This research documents the spread of yellow fever across the rural Louisiana parishes of East Feliciana and West Feliciana in 1878 and examines the reactions and responses of the residents to medical, social and economic stresses produced by that epidemic. Descriptive details highlight the variability of individual ideas and mindsets at play against the backdrop of accepted paradigms, belief systems and current technology. In 1878 the Aëdes aegypti mosquito had not yet been identified as the vector of the arbovirus (arthropod borne virus) that causes yellow fever. A short history of yellow fever in the United States and a discussion of the vector and the arbovirus are included to clarify the advance of the disease. Quarantines of the towns and villages of the Felicianas prohibited burial of yellow fever victims in community cemeteries and official records for these two rural parishes were rarely available at the parish, state, or federal level. Information was drawn primarily from texts, journals and newspapers of the time. Notations from the 1878 journal of Henry Marston, a resident of Clinton, Louisiana, were invaluable. The advance of yellow fever into East and West Feliciana is outlined from the first reported cases in New Orleans in May of 1878. The records of each parish are examined separately and the information gathered is combined and analyzed.

Establishing the postmortem interval (PMI) of a decedent is one of the most important responsibilities a forensic investigator may face. An accurate PMI may aid in the identification of not only the victim, but also a suspect. Although many methods for determining time since death have been proposed, there is still a need to establish more reliable dating techniques. This study determines whether head hair from an individual deteriorates uniformly and if so, what association cuticle damage, fungal growth, and changes in proximal end morphology may have with PMI. Fifteen to 25 scalp hairs were pulled from nine cadavers located in the outdoor field of the University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility. In addition, 15 hairs were pulled from a living 59-year-old, Caucasian male to be used as a control. Each case was placed in a category for cuticle damage, fungal growth, and proximal end morphology through the use of microscopic observations. Chi-square tests were used to determine whether head hair from the same individual deteriorates uniformly, what association cuticle damage, fungal growth, and changes in proximal end morphology may have with PMI, and what association cuticle damage, fungal growth, and changes in proximal end morphology have with each other. This study demonstrates that head hair from the same individual deteriorates uniformly. In addition, fungal growth and changes in proximal end morphology have a significant association with PMI; conversely, cuticle damage and PMI have a nonsignificant relationship. A significant association exists between fungal growth and changes in proximal end morphology. On the other hand, the relationships between cuticle damage and fungal growth, and cuticle damage and changes in proximal end morphology were not significant. Utilized in conjunction with other dating methods, the observations of fungal growth and changes in proximal end morphology of human head hair may prove beneficial in estimating a PMI.

The thesis project developed from preliminary archaeological testing in 1999 at site 16WBR45, the original location of the Aillet House. The results of the testing were informative as they suggested the placement of the house and attested to casual activity on the porch. However, the results certainly did not answer the need for a more discerning interpretation of the historic house museum known as the Aillet House, currently on display at the West Baton Rouge Parish Museum. I collaborated with the museum in 2004 to bring to their current interpretive program anthropological insights gained from archaeological remains, an architectural survey of the structure, a social analysis of the house, and a social history of the lives of the two families. The identity of the house was explored in three stages related to the construction and development of the house. The Acadian Cottage was constructed during the Landry period, circa 1830, and their tenancy illustrates the social and political life of an Acadian small planter before the Civil War. The material identities detected within the home illustrate a contest between the presentation of ethnic allegiances and cultural stability. During the Aillet period at the turn of the century, the house was modernized with the addition of a kitchen and dining room. It was determined that some materials lost their power to convey meaning in face of the increased valuation of mass-produced goods. Despite the changes of material identities, certain Acadian continuities were detected in the use of the attic space as a sleeping chamber and the use of the gallery as an outside room. The house is now presented at the Parish museum as a monument to the French-Creole life in antebellum South Louisiana. An opportunity exists for community involvement in the necessary reconstruction of social memory. An exhibit illustrating the lives of the Landry and Aillet families as well as notable changes through time in room use and in material identity will contribute to the museums interpretive program.

This thesis examines the presence and distribution of tin-enameled earthenwares in what was colonial Louisiana at nine archaeological sites: Madame John's Legacy (16OR51), the ca. 1730s French Colonial Barracks (16OR136), the Lower Pontalba Building (16OR209), Galveztown (16AN39), French Site I (16PC80), the Bicentennial Gardens (22AD999), Los Adaes (16NA16), the American Cemetery (16NA67), and the Chamard House site (16NA100). To examine the ceramic diversity, a comprehensive classificatory system is proposed, with discussion and classification of vessel forms. Ceramic diversity was anticipated to be patterned following geographic and economic lines; however, this was not substantiated through the analysis of the general body of tin-enameled ceramics. This study raises questions about the patterning of Spanish-style tin-enameled wares, provides a suggested tin-enameled signature for French colonial sites in the second half of the eighteenth century, but most importantly it provides baseline data about the decorative style of faience in the state of Louisiana.

Transect excavations at Arvins Landing in southern Belize revealed evidence of ancient Maya settlement indiscernible from surface inspection. The synthesis of archaeology and geography in field and laboratory methods and analysis provided the framework for this thesis. This study involves a transect survey with systematic shovel tests. Artifacts were recovered and recorded in the field and analyzed in the LSU archaeology laboratory in Punta Gorda, Belize. The entire survey area was mapped by transit and measurements and coordinates were combined with artifact data in a GIS. Prior research at Arvins Landing had revealed a Postclassic mound on the bank of Joe Taylor creek at Arvins Landing. The present surrounding landscape is forested with secondary growth devoid of artifacts mounds or other surface features indicative of settlement. In this transect survey extending away from the creek and mound a rich artifact assemblage of obsidian, chert and ceramics was recovered. The presence of such an expansive artifact assemblage suggests a much larger settlement area than previously known. Analysis of artifact densities in GIS revealed hotspots in the data set indicative of concentrated cultural activity and settlement locations. In addition to the single mound, evidence suggests up to two more households and a lithic tool production area are located within the survey area. This research serves as a point of departure for future research exploring the extent and patterns of hidden ancient Maya settlement. Future research including mobile GIS technology will increase efficiency of research in the field and allow better use of time and resources during limited field seasons.

Extreme daily temperatures are meteorological events that can have significant impacts on human and natural systems. As natural and anthropogenic climate changes occur, the frequency of extreme events is likely to change. Because extremes do not change linearly with mean temperatures, it is important to directly examine the record of extremes. This dissertation analyzes the temporal pattern of daily extremes over 1948-2001 in the south-central United States, and identifies significant changes in frequency and persistence, as well as relationships between extreme events and atmospheric circulation. <p> A global warming of approximately 0.6 Centigrade has occurred over the past century, and further warming is projected for the next century. Global warming has occurred more strongly in minimum temperatures than in maximums. Trends have varied spatially, however, and the southeastern U.S. has experienced a general cooling in maximum temperatures in recent decades. This dissertation confirms that temperature trends in the south-central U.S. have differed from the global mean, and describes the corresponding changes in extreme daily event frequencies.<p> Multivariate cluster analysis is used to identify seven distinct sub-regions in the study area. These sub-regions appear to be related to macro-scale climate-controlling factors, such as elevation and continentality. This regionalization provides spatial foci for this research, as well as useful regions for future projects relating circulation or GCM output to surface conditions.<p> For the past half-century, significant trends in monthly-mean temperatures and intra-monthly temperature variability have been identified in the study area. These trends vary spatially and temporally in direction and strength, but the dominant pattern is decreasing mean maximum temperature through the region. This overall cooling differs from the observed global warming over this period.<p> Generally negative trends in the frequencies of both extreme high maximum temperatures and extreme low minimum temperatures have been found in the region. Also, the frequency of consecutive extreme high-temperature days is decreasing.<p> Temperature means, variabilities, and extreme events have been found to be significantly related to hemispheric-scale circulation. These relationships are strongest during the cold season, when mid-tropospheric circulation is strongest. These relationships should prove valuable in assessing the regional implications of projected circulation patterns.

During the mid-nineteenth century, the Haydel family was prominent sugar planters in southern Louisiana. Their plantation, Whitney Plantation (16SJB11), lies on the highway 18 on the west bank of the Mississippi River in Wallace, Louisiana. During the summer of 2002 archaeological investigations were conducted around the kitchen and the overseers house, in order to collect a sample of materials associated with these occupants. I hoped that the artifacts could yield information on how the planter and overseer family represented themselves materially. Although what I excavated was the discarded remnants of the Haydel familys life, these remnants offer an understanding of how these people lived their lives. I hoped to learn about how this French Creole family represented themselves materially. These materials are a reflection of the active choices the occupants at Whitney Plantation. The occupants, as consumers, were part of a larger market economy. It is my belief that the materials chosen by those who lived on Whitney Plantation were a manifestation of their identity.

Biologically, discernable differences exist between and within populations based on environmental and genetic factors. Understanding these differences is necessary in forensic anthropology as biological ancestry is asked of forensic anthropologists when assessing an individuals biological profile. In order to make this assessment, secular changes in population dynamics need to be tracked. The purpose of this research is to examine nonmetric racial characteristics in the skull between American blacks and whites. This study used twelve nonmetric traits as criteria on two different temporal groups from collections at the Smithsonian Institution (N=408) and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (N=218). Frequencies were calculated, along with chi-squares (p<.05), as a means to assess accuracy of these nonmetric traits and trace secular change over time between American blacks and whites. The results of this study showed a high accuracy with the traits used, with secular change occurring in the same direction. The lower face became narrower over time in all populations, implying same directional change. The implications of this study for race identification of skeletal materials are explored.

In the newly emergent field of online ethnography, netspeak and online behavior are quickly becoming the next frontier of linguistic anthropology. The discourse analysis and cultural investigation of the virtual speech community of Penismightier.com reveal several salient aspects of culture through the lens of the internet and online human behavior. This thesis focuses on aspects of language use in the discourse on message board threads on the Penismightier website. The Pen speech community has innovated a lexicon of original and modified techie language, such as unique emoticons and alpha-numeric orthography. The orthographic innovations of this virtual speech community blur the division between spoken and written language. Covert categories for topic shifting and anti-Gricean maxims play an integral role in thread behavior. Flame wars are the apex of this communitys language behavior, infusing power/knowledge with techie elitism and sharp, sometimes sexual wit. Discourse analysis of cyberspace netspeak is as new as the medium. My research reveals the creative patterns of interaction of this technologically mediated community and its importance in the field of linguistics and anthropology.

Among archaeological specimens, teeth can provide insight into the behaviors and cultural practices of a population. Inuit specimens are ideal for studying dentition because of the unique way teeth are used as tools. The prehistoric Ipiutak (ca.100 B.C. A.D. 500) and Tigara (ca. A.D. 900 1700) of Point Hope, Alaska, represent two environmentally similar, although culturally and temporally different, populations. Based on associated archaeological finds, the Ipiutak do not represent a whaling culture. Instead, they focused on hunting smaller sea mammals and caribou. Conversely, the Tigara represent a typical Inuit whaling culture. Whaling cultures depend on a distinct division of labor where men engage primarily in hunting while women tend to manufacturing of clothing and the collection of plants for consumption. This research project investigates the notion of a sexual division of labor and how role-based behavior may be reflected in the dentition. Fifty-eight Ipiutak specimens and two hundred thirty-one Tigara specimens were analyzed for dental evidence of a sexual division of labor. Caries, antemortem loss, and attrition were noted as well as a number of occupational cultural modifications. The frequency of these pathologies and alterations was calculated to determine if a difference existed between sexes within and between populations. The results demonstrate that teeth were used more intensively among Tigara females than males. This is reflected in heavy attrition, antemortem loss, and a number of cultural modifications. The Ipiutak males and females did not display a significant difference in the presence of dental pathologies and alterations. These results suggest a different social organization in the two cultures. The Tigara likely had a distinct sexual division of labor characteristic of most Arctic whaling cultures. In contrast, the Ipiutak likely had no distinct sexual differences in their labor.