Dixie West

Identification of parasitoses in a child burial from Adak Island (Central Aleutian Islands, Alaska)

Bothriocephalid (Diphyllobothrium pacificum) and Ascarid (Ascaris lumbricoides) eggs have been identified in a sample taken in the abdominal cavity of a child skeleton found in Zeto Point (ADK-011), an archaeological site on Adak Island in the Central Aleutian Islands (Alaska).

The recognition and use of dermestid (Insecta, Coleoptera) pupation chambers in paleoecology

Abstract Insect trace fossils are a relatively new source of climatic and taphonomic data. Because insects often have narrowly defined ecological requirements during their life cycle, they can be an exceptional source of data on season of death, temperature and moisture. We have found this to be true for dermestid pupation chambers and give three examples from the late Pliocene of Idaho and middle-late Pleistocene of Kansas.

Genetics, prehistory and the colonisation of the Aleutian Islands

The 1800 km-long Aleutian archipelago represents a model ecosystem to track human–environmental interactions across space and through time. Defining the southern margin of Beringia across which much of the early peopling of the Americas occurred, the Aleutians present a 9000 year record of human occupation in the eastern part of the island chain, and more than 3000 years in the west. Molecular evidence demonstrates: (1) that Aleuts shared common ancestry with Chukchi and Siberian Eskimos of Chukotka; (2) the original patterns of migration into the Aleutian islands were from the Alaskan peninsula in a westward direction with no evidence for island-hopping from Kamchatka; and (3) a highly significant statistical relationship between geography and genetics, based on mtDNA sequences, was observed despite previous population disruption. Historically, the Aleutian region is a rich ecotone, with ocean fisheries, abundant populations of large marine mammals, thick kelp forests, complex near-shore ecosystems and intertidal zones, spawning streams, and a highly diverse avian fauna. Each of these environments and resources has been pivotal in shaping the adaptive strategies of human occupants of the island chain since the initial colonisation of the Aleutians from the Alaskan Peninsula. In turn, Holocene human immigration, prehistoric cultural adaptations and subsequent historic events have had reciprocal impacts on the natural systems of the Aleutians.

Introduction: Origins and Settlement of the Indigenous Populations of the Aleutian Archipelago

This is the publishers version, also available electronically from http://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/vol82/iss5/1/.

Zooarchaeological Analysis at ADK-011, Adak Island, Central Aleutian Islands, Alaska

Although William Dall explored the Central Aleutians nearly 140 years ago, surprisingly little archaeological research has occurred in this area since then. During 1999 the Western Aleutians Archaeological and Paleobiological Project excavated archaeological sites on north Adak Island, Alaska. Faunal remains from two excavation pits at ADK-011 are analyzed here. This is the first analysis of faunal remains from this particular island. Our research reveals that late prehistoric Aleuts depended on marine mammals, birds, fish, and invertebrates. Although whale remains were recovered, it is currently impossible to tell if these represent hunted or stranded animals. Birds were hunted for their valuable bones as well as for their meat. Aleuts captured both pelagic and near-shore fish. Invertebrate remains indicate that prehistoric Aleuts depended on nearby high energy reefs as well as the calmer waters of Clam Lagoon for subsistence. Additionally, the marine reservoir effect must be considered when understanding radiocarbon dates from Aleutian archaeological sites.

Nitrogen Isotope Composition of Peat Samples as a Proxy for Determining Human Colonization of Islands

The Aleutian Islands comprise a unique ecosystem, providing nesting grounds and habitat for more than ten million seabirds. No doubt their numbers were even larger prior to the introduction of foxes and rats, invasive species that have shaped the current population sizes and distributions of bird-breeding colonies. Here we present evidence that the peopling of the Aleutian Islands had the same dramatic effect on seabird populations. Analyses of nitrogen stable isotopes in Shemya Island peat deposits revealed significant 15N enrichment of layers formed cal. 4,700–2,800 yrs BP suggesting high seabird guano input at that time. Following this period there was a sharp decline in δ15N that coincides with the first appearance of human settlement and reflects drastic reduction in seabird abundance. The isotope signature of marine-derived nitrogen vectored by seabirds is specific only for coastal peat deposits; neither 15N enrichment nor decline was detected in inland peat deposits.

Petroglyphs from Gillon Point, Agattu Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska

In 2002, biologists with the National Marine Fisheries Service recorded petroglyphs while counting sea lions at the rookery near Gillon Point on Agattu Island, Aleutian Islands. This is the first well-documented rock art in the Aleutian archipelago. The images, individually and in groups, appear to represent female genitalia, rectangles and straight lines, and an anthropomorphic figure. The Agattu petroglyphs either represent art that arose in situ or motifs imported from elsewhere. The engravings do not reveal evidence of contact with human groups living to the west or south.