Aside from macroscopic features of bone and retrievable DNA, few methods are available to accurately separate human and non-human remains found in forensic contexts. The aim of this study was to determine whether significant chemical and histological differences between human and non-human bones exist, which could be used to sort them. Bone samples were taken from femora and tibiae of ten cows (Bos taurus), ten sheep (<i.Ovis aries), five impalas (Aepyceros melampus), 12 donkeys (Equus africanus asinus), eight cats (Felix catus), 12 dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), 12 pigs (Sus scrofa domestica), seven primates, 27 adult humans and six juveniles (Homo sapiens sapiens). Microelement analysis was conducted with a scanning electron microscope fitted with an electron dispersive spectrometer (SEM/EDS) and included the analyses of calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), sulphur (S), silicone (Si), aluminium (Al), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb) and strontium (Sr). Statistically significant differences in the long bones of omnivores and herbivores were observed with regard to K (p=0.0001), Mg (p=0.0214), Cl (p=0.0001) and S (p=0.0012) levels, while K (p=0.0001), Na (p=0.0192) and Cl (p=0.0001) levels were significantly different between omnivores and carnivores. Subtle differences between femora and tibiae were also identified and warrant further inspection. Light microscopy was used to evaluate the histomorphology of cortical bone of the various species. Qualitatively the organisation of various bone structures were assessed while quantitative analyses included measurements of the total number of osteons and non-Haversian canals and minimum and maximum diameters of osteons and Haversian canals. All species contained Haversian bone either in their femora, tibiae or both bones, except for cow and pig bones which contained only plexiform bone. The presence of plexiform bone accurately excluded remains from a human origin. Statistically significant differences between species were found with regards to all quantitative variables, except for the tibial Haversian canal diameters. The current study illustrated that Haversian canal diameters of 60 μm or more and osteon diameters of 300 μm or more are indicative of primate remains and hence additional research is needed to separate bones of various primate species and adult and juvenile humans. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Anatomy / unrestricted

My research focuses on the emotional experience of the unearthing of ancestral bones for local Māori of Matata. The coastal town of Matata in the Eastern Bay of Plenty provides a central case study location as it is a town that is facing the pressure of coastal residential development as well the added strain of dealing with the 2005 flood which has compounded issues over local waahi tapu. Local iwi have continued to actively advocate for the protection of these sites especially with regard to the ongoing discovery of ancestral bones. Cultural and emotional geographies provide the theoretical framework for this research. This framework has been particularly useful as it encourages reflexive commentary and alternative ways of approaching and thinking about, and understanding knowledge. I have incorporated the research paradigm of kaupapa Māori which complements my theoretical framework by producing a research design that is organised and shaped according to tikanga Māori while (in) advertently critiquing and challenging traditional ways of conducting research. The overall aim is to explore the current issues surrounding the discovery of ancestral bones through korero with local iwi members. It is through their perspectives, stories, beliefs and opinions that provide a better understanding of the meanings attributed to waahi tapu and the influence of certain events such as the 2005 flood. I examine, critically the relationship between power, sacred sites, bones and the body. It is from these objectives that I contribute to an area of scholarship that has been largely left out from geographical enquiry. I suggest that the importance of sacredness and spirituality has been relatively overlooked as an influential factor in people's perceptions of the world around them. This thesis is intended to demonstrate the value of indigenous perspectives of bones, the body and sacredness as a way of better understanding some of the complexities that can arise when cross-cultural approaches collide in environmental planning. There are three main themes that have emerged from this research. The first theme has to do with competing knowledges. To Māori, the location and knowledge of ancestral bones is culturally important and is in its self sacred, therefore certain tikanga is applied as a means of a protection mechanism. However this ideologically clashes with traditional scientific western approaches which are privileged over other alternative ways of understanding knowledge, in this case Māori knowledge. The second related theme concerns the process of boundary making and cross-cultural ways of perceiving 'sacred' and 'everyday' spaces. To better understand these perspectives involves acknowledging the embodied and emotional experience of wāhi tapu to Māori, and the active role of kaitiaki in the protection and careful management of these culturally important spaces.

<p>Mounds of fire-cracked stones is a typical Bronze Age monument for the region around lake Mälaren. They are usually, because of their content, interpreted as piles of rubbish. But as they often have kerbs, are situated on cemeteries and sometimes contain human bones, the traditional interpretation is not fully satisfactory.</p><p>The main focus of this essay is on the mounds of fire-cracked stones which contain human bones in the region north of lake Mälaren. With a detailed study of these, and a comparison with those without human bones, my aim is to get closer to an explanation why the human bones were deposited. The essay consist of a comp­ilation  of 98 excavated mounds and a database with various information gathered from excavation reports and archive documents.</p><p>With different kinds of osteological aspects taken in consideration, the study shows that human bones have been found in about a third of the mounds. The mounds with human bones more often have kerbs. The same types of artefacts are found both in mounds with and without human bones. A significant difference is that the mounds with human bones contain more categories of artefacts and sometimes even bronze. The study also shows that there is nothing that indicates that the bones were deposited after the primary use of the mound. The human bones could therefore had been deposited contemporary to the “rubbish”. To understand this phenomenon I strongly believe that the mounds no longer only can be interpreted as heaps of garbage.</p>

Mounds of fire-cracked stones is a typical Bronze Age monument for the region around lake Mälaren. They are usually, because of their content, interpreted as piles of rubbish. But as they often have kerbs, are situated on cemeteries and sometimes contain human bones, the traditional interpretation is not fully satisfactory. The main focus of this essay is on the mounds of fire-cracked stones which contain human bones in the region north of lake Mälaren. With a detailed study of these, and a comparison with those without human bones, my aim is to get closer to an explanation why the human bones were deposited. The essay consist of a comp­ilation  of 98 excavated mounds and a database with various information gathered from excavation reports and archive documents. With different kinds of osteological aspects taken in consideration, the study shows that human bones have been found in about a third of the mounds. The mounds with human bones more often have kerbs. The same types of artefacts are found both in mounds with and without human bones. A significant difference is that the mounds with human bones contain more categories of artefacts and sometimes even bronze. The study also shows that there is nothing that indicates that the bones were deposited after the primary use of the mound. The human bones could therefore had been deposited contemporary to the “rubbish”. To understand this phenomenon I strongly believe that the mounds no longer only can be interpreted as heaps of garbage.

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