Browsing by Author "Kooyman, Brian"
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- ItemOpen AccessAn Experimental and Archaeological Usewear Analysis of Quartz Artifacts from Mvumu, Mozambique(2015-05-27) Simpson, Steven; Kooyman, BrianQuartz is ubiquitous across assemblages in Africa. Despite this, little research aimed at documenting and identifying exactly how these quartz tools were utilized, with specific regard to their use actions and worked materials, have been attempted. To more fully understand how quartz materials were utilized at the Middle Stone Age site of Mvumu, Mozambique, both experimental and archaeological usewear analyses of quartz artifacts were undertaken. The experimental work conducted for this thesis utilized local quartz sourced from the shore of Lake Niassa, Mozambique. Tools made from this material were then utilized in a variety of tasks consisting of a number of different materials, and working actions. This experimental program served as a basis for the identification of usewear traces on quartz artifacts excavated from Mvumu. The results of the archaeological analysis include a number of tasks and worked materials suggesting Mvumu was used as a short term, multipurpose campsite.
- ItemOpen AccessAncient mitochondrial DNA in Mesoamerica and its Borderlands. The cases of Paquimé (AD 1200-1450), Greater Nicoya (AD 800-1250), and Central Mexico (AD 900-1519)(2017) Morales Arce, Ana Yansi; McCafferty, Geoffrey; Katzenberg, Mary Anne; Kooyman, Brian; Fedigan, Linda; O'Rourke, DennisThis dissertation was designed to contribute to the growing body of knowledge on human ancient mitochondrial DNA analysis (aDNA) applied to archaeological contexts in the Americas. I used aDNA to evaluate prehistoric migration hypotheses by observing biological affinities of three major archaeological areas: Casas Grandes, Greater Nicoya, and Central Mexico, during the Postclassic period (A.D. 900-1521). My objectives were to recover mitochondrial haplotypes, within corresponding haplogroups, to explore hypothesized migrations from Central Mexico to two external cultural areas: Casas Grandes and Greater Nicoya, considered as the northern and southern Mesoamerican frontiers, respectively. I also investigated the biological affinities of two Central Mexican archaeological sites, Tlatelolco and Cholula, against ethnohistorical and archaeological records. Additional DNA sex determination was conducted for the Tlatelolco samples that belonged to subadult ritual victims. Standard PCR and high-throughput sequencing (HTS) methods were tested. For Casas Grandes and especially for Greater Nicoya better results were obtained with HTS methods. For Paquimé, I found strong evidence of genetic affinities between Paquimé and Mimbres, with the majority of haplotypes shared or derived from ancient Southwest US populations. However, whole mitogenomes recovered from Paquimé showed haplotypes found today in Mexican Americans. For Greater Nicoya, it was possible to reconstruct whole mitogenomes whose haplotypes and haplogroups are currently found in indigenous groups from Colombia and Panama. Finally, the analysis of Tlatelolco's and Cholula’s genetic affinities shows that their cultural history of rituals and ethnic compositions is also reflected in their genetic structure. A higher haplogroup A frequency was observed for the Tlatelolco population while an equal frequency of haplogroups A and B was found in Cholula. Most of Tlatelolco individuals were genetically related to the Mexica, Aztec, confirming their selection of sacrificial victims from within the group. Sex determination of Tlatelolco revealed them as females. Cholula sequence-based genetic distances showed a close affinity to ancient Otomí. My research is the first to successfully reconstruct human ancient mitochondrial genomes from ancient Central America and Mexico, and I provide the first genetic evidence of ancestry relationships among ancient inhabitants of Cholula, Greater Nicoya, and Casas Grandes.
- ItemOpen AccessComparison of Paleodietary Reconstructions Using Pre- and Post-Glacial Mammut and Mammuthus(2017) Cammidge, Tasha Sabrina; Theodor, Jessica; Kooyman, Brian; Dutchak, Alexander; Anderson, JasonMesowear, microwear and dental calculus analyses are utilized to complete dietary reconstructions on Mammut and Mammuthus, and are compared to modern Loxodonta africana. These analyses demonstrate that left and right, upper and lower, and imperfect molars may be utilized indiscriminately. Loxodonta africana are grazers or mixed-feeders. Mammut were primarily browsers, but may have changed their diets meal-by-meal or seasonally to graze or mixed-feed. Mesowear analysis of Mammuthus indicates a grazing diet, but microwear analysis indicates a mixed-feeding diet. Dental calculus analysis shows all three species were mixed-feeding. Mesowear and microwear show no differences in pre- and post-glacial diet for fossil proboscideans, but dental calculus showed large differences. In pre-glacial dental calculus there was a larger proportion of tiny grass starch granules, whereas post-glacially there is a larger proportion of large grass starch granules with lamellae. This result is consistent with a shift in Mammut and Mammuthus diet during the end-Pleistocene.
- ItemOpen AccessDetermining the Mobility of Old Women's Phase People on the Southern Alberta Plains as Evidenced by Lithic Assemblages(2016-02-03) Krahulic, Tobi; Kooyman, Brian; Walde, Dale; Hughes, LisaThe mobility of Old Women’s phase people on the southern Alberta Plains will be explored in this research through the analysis of lithic assemblages. Due to a paucity of research concerning mobility and its influence on lithic assemblages in this region, multiple theories regarding how mobility affects the organization of technology will be explored. This strengthens any inferences regarding mobility by using multiple lines of evidence, as well as evaluates the theories efficacy in this region against each other. It was found that the use of tool form, patterns in the tools and debitage, and intersite variability provided consistent interpretations regarding the mobility of past inhabitants of the Plains. It was also found that distance-decay theory could be used to suggest a directionality of movement within a minimal seasonal round. Therefore, it is apparent that the organization of technology is a viable method for understanding mobility on the southern Alberta Plains.
- ItemOpen AccessDiet reconstructions for end-Pleistocene Mammut americanum and Mammuthus based on comparative analysis of mesowear, microwear, and dental calculus in modern Loxodonta africana(Elsevier, 2020-01) Cammidge, Tasha S.; Kooyman, Brian; Theodor, Jessica M.We analyse mesowear, microwear, and dental calculus for end-Pleistocene Mammut and Mammuthus from North America, and modern Loxodonta africana to reconstruct diet. These three methods allow both short- and long-term diets to be distinguished. As microwear analysis shows a negative correlation between the numbers of pits and scratches counted, the proportions of pits/(pits + scratches) were used for analyses rather than gross counts. The three types of analyses confirm that modern Loxodonta africana are grazers or mixed-feeders. Microwear analysis demonstrates that end-Pleistocene Mammut were primarily browsers but may have changed their diets opportunistically or seasonally to graze. Mesowear analysis of end-Pleistocene Mammuthus indicates a grazing diet, but microwear analysis indicates a mixed-feeding diet. Dental calculus analysis demonstrates that all three species were mixed-feeding to varying degrees. Results show that extinct proboscidean diet was more complex than previously thought, and may contradict previous work suggesting that Mammut were browsers and Mammuthus were grazers. Using mesowear and microwear, we found no significant differences in pre- and post-glacial diet for fossil proboscideans. However, using dental calculus, we found that for pre-glacial specimens there was a larger proportion of tiny (i.e. less than 8 μm wide) grass starch granules, whereas for post-glacial specimens there is a larger proportion of large (i.e. greater than 20 μm wide) grass starch granules with lamellae, suggesting with a shift in Mammut and Mammuthus diet during the end-Pleistocene. Specimens commonly had different dietary signals depending on the method utilized, suggesting that a multi-faceted approach is required to fully elucidate proboscidean diet.
- ItemOpen AccessEffects of the White River and Mazama Tephras on Terrestrial and Aquatic Palaeoenvironments in Western Subarctic Canada, and Implications for Past Human Populations(2016-01-13) Rainville, Rebecca; Callaghan, Richard; Kooyman, Brian; Oetelaar, GeraldThis study presents new information regarding the environmental impacts of the eastern White River (WRA; 1147 cal BP) and Mazama (MZA; 7627 cal BP) tephras in the western Canadian subarctic, and discusses their potential implications for wildlife and human populations in the affected regions. Sediment cores were collected from two lakes (Spirit Lake, southern YT; “Marahbodd” Lake, western NWT) within the fallout of the WRA and one (Goldeye Lake, western AB) within the fallout of the MZA. Pollen, microcharcoal, chironomids, and sedimentary characteristics were examined to reconstruct terrestrial and aquatic environments before and after the eruptions. The results show noticeable environmental impacts of the WRA and MZA at the sites, including on terrestrial and aquatic community composition and productivity, fire activity, landscape stability, and lake conditions and chemistry. Environmental impacts were most pronounced at Spirit Lake, the site closest to the source of its eruption, where the data suggest that the availability of water, food, material, and habitat resources would likely have been considerably reduced for 50-150 years. The data support archaeological, ethnographic, and linguistic evidence that suggests that the WRA might have stimulated wildlife (notably caribou) and human population movements out of the region, and human adoption of the bow-and-arrow and of bone and antler points. Data from “Marahbodd” Lake suggest that the environmental impacts of the WRA were likely similar to those at Spirit Lake, but lesser in degree – though they lingered longer. The data support archaeological and ethnographic evidence of limited impacts of the WRA on local wildlife and human populations, which suggests that populations did not leave the region after the eruption – or at least not on the scale apparent in southern Yukon. At Goldeye Lake, the data indicate that the environmental impacts of the MZA were generally slight, though long lasting. A period of reduced occupancy of Plains environments after the MZA coincides with the duration of environmental disturbance at Goldeye Lake, suggesting that the eruption and its after effects might well have been the reason behind reduced occupancy of the region at this time, and the later introduction of stone boiling and pemmican production.
- ItemOpen AccessEthnoarchaeology of the Incense Trade in Tigray, northern highland Ethiopia(2022-01-20) Nigus, Getachew Meressa; Lyons, Diane; Kooyman, Brian; Wilson, Warren; Yessenova, Saulesh; Cunningham, JerimySince ancient times, frankincense and myrrh have been traded across Northeast Africa, the Near East and circulated through the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea. The incense trade is almost invisible, and little is known of how incense was produced, distributed, and consumed within ancient states and how incense was integrated into local and regional political economies. This dissertation is an ethnoarchaeological investigation of the political economy of the contemporary incense trade in the Central and Northwestern Zones of Tigray Regional State, northern highland Ethiopia. Significantly, there are both elite and non-elite incense trades in this region. The elite trade of frankincense is controlled by government sanctioned international and parastatal companies that use non-mechanized production, processing, and distribution practices. Frankincense is targeted for international consumers but also supplies the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church within the country. Women form the largest labor sector processing frankincense, but they also trade, produce, distribute, and consume non-elite luxury aromatic plant materials for daily household rituals using different incense burners than those found in the church. While the contemporary and ancient incense trades cannot be considered as identical, the contemporary trade provides insights into how incense production and trade are integrated into the regional political economy and how the trade reproduces class and gender inequities that have deep historic roots. Anthropologists must consider international incense trade more broadly, including at the levels of local production and consumption, and by considering the role of this trade in the production and reproduction of social inequalities and power structures at all social scales. The study also provides a cost-effective method for African researchers to identify incense residue.
- ItemOpen AccessSoil Phytolith Assemblages of the American Southwest: The Use of Historical Ecology in Taphonomic Studies(2013-01-25) McNamee, Calla; Freeman, Andrea; Kooyman, BrianPhytolith analysis is a prominent microbotanical technique utilized in archaeological and palaeoenvironmental research. Opal phytoliths are silica bodies that form in and around the cells of plants and are often preserved within sediment due to their silica structure long after decomposition of the original organic material. This dissertation combines phytolith analysis with modern vegetation data and historical ecology to increase the interpretive potential of phytolith studies within the American Southwest. The research expands on phytolith analysis and its usefulness as an archaeological and environmental proxy in the American Southwest by 1) developing and presenting a regional comparative collection of common species 2) establishing modern phytolith analogues for Southwestern vegetation communities, and 3) examining processes of phytolith deposition and preservation. This research presents a comprehensive comparative collection of 159 prominent plants from the American Southwest. The morphotypes identified in the comparative collection support a classification of soil phytoliths into twelve categories: chloridoid, Eragrostis species, panicoid, pooid, aristidoid, C4 short cells, redundant short cells, other Poaceae, gymnosperm, eudicot, Agave, and Cyperaceae. Using this classification system, modern soil phytolith assemblages are examined from three vegetation zones: the ponderosa-pine bunchgrass community, the Sonoran desert grassland, and the Chihuahuan desert grassland. In order to assess the impacts of soil formation processes on phytolith assemblages, historical vegetation data from two of these three vegetation zones, the ponderosa pine bunchgrass community and the Sonoran desert grassland, are compared to soil phytolith assemblages collected through microsampled soil profiles. The results of this study show that phytolith assemblages can clearly differentiate the ponderosa pine bunchgrass community from the desert grassland communities. The desert grassland communities, however, cannot be differentiated from one another based on soil phytoliths. This research also shows that phytoliths can identify different micro-ecological niches within desert grassland environments. Incongruities between the modern vegetation record and the phytolith assemblage exist at all three locations. Three factors, differential phytolith production, plant biomass, and soil formation processes, contribute to these incongruities. The long term accumulation of phytolith forms, bioturbation, and translocation are the primary soil formation factors that impact soil phytolith assemblages in this area. The effects of bioturbation and translocation are more pronounced in the upper 4 cm of the soil profile and decrease below this depth. The long term movement and accumulation of phytoliths in a soil profile results in a background signal that pervades the assemblage. These processes do not fully obscure the phytolith record of vegetation change and, through micro-sampling, soil phytoliths can provide valuable information on changes in plant communities through time. This is especially true in settings where sedimentary input contributes to vertical soil growth. This research emphasizes the need for researchers interested in palaeoenvironmental reconstruction to understand phytolith production and sample context and to target locations conducive to the preservation of the phytolith record.
- ItemOpen AccessThe Chosen Path: Movement Pattern Analysis and Land-Use within Jasper National Park and the Central Canadian Rocky Mountains(2012-10-03) Osicki, Aaron Adrian; Kooyman, BrianSpatial structure, optimal behaviour, and social/cultural practices are examined in relation to each other and observed movement and land-use behaviours of precontact peoples in Jasper National Park. Natural and inherent movement characteristics of the landscape are modeled and assessed using space syntax theory so as to gain a greater understanding in the objectives and motivations behind precontact human use of various regions within the Jasper study area. Modeling uses elevation limits to define movement barriers and river valleys to structure travel corridors. Movement potential is examined based on landscape morphology and the visibility characteristics of the landscape. Evidence of movement patterns is quantified by the presence and distribution of known archaeological sites. Movement objectives are postulated by examining resource distribution and availability surrounding known site locations. Evidence suggests that precontact human behaviour centred within highly locally connected, globally integrated, and inherently intelligible regions within the greater movement network. This pattern of movement and land-use suggests the use of a generalized risk reduction strategy by the majority of precontact peoples accessing the Jasper area, focusing the majority of their activities within easily accessible, well connected, and centrally located areas within Jasper National Park. This suggests adept and knowledgeable, yet not highly adapted, outside populations accessing the area. Current archaeological data suggest that the majority of precontact movement and occupation in the Jasper area centred on general resource procurement (e.g. elk and bighorn sheep hunting) and/or trans-mountain travel objectives within these centralized locations, and under this risk reduction framework. Isolated and poorly integrated regions of the Jasper travel network are not completely void of archaeological sites however, thus suggesting a wider and more complete use of the Jasper area, albeit with varying intensity and focus. It is suggested that small isolated unconformities within this greater pattern likely signify specialized and unique movement and land-use behavioural characteristics of sub-regions within the network, such as important procurement areas and/or specialized hunting loci. The identification of these areas has the potential to provide greater insight and understanding into highly specialized and unique adaptations and cultural practices within the Japer area.
- ItemOpen AccessThe Late Pleistocene Extinction in North America: An Investigation of Horse and Bison Fossil Material and Its Implication for Nutritional Extinction Models(2016-01-06) Barrón-Ortiz, Christian; Theodor, Jessica; Russell, Anthony; Rogers, Sean; Kooyman, Brian; Lundelius, Ernest JrApproximately 50,000 – 11,000 years ago many species around the world became extinct or were extirpated at a continental scale. The causes of the late Pleistocene extinctions have been extensively debated and are poorly understood. This dissertation focuses on testing two nutritional extinction models (coevolutionary disequilibrium and mosaic-nutrient models) through the study of dental wear and enamel hypoplasia of equid and bison specimens from the Western Interior of North America. In order to undertake this task it was first necessary to determine the number of equid species that inhabited this region during the late Pleistocene. Notable findings of this research include the identification of four equid taxa based on molecular and morphometric analyses of the cheek teeth. Two non-caballine species and two caballine subspecies were identified which, pending further study of North American Pleistocene Equus, are referred as: Equus cedralensis, E. conversidens (which corresponds to the New World stilt-legged group of previous molecular analyses), E. ferus scotti, and E. ferus lambei. The separation into caballine and non-caballine equids was revealed in both the Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial ancient DNA and the geometric morphometric analyses of the upper and lower premolars. Investigation of the dental wear (microwear and mesowear) of the equid and bison samples studied yielded results which are consistent with predictions established for the coevolutionary disequilibrium extinction model, but not for the mosaic-nutrient model. These ungulate species show statistically different dental wear patterns, suggesting dietary resource partitioning, prior to the postglacial, but not during this time interval in accordance to predictions of the coevolutionary disequilibrium model. In addition to changes in diet, these ungulates, specifically the equid species, show increased levels of enamel hypoplasia during the postglacial indicating higher levels of systemic stress, a result which is consistent with the models tested as well as other climate-based extinction models that have been proposed. The extent to which the increase in systemic stress was detrimental to equid populations remains to be further investigated, but it is suggestive that environmental changes might have played an important role in the extinction of equids and perhaps other Pleistocene ungulates.
- ItemOpen AccessToward a history of the Oromo of Wallaga in southwestern Ethiopia: an ethnoarchaeological study of ceramic technological style and tuber crop domestication.(2016-01-28) Wayessa, Bula Sirika; Lyons, Diane; Kooyman, Brian; Walde, DaleThe primary objective of this study is to determine a material means to investigate the little known history of Wallaga Oromo and their contribution to tuber crop domestication in southwestern Ethiopia using an ethnoarchaeological approach. This goal is addressed through a unique approach that first determined the ceramic technological style of Wallaga Oromo potters using a chaîne opératoire methodology, and then linking the chaîne opératoire with Wallaga Oromo culinary practices that are associated with tuber crops that leave residues on steaming pots. Both technological style and cuisine are considered as strong markers of specific social groups and are a strong proxy for investigating Oromo history and use of specific tuber crops. This assertion was supported by a comparative study of the culinary practices and pottery technological styles of two neighboring groups: the Yem and the Dawro. These groups have separate and distinct technological styles and culinary practices. Data were collected using ethnoarchaeological methods of interview and observation of farmers and potters in the study area. In this region, potters experience a low social status within the Oromo social stratification system. The study further demonstrates how Oromo pottery is engaged in daily and ritual practice in the region. The research represents the first comprehensive study of marginalized Oromo potters, the relationship between Oromo pottery and cultural cuisine, and how Oromo history and worldviews are expressed through material culture associated with pottery-making and its consumption. The study also investigated Oromo women’s contributions to indigenous technology and their agricultural knowledge of tuber production and consumption.