Sex estimation is a key component of identifying human remains. Often times in cases where Forensic Anthropologist and other Medicolegal personnel are called, remains are fragmented or exposed to the elements which can degrade the state of the remains . . .

The study of iconographic motifs can be firmly situated within cognitive processual archaeology. While this thesis describes and documents different categories of cave motifs, it will also employ an ethnographic model of Mesoamerican cosmology and ide . . .

Pit features excavated from Tule Creek Village (CA-SNI-25), San Nicolas Island, CA present an opportunity to analyze stratigraphically discrete features as single depositional events that may be evidence of ceremonial feasting. Excavations at East Loc . . .

The second half of the twentieth century witnessed the wholesale removal of rules protecting exclusively male space. The dominant paradigm of the twenty-first century has stressed equal access to all. In recent years barbershops have made use of anach . . .

Asphaltum, or bitumen, is a naturally occurring petroleum product that was used extensively as an adhesive and waterproofing agent by native peoples in the Southern California Bight. Fragments, cakes, and other asphaltum encrusted artifacts preserve w . . .

One of the roles of forensic anthropologists is to accurately estimate the postmortem interval (PMI) of a decedent. Accurate PMI estimations are crucial in aiding law enforcement in reconstructing the events surrounding a death and narrowing down the . . .

Midnight Terror Cave (MTC), located in the Cayo district of Belize, has produced the largest skeletal assemblage so far reported from a Maya cave. Large-scale modification of the cave for public gatherings indicates the space was used ritualistically. . . .

In studies of ancient Maya art and architecture, scholars have revealed that the Maya represented aquatic and terrestrial themes in their iconography based on their cosmology. Motifs symbolic of an Earth based cosmology are also commonly illustrated w . . .

There is little known about the use of birds by the Native inhabitants of San Nicolas Island. This thesis will examine avian remains from a middle Holocene archaeological site (CA-SNI-40) on San Nicolas Island and compare it to other sites dated to th . . .

El Mirador, Guatemala, Maya, Mesoamerica, Preclassic, Warfare

Within the last ten years six complete dog burials have been recovered from CA-SNI-25 on San Nicolas Island. Five of the six dogs were recovered from East Locus, an area of the site used for ritual activity. The presence of deliberately buried dogs su . . .

The creation of spaces set aside for the performance of ritual activities is a common characteristic of cultures throughout time. In the archaeological setting, determining the functions of these esoteric spaces as ceremonial areas often provide signi . . .

Air guns are perceived as nonlethal “toys” rather than firearms by most of the general public, because they are easily attainable and regarded as low energy projectiles. However, there have been a number of reports showing the large amount of injuries . . .

This thesis attempts a comprehensive assessment of the iconography found on Classic Maya [250-900 CE] polychrome pottery recovered by the Cal State L.A. Archaeological Field Program in Central America from Midnight Terror Cave (MTC), Belize between 20 . . .

The spatial patterning of artifacts and features excavated from Tule Creek Village (CA-SNI-25), San Nicolas Island, CA provides an opportunity to analyze the intra-site correlations between artifact types, materials, and features, and allows for infer . . .

Undocumented border crosser (UBC) deaths are a result of continuous and intricate processes of irregular migration, strict immigration policy making and enforcement, risk-taking, and dying. This thesis examines the recently reported causes of death (C . . .

This research journeys through the coming out stories of LGBTQ+ persons of color. It seeks to give light to the persons of color coming out due to there being a lack of representation of LGBTQ+ persons of color coming out stories. This research also a . . .

In forensic cases complete human remains are not always found, making the ability to estimate stature from bony elements other than long bones important. This validation study focused on Cui and Zhang’s1 method for the estimation of stature using the . . .

The author tests the Rissech method of determining age-at-death using features of the acetabulum on human os coxae. The research was performed on black male skeletal specimens from the Maxwell Museum Documented Skeletal Collection at the University of . . .

My thesis explores the psychoemotional experiences of Jewish Israeli activists in external foreign spaces, and examines the relationship between these odysseys and political identities at the edges of heterodoxy. Using an underlying theoretical framew . . .

Pothunter Spring Archaeological District is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and encompasses four archaeological sites, CA-SBR-47, CA-SB -48, CA-SBR-49, and CA-SBR-50. Pothunter Spring is located in the west-central Mojave Desert on . . .

When describing large monumental buildings throughout the Maya region, scholars were using the term palace but it was too broad and suggested a residential function. Instead, Mayanists introduced the term ‘range-type structure’ to emphasize the archit . . .

In identification and the death investigation process, estimating the postmortem interval of decomposed human remains is particularly important. Decomposition studies are useful tools because they allow for a more accurate determination of time since . . .

This thesis critically examines the ability of gibbons (Hylobatidae) to associate colors to hidden preferred food items and discusses the possible foraging advantages of this ability. I analyzed this ability in two observational cognitive experiments . . .

In the aftermath of national conflict and mass atrocity, the international community rallies to implement peacebuilding processes designed to stabilize and reconstruct the state. These processes, known as Transitional Justice mechanisms, traditionally . . .

This thesis provides a paleodietary reconstruction for late Holocene domestic dogs (<italic>Canis familiaris(</italic>) and island foxes (<italic>Urocyon littoralis(</italic>) excavated from San Nicolas Island, California. Canids play a unique role in . . .

This thesis seeks to understand exotic lithic technological organization from San Nicolas Island. This study examines the exotic lithic artifacts and debitage from the Tule Creek Site (CA-SNI-25), a late Holocene site (3,500 cal BP to the Mission era; . . .

From 2011 to 2013, I directed settlement pattern surveys to the north and south of Cahal Pech, over varying landscapes and ecological environments, documenting settlement and landscape features at the ancient Maya site Cahal Pech, Belize. My research . . .

This thesis research documents rib fracture patterns sustained from the blunt, ballistic impact of two less-lethal, kinetic-energy munitions at four close-range distances. While less-lethal, kinetic-energy munitions aim to incapacitate, they are not e . . .

Abstract The coast of San Nicolas Island is home to an abundance of marine life that once supported the native islanders, known as the Nicoleño. The Nicoleño inhabited San Nicolas Island for at least 7,000 years from ~8505 cal BP to the time of Europe . . .

This research addresses the issue of applied loading direction, initial fracture mechanism, and subsequent fracture propagation of butterfly fractures. The purpose is to identify and analyze the propagation of butterfly fractures in lower limbs initia . . .

A large portion of the ceramic assemblage recovered from the Maya cave site of Naj Tunich, Guatemala consists of undecorated and unslipped types generally considered to be “utilitarian” or “domestic” wares. This identification is based upon type-varie . . .

This study examines skeletal trauma caused by C-4 open-air explosions. Eight pigs were clothed and seated to emulate protective wear and a realistic human position. The pigs were exposed to blast events consistent in charge size, explosive type, and s . . .

San Nicolas Island is the most remote of the California Channel Islands and has been inhabited since the Early Holocene (Davis et al. 2010; Martz 2005; Vellanoweth et al. 2002). The island has an abundant supply of relatively hard sandstones, some of . . .

The author tests the Rissech method of determining age-at-death using features of the acetabulum on human os coxae. The research was performed on black male skeletal specimens from the Maxwell Museum Documented Skeletal Collection at the University of . . .

Replication experiments of chert and metavolcanic bead drills were used to produce <italic>Olivella biplicata</italic> G saucer beads and K callus beads using the archaeological record and the shell bead typology developed by Bennyhoff and Hughes 1987 . . .

With the growing interest in forensic anthropology, substantial research has flooded the field, much of which focuses on determination of post-mortem interval rates. From climatic influences to the presence of clothing, the subject of human decay rate . . .

The purpose of this study is to analyze expedient chipped stone tools in association with a ceremonial context at East Locus of the Tule Creek Site (CA-SNI-25), a Late Holocene village located on San Nicolas Island, California. This research has been . . .

This thesis uses a cultural ecological framework to examine trends in resource utilization at CA-SBA-93 throughout approximately 5,500 years of human occupation. CA-SBA-93 has been interpreted as a coastal Chumash residential base located in western S . . .

One of the most important aspects for forensic anthropologists is the analysis of trauma. This can often become difficult in burned remains, which is a common method used to hide or alter evidence. While previous studies have focused on sharp force tr . . .

Dennis McFadden and Mary S. Bracht (2009) tested the possibility that sex and ancestry differences found in the ratio of the 2nd digit and the 4th digit of the human hand also manifest in adult human metacarpals. They found a discrepancy between metac . . .

My ethnographic research focuses on the phenomenon of teen pregnancy on Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Mexico. This longitudinal study explores the reflective perspectives of Mexican teen mothers based on how their experiences and identities are shaped t . . .

This ethnographic study of Faith Family, a small Black Baptist congregation in South Los Angeles, focuses on the role of ritual in the formation and maintenance of relationality. While Protestant Christianity has been viewed as a system that inherentl . . .

People from around the world migrate to the United States in search of a better life. However, this migration often increases vulnerability of women to domestic violence. This study investigates the causal factors and underlying mechanism of domestic . . .

This project aimed to study the differences in fracture detection at infant autopsy between Harris County, Texas, where forensic anthropology consultation is implemented in cases of suspicious child death, and Los Angeles County, where forensic anthro . . .

In forensic and anthropological literature, the fibula has not been extensively explored for its potential to determine sex. The most notable study was conducted by Sacragi and Ikeda (1995) where measurements of the distal articular fibula were taken . . .

This research analyzed the usefulness of the five lumbar vertebrae in sex determination of human skeletal remains. Measurements were taken from the vertebral body, pedicle, and transverse and mammillary processes. Twenty-two linear measurements identi . . .

This thesis analyzes archaeological materials from the Tule Creek Village site (CA-SNI-25) on San Nicolas Island, California. My investigations focus on materials excavated from the East Locus portion of the site where numerous shell fishhooks were fo . . .

Through Deaf Studies and Deaf epistemology there has been a wealth of research conducted in an attempt to understand and conceptualize the experiences and identity of d/Deaf individuals. Recently, the Deaf community is becoming more recognized and rep . . .

The goal of this research is to illustrate how historical processes influence contemporary life and the lived experience. Members of the community are affected on a daily basis by the consequences of political relationships and the historical obligati . . .