This thesis begins by providing an account of the ancestral grave relocations of the Sekuruwe community in Limpopo province, South Africa. Sekuruwe claims that the manner in which their graves were relocated disrespected their cultural norms, and infringed their constitutional rights. Over three years of investigation, it was proved that the mine which relocated the graves acted negligently by badly damaging human remains, confusing graves and loosing skeletons. The thesis investigates Sekuruwe‟s case within three theoretical frameworks: Systemic oppression, legal claims to culture, and Ethnicity Incorporated. The role of heritage legislation is highlighted throughout the thesis, and the inadequacies of legislation pointed out with reference to the different theoretical approaches. The aim of the thesis is to understand the way in which Sekuruwe‟s claims of cultural insensitivity are in fact claims of injustice, which are argued through the bodies (and graves, and spirits) of the dead. I aim to understand the way in which these claims of injustice are structured by heritage legislation.

Thesis (M.A.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Anthropology, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

The purpose of this project was to determine if the human skeletal remains of two distinct Native American cemeteries, found in close geographic proximity, represent the same population. These archaeological sites are similar in location and artifacts. Burial practices, however, vary between the sites. These differences may represent class distinction or a difference in the times the cemeteries were used. Radiocarbon techniques have given dates of AD 230±300 and AD 635±105 for these two sites. Several methods of DNA isolation were compared for their ability to yield PCR amplifiable DNA. DNA isolation using a combination of CTAB and phenol/chloroform/isoamyl alcohol (24:24:1) provided the best results and yielded amplifiable DNA form two individuals, Hn I (8F-410) and Hn 10 ( 27F-8-14 b). Purification of the DNA by extraction from low melting agarose gel was required prior to PCR, and PCR conditions were optimized to maximize the DNA yields. Regions of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genome of isolated DNA were amplified by PCR using primers which are specific for the HincII region of the mtDNA genome. Inability of restriction enzyme HincII to digest the amplified DNA of these two individuals suggested that they belong to the Native American mtDNA lineage C characterized by the loss of this restriction site. / Department of Anthropology

Archaeological material from early African-American cemeteries can yield a vast amount of information. Grave goods are evidence that certain West African burial traditions persisted over the years. Moreover, bioarchaeological data provides knowledge regarding health conditions, lifeways, and labor environments. Overall, these populations were under severe physical stress and average ages of death were young. Findings indicate that African folk beliefs persisted for a long period of time and were widespread in both the North and South of the United States and correspond to historical and ethnohistorical accounts. This is evidenced by the similar types of grave goods found in various cemeteries. Cemeteries from both the Northeast and Southeast are examined as proof that health and cultural trends were widespread throughout the continental United States. / Department of Anthropology

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2007. / Title from title page screen (viewed on June 20, 2008). Thesis advisor: Murry K. Marks. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Anthropology, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, München, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 117-127) and index.

Thesis (M.A.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Anthropology, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

This project represents the first comprehensive study applying molecular and genetic methods to study historical contexts such as migration and trade based on human parasites. Using specially developed techniques, the study focused on parasites with minor symptoms which allowed the infected person to go about their daily business. The combination of state of the art techniques in archaeology, molecular methods and phylogenetic analysis enabled us to develop a novel powerful tool to study historic events. Diseases have a considerable impact on societies. Various publications indicate that human intestinal parasites are commonly found in a variety of archaeological contexts, including latrines, graves and mummies. These parasites can be detected by microscopy which focuses the work on samples which do close association to humans; widespread prevalence and the possibility for reliable microscopic diagnostics suggest that these parasites are an attractive study system for human activities. Infectious diseases have a much short generation time which offers greater opportunity to track historical events at higher resolution. Looking at a range of human parasites, their different life-cycles allowed insight into various aspects of human culture, comparing different origins of the samples allows an estimation of the epidemiological burden of ancient populations. Application of a parallel sequencing approach (MiSeq) enabled building a comprehensive database of sequences from various archaeological sites dating as far back as 3630 BCE. Indepth phylogenetic analysis reveals patterns in the genetic signatures of both coding and non-coding genetic regions, taking various levels of selective pressure into account. This project has produced the oldest pathogen sequence and the most comprehensive database of ancient pathogen sequences.