

Investigating The Spatial And Statistical Dimensions Of Mortuary Choice In The Historical-Period Old City Cemetery In Roslyn, Washington, Sarah Rain Hibdon

All Master's Theses

The historical-period Old City Cemetery in Roslyn, Washington contains individuals from diverse social backgrounds and exhibits considerable variation in mortuary expression. As such, the Old City Cemetery offers a unique opportunity to explore potential differences in social group mortuary practices spatially and statistically. Using burials in Roslyn’s Old City Cemetery, this project developed a methods framework to assess mortuary practice through demographics, burial location, and monument/plot attributes. I tested correlations between demographics and mortuary expression using spatial-statistical cluster analysis (Ripley’s K-Function), spatial density analysis (Kernel Density Estimation), and non-spatial statistical significance assessments (Factor analysis and Pearson’s R), and identified …

The Development Of Social Behavior In The Tibetan Macaque (Macaca Thibetana), Rose Amrhein

All Master's Theses

Social cognition is vital for the proper integration into adulthood for any highly social animal species. The development of social intelligence during the childhood and adolescence of a social organism affects the individual throughout its life. This social intelligence allows for the establishment and maintenance of bonds through the formation of empathy, the understanding of intention and emotion, and theory of mind in some species. Changes to the rate and effectiveness of social development could lead to an individual incapable of integrating into the social environment of adulthood. Yet, much still needs to be learned about the process and influences …

Sampling The Local Fare: Fishes At The Sam Israel House Pit (45gr76), Soap Lake, Washington, Adam Fruge

All Master's Theses

The Sam Israel site is a precontact archaeological complex with numerous fish bones at the north end of Soap Lake, Washington. Excavated in 1976, the fish remains recovered from there were never fully analyzed prior to this research. Since this inland Columbia Plateau site had thousands of fish bones, it contained untapped potential for our understanding of ancient local fish procurement. As such, I conducted a detailed analysis of 2,862 fish bone specimens from the Sam Israel House Pit locus to: study a larger sample of fish bones in greater detail than was done before; compare the distribution of fishes …

Group Differences In Mother-Infant Macaca Fascicularis Behavior, Parasite Load, And Body Condition Within An Anthropogenically Altered Forest, Elizabeth M.C. Coggeshall

All Master's Theses

This study aimed to establish preliminary health and behavioral data, as well as understand group variation for a large population of Macaca fascicularis individuals within an anthropogenically altered monkey forest. A parasitic analysis of 40 mother and infant individuals showed that M. fascicularis carried 13 different parasitic taxa, and that there was parasitic variation between groups. Body condition scores were determined using a newly created and adapted body condition scale from 146 sampled mother macaques. Body condition scores were significantly different between groups, specifically the pond group when compared to the three other groups. Mother-infant behavioral differences were seen between …

Mommy Issues: Do Differential Rearing Histories Affect The Social Behavior Of Captive Chacma Baboons (Papio Ursinus), Madeleine Spencer

All Master's Theses

I observed the behavior of 17 chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) in order to understand the relationship between rearing history, dominance hierarchy, and social behavior. The Centre for Animal Rehabilitation and Education (C.A.R.E.) has utilized hand-rearing in the past and is currently using a surrogate-rearing method. Hand-rearing involves one or more primary caregivers attending to an infant for 6 – 12 months. Surrogate-rearing involves one individual being the primary surrogate for the first 3 months of the infant’s life prior to bonding her or him to an adult female baboon before integrating both back into the surrogate’s troop. Mother-reared …

Examining Environmental Use By Captive Lemur Catta And Varecia Rubra, Rhiannon Belcher

All Master's Theses

There are over 100 named species of lemurs, of which 94% are considered threatened with extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They live in increasingly fragmented forests. To understand how best to protect them in their natural habitats, we can observe how they manipulate the environment and how they use objects, both natural and humanmade, around them. Understanding their behavior is a critical component of conservation, and observing behavior in a captive setting allows us to study lemur-environment relationships without disrupting what little habitat is left in Madagascar. In this study I investigated whether the …

Chimpanzee Early Life Experiences And Responses To Caregiver Use Of Species-Specific Behavior, Emily Patton

All Master's Theses

More than 1,400 chimpanzees live in captivity in the US and each has complex social needs. The humans who care for captive chimpanzees occupy a place within chimpanzee social structures and their actions have consequences on chimpanzee behavior and welfare. Two studies compared chimpanzee responses between a condition in which humans used chimpanzee behaviors (CB) and another in which they use human behaviors (HB) during informal interactions. The chimpanzees showed more affiliative behavior during the CB condition in one study and strong individual variation in responses to the two conditions in both studies. Individual variation in adult primate behavior can …

The Seasonality And Parasite Richness And Prevalence Of The Weddelli’S Saddleback Tamarin (Leontocebus Weddelli), Krista Banda

All Master's Theses

This study surveyed the intestinal helminths (parasitic worms) of Weddelli’s saddleback tamarins (Leontocebus weddelli), focusing on seasonality in parasite prevalence and richness. The collaborative study with Field Projects International took place at the Estación Biológica Rio Los Amigos (EBLA) in southeastern Peru. Fecal samples were collected by following semi-habituated groups of tamarins, yielding 16 samples in the dry season of 2015 and 11 samples in the wet season of 2015-2016. Findings were interpreted to understand trends for parasite prevalence and richness between the two seasons; however, novel helminths for the study species were observed. Trends were interpreted with …

Recovering Lost Information From Avocational Projectile Point Collections, Mackenzie Hughes

All Master's Theses

Human prehistory in North America has sparked the interest of private citizens for decades, sometimes leading to an accumulation of avocational artifact collections that lack site-level provenience. The Wild/Clymer artifacts (n = 1,371) are one such collection where precise site provenience was lost. The analysis aims to recover regional provenience by using morphology, raw material sourcing, and typology to create a data set. The avocational collection data set was analyzed by comparing it to the professionally recorded archaeological data sets from within 100 miles of Frenchglen, Oregon. A paradigmatic classification approach identified 606 typeable points in the avocational collection, in …