The research presented here argues that monkeys are central to Guaja cultural identity in ecological, sociological, and symbolic domains. The Guaja Indians are a foraging people who are currently in transition to a more settled, horticultural mode of production. The Guaja number approximately 265 individuals and are located today on four indigenous areas on the eastern border of Amazonia, in the state of Maranhao, Brazil. Also located in the area are seven species of monkeys with which the Guaja interact: the red handed howler monkey (Alouatta belzebul belzebul), the owl monkey (Aotus infulatus), the brown capuchin ( Cebus apella), the Ka'apor capuchin (Cebus kaapori), the black-bearded saki (Chiropotes satanas satanas), the squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus), and the golden-handed tamarin (Saguinas midas niger). Ecologically, monkeys are a key seasonal food resource. They are the most frequently eaten animal type in the wet season and largely determining the trekking behavior of the Guaja. Further, much of the ethnobotanical knowledge of the Guaja focuses on plants edible for monkeys, reflecting their importance in the diet. When adult female monkeys are killed for food, their orphaned infants are raised as pets, which are considered to be nearly human, to the extent of being incorporated into their kinship system and treated as surrogate children. The apparent contradiction between monkeys as food and monkeys as kin is rendered logical in the symbolic cannibalistic beliefs of the Guaja religion which are largely animistic and bear similarities to the religious beliefs of other Tupi-Guarani speaking peoples of lowland South America / acase@tulane.edu

This dissertation presents a growth and development study of prehistoric coastal Peruvian populations. Previous research indicates considerable variability between human populations in growth and development events. This research establishes growth and development standards for two prehistoric coastal Peruvian populations. Both dental and long bone standards are presented. Adult stature and sexual dimorphism are also studied as a culmination of growth and development and as indicators of general population health. Results indicate that dental and long bone subadult aging standards, developed from North American Indian samples are not appropriate for prehistoric Andean populations. These results support previous evidence of variability between human populations and suggest that further research is necessary to establish better subadult skeletal and dental age standards for other parts of the world / acase@tulane.edu

In this dissertation, I reconstruct patterns of human sacrifice using the results of the excavation and bioarchaeological analysis of the sacrificial offerings from the Templo de la Piedra Sagrada, Tucume, Peru. Patterns of perimortem and postmortem treatment of the human victims are consistent with a regular, sequentially performed sacrifice ritual that involved the physical modification (decapitation, throat slitting, and chest cavity opening) and individual burial of a minimum of 117 individuals. The sample demography suggests a specific selection of children (5-18 years) and adult males (19-45 years), as well as juvenile camelids Human sacrifice is described in early ethnohistoric sources as a special practice during Inca times. Numerous examples of Pre-Inca contexts of ritual violence have been discovered. Compared to previously proposed models of Andean human sacrifice, the Templo de la Piedra Sagrada context shares some features that can be seen as representing continuity with earlier north coastal traditions. On the other hand, the remains and treatment present aspects that make this context unique. The Templo de la Piedra Sagrada demonstrates the complexity of ritual activities in Prehispanic Andean societies, and highlights the social significance of this rite of human sacrifice at Tucume where it was performed repeatedly and resulted in specific patterning of ritual violence beginning in the Late Intermediate Period and continuing into Inca times / acase@tulane.edu

This dissertation examines the construction of social identity through the archaeological investigation of houses in the ancient community of Baking Pot, a medium-sized center located in the Belize Valley. Excavations in five residential structures form the basis of a holistic analysis of Late and Terminal Classic domestic material remains. Analyses of architecture, ritual and refuse deposits, ceramics, lithics and faunal materials are presented with the goal of creating an internal framework of identity construction, focusing on evidence of cohesiveness and differentiation in domestic activities. Osteological analysis of human remains from Baking Pot, and stable isotopic analysis of individuals from sites throughout the Belize River Valley, integrate data on health and diet into interpretations of social identity Constructions of identity among house groups focus on cohesiveness within the Baking Pot community, but social differentiation can also be identified. The residents of Baking Pot possessed and used a set of material remains that show more internal similarity than in larger and more differentiated lowland communities. Health and diet also show little differentiation, confirming similar strategies in the daily lives of residents throughout the valley. Location of houses, architectural elaboration, and use of high-quality construction materials were, in contrast, found to reliably differentiate house groups. Ceramic and lithic samples from the residences have much in common, including the artifact types that form the foundation of each industry. Imported items, painted ceramics, and formal chipped stone tools are not differentially distributed among residences. Ceramic assemblage size, glyphic and figural decoration on ceramics, concentration of painted ceramic types, chert quality, and lithic artifacts such as grooved stones and incised limestone spheres do, however, differentiate among houses. The lithic sample from the most elaborated residence demonstrates less involvement with agricultural activities for the members of this house group. Ritual activities, health, and dietary data do not show variation that relates to socioeconomic differentiation. This dissertation stresses the importance of seeking indicators of differentiation within residential assemblages, rather than relying on external models of socioeconomic status to interpret domestic behaviors and interactions / acase@tulane.edu

This research proposes a model of economic disintensification, applied to the Mississippi period chiefdom of Moundville, in Alabama. I hypothesized the post-A.D. 1300 population dispersal from Moundville to outlying sites would have resulted in economic disintensification. To evaluate this model, I proposed subsistence, settlement pattern, and health correlates of disintensification, and tested these correlates against data from the Moundville site. I reviewed the existing literature on Moundville subsistence, and found that the published data were insufficient for determining if disintensification had occurred. Next, I performed a settlement pattern analysis of the number, mean size, distribution and density of Moundville phase sites, and found that although population dispersal occurred, there was no firm evidence of disintensification. I also collected primary demographic and paleopathological data from Moundville phase human skeletal remains, and made a diachronic comparison of skeletal samples before and after population dispersal, to see if there were any differences in health or nutrition that would signal disintensification. I found no statistically significant differences in rates of disease, trauma, degenerative joint disease, dental pathology or dental wear between pre-dispersal and post-dispersal populations, indicating that disintensification did not take place The model of disintensification is upheld, and most of the archaeological correlates I proposed for disintensification are valid tests of the model. However, disintensification did not occur within the Moundville chiefdom. Instead, Moundville and the outlying communities in the chiefdom appear to have maintained close ties, and continued to act as a single entity in terms of subsistence and social connections, thereby leaving open the vectors of disease at consistent low levels throughout the Moundville era. I believe this low-level exposure partially accounts for the lack of clear distinctions in health between the subphases. Overall, people appear to have maintained good health and an adequate diet across time, regardless of population movements and political change. The dispersal of Moundville's population after A.D. 1300 in no way represents 'the beginning of the end' of the chiefdom, but rather an organizational improvement that maintained the social and salutary status quo to the benefit of outlying communities and the residents of Moundville alike / acase@tulane.edu

The relationships among obesity, body fat distribution, and insulin and glucose levels (fasting and 30-minute post prandial) were examined in Zuni Indian adolescents. Males showed a significantly higher mean lean body mass (LBM), mean waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and mean waist circumference, but a significantly lower mean percent body fat and 30-minute insulin level than did females. Males followed a pattern of abdominal fat distribution while the female pattern was more gluteo-femoral. Increasing mean fasting insulin levels were significantly related to increasing mean fasting glucose levels in both males and females, indicating the presence of insulin resistance in these adolescents. While males and females exhibited a similar correlation between insulin and glucose, females secreted more insulin in response to a glucose load. This study suggests that waist circumference is a preferred method of assessing risk for hyperinsulinemia and possibly insulin resistance than WHR in these adolescents.

<p> This thesis evaluates how environmental stressors affected three groups (Nasca, Loro, and Chakipampa) that lived in Nasca during the Early Intermediate Period (ca. A.D. 1-750) and the Middle Horizon (ca. A.D. 750-1000). Using fluctuating asymmetry analysis as a proxy for developmental instability, biological evidence is assessed for differential stress levels incurred by groups occupying the Peruvian south coast. This study found high levels of stress in the Middle Horizon, supporting the hypothesis that populations living in Nasca were unfavorably affected by Wari colonizers. However, stress was found to be highest among the Chakipampa. This is attributed to Wari imperialistic occupation and extraction of resources. Conversely, the contemporaneous Loro affiliated population, who presumably avoided Wari influence, experienced the lowest levels of stress among the samples. This research reveals a large distinction between the effects of environmental stressors on the two Middle Horizon groups.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Anthropology, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-05, Section: A, page: 2031. Advisers: Della Collins Cook; David Burr. Title from dissertation home page (viewed Jan. 9, 2008).

Thesis (doctoral)--Rijksuniversiteit te Utrecht. / Pocket inside back cover contains 20 plates.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-11, Section: A, page: 4757. Adviser: Paul A. Garber. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 317-355) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.