This research examines the relationship of two archeological populations in Southeastern Florida from the Middle Woodland Period. The two sites chosen include the Belle Glade site in the Belle Glade Cultural Area and the Highland Beach Mound site in the East Okeechobee Cultural Area. The determination of relationships was done through an analysis of nonmetric dental traits. A series of traits were recorded in an ordinal scale and later dichotomized into present or absent, in order to conduct a biological distance analysis. The statistical method chosen for this analysis was the Smith’s Mean Measure of Divergence. Results indicate that both populations have a minimal degree of divergence. These results corroborate the evidence gathered from past archeological investigations. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The prehistoric Belle Glade Culture, dwelling around Lake Okeechobee in interior Florida, is one of the most understudied cultures in North America. The purpose of this study is to define population characteristics about this culture through skeletal analysis of the collected remains from the type site for the culture, Belle Glade Mound (8PB41). To address the confounding factors of fragmentation and commingling, recently developed methods, statistical analyses, and specially designed software for such analyses of confounded collections were used in undertaking this study. A biological profile was developed that includes age-at-death estimations, sex estimations, stature estimations, and ancestral estimations in order to create a paleodemographic summary that more adequately describes this unknown population. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015 / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection