Douglas W. Owsley

Archaeological politics and public interest in paleoamerican studies: lessons from Gordon Creek Woman and Kennewick Man.

This paper discusses the Kennewick lawsuit as it relates to the intended purposes of Nagpra. It also reflects upon comments made by Swedlund and Anderson (1999) in a recent American Antiquity Forum, which conceptually linked two ancient skeletons, Gordon Creek Woman and Kennewick Man. Their assertions indicate the need for clarifying specific issues and events pertaining to the case. We comment on how times have changed with the passage of NAGPRA, how differently these two skeletons have been treated by the media and the scientists interested in them, and show how discussions of biological affiliation have relevance. There is still much to be learned from Kennewick Man and Gordon Creek Woman. But attempts to bring the concept of race or racial typing into the picture show misunderstanding regarding the use of morphological data in tracing population historical relationships, not to mention obfuscating the scientific issues they raise.

CASE INVOLVING DIFFERENTIATION OF DEER AND HUMAN BONE FRAGMENTS

In a recent Louisiana forensic anthropology case, it was necessary to attempt species identification of six small bone fragments. The primary concern was whether or not they matched the fractured humerus of a woman killed by two shotgun blasts and then disposed of in the Mississippi River. These tiny fragments were recovered by law enforcement officers inside a jeep pickup and at the gas station where the vehicle had been cleaned. The police suspect claimed that these fragments were from a deer that he had recently killed. The small size of the pieces precluded positive recognition of human versus nonhuman origin based upon gross morphology and cortical thickness. Microscopic examination was possible. This analysis involved comparison of the unknown specimens to reference deer and human thin sections including bone recovered from the woman during autopsy. Examination of the jeep and gas station fragments revealed no plexiform bone, secondary (not primary) osteons, and variability in size and shape of the osteons and Haversian canals. These and other variables identified the bone fragments as human.

Clovis and Early Archaic Crania from the Anzick Site (24PA506) Park County, Montana

Abstract The Anzick archaeological site in Montana, known since 1968, has been recognized since 1974 as Clovis age because of the lithic material recovered. Now it is possible to assert that some, but not all, of the recovered skeletal material is also Clovis age. The site contained more than 100 stone and nonhuman bone artifacts in association with the partial skeletal remains of a young child. All were covered with red ocher. The partial cranium of a second youth, not stained red, was also recovered. Recently, radiocarbon dating of these two crania produced two separate ages, 2000 years apart. Forensic examination of the remains, completed in 1999, has determined their ages at death. This site, an important addition to New World prehistory, contains not only the largest single assemblage of Clovis artifacts but also the only known Clovis skeletal remains.

Intracemetery Morphological Variation In Arikara Crania From the Sully Site(39SL4), Sully County, South Dakota

Canonical analysis is used to examine intracemetery variation in cranial morphology in the Sully site Arikara skeletal collection. The site included four spatially distinct burial areas. lnterarea ...

Isotopic evidence for diet in the seventeenth-century colonial Chesapeake

Excavations of colonial period sites in Maryland and Virginia have produced human remains dating to the seventeenth century. In this study, we analyze stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen from these remains to explore aspects of the diets of the individuals represented. Analyses of both stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes were conducted on preserved protein while stable carbon isotope analysis was also conducted on preserved biological apatite. Carbon isotope values (δ13N‰) ranged from -10.5 to -20.5 for collagen and -5.1 to -12.5 for bioapatite. Nitrogen isotope values (δ15N‰) ranged from 9.9 to 14.4. The data suggest dietary diversity among the individuals examined. Three factors contribute to this diversity: the availability of maize, variation in immigration histories of the individuals, and the differing lengths of time they spent in the American colonies.

Misclassification probability of dental discrimination functions for sex determination.

Misclassification probability of dental discriminant functions for sexing American whites was evaluated using three verification procedures. These validation techniques involved sample resubstitution, jackknife classification, and use of a holdout sample. Resulting discriminant score distributions yielded correct classifications ranging between 65 and 81% depending upon the particular tooth combinations selected. Dental discriminant functions are applicable to forensic science cases if used with caution.

CRANIOMETRIC VARIATION IN THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PLAINS

Cranial measurements of 13 male and 12 female samples from the Central and Northern Plains region were subjected to canonical analysis. The samples include historic or protohistoric crania that can be ascribed to the Arikara, Mandan, Pawnee, Ponca and Omaha tribes. In addition, two samples belong to the archaeologically defined St. Helena Focus. Both sexes yielded five significant canonical variates, although only four were readily interpretable. The first canonical variate is clearly a Siouan-Caddoan discrim inator and reflects variation in cranial vault height. St. Helena sites associate with the Arikara on this axis, supporting previous craniometric analyses which suggest a relationship between these two groups. Subsequent canonical variates deal with more particular aspects of craniometric variation among groups, but are still interpretable in historic or evolutionary terms. The classificatory analysis shows that the Arikara sites are closely related. A major exception to this is the Sully site, which frequently misclassifies with non-Arikara groups. This suggests that the Sully crania have little collective reality; and that there may be non-Arikara components represent ed at the Sully Site.

Electron Microscopy of Parasite Remains On the Pitchfork Mummy and Possible Social Implications

Electron microscopy of strands of head hair from an early historic Wyoming mummy reveals evidence for the presence of Pediculus humanus capitis, the human head louse. The Pediculus eggs are found in high density along the strands of hair. In the case of this mummy it would seem that normal grooming activities had decreased for a substantial period of time prior to death. The parasite data serve to corroborate information from associated grave materials, skeletal analysis, and historic documen tation from the region, all of which suggest the possibility of warrior and renegade status.

Using Arikara Osteological Data To Evaluate an Assumption of Fur Trade Archaeology

Osteological data from the Arikara-affiliated Mo bridge site in South Dakota are used to test an hypothesis frequently expressed in archaeology that the relative quantity of recovered Euro-American goods can be used to infer a sites relative age. Crania from the Mobridge site are examined for intra-site differences and then compared with crania from four other sites. Our analysis suggests that the dating assumption may have validity for some archaeological sites, particularly those associated with the Arikara, and may even be valid on the intra-site level as demonstrated by our analysis of the Mobridge data.

Interpopulation Relationships of Four Post-Contact Coalescent Sites From South Dakota: Four Bear (39DW2), Oahe Village (39HU2), Stony POint Village (39ST235) and Swan Creek (39WW7)

Craniometric comparisons were used to determine tribal affiliation of three Le Beau Phase sites and one Bad River Phase site from South Dakota: Four Bear (39DW2), Oahe Village (39HU2), Swan Creek (...