Anthropological Finding in North Texas - Term Paper Example

?Other (s) Anthropological Finding in North Texas Background North Texas specifically the area around Montague County has a rich cultural and anthropological legacy that spans nearly 14,000 years. According to many analysts, people have been living in the area currently covered by the modern Texas state for 600 generations. There is however little evidence of books, recorded history and any other historical accounts. All we have now is an immense collection of anthropological evidence of the lives that existed thousands of years ago in the form of human skeletons, mummies, broken bones and ancient campfires. Consequently, such kinds of material evidence are significantly important for anthropologists during the reconstruction of anthropological analysis of the particular area as well as in determination of the length of time they have been in existent. The arrival of the Spanish explorers into the greater Texas region during the 1500s however brought a new historical era characterized by written materials, drawings, pictures and other more accurate sources that are significant to historians and anthropologists. Generally, the previous forensic anthropological analysis of material evidence in the greater Texas region has revealed a mixture fascinating historical accounts as well as some painful recount of wars the Native Indians and the Europeans during the arrival of the European immigrants. For example after the arrival of the Spaniards in the area around Texas in the 16th century, a number of brutal cultural conflicts were witnessed between the Natives and the Spanish immigrants some of which resulted in near decimation of the Native populations in the region. Forensic anthropology seeks to identify and interpret the human skeletons as well as the accompanying artifacts using various anthropological techniques. This paper discusses the anthropological analysis and identification of three partial human skeletons as well as three artifacts that were found along with them in Spanish Fort, Montague County, Texas. The analysis of the three artifacts One of the artifacts that were found together with human remains at the site was a long but thin Bird point arrowhead, which was approximately 2 inches long. We deduced that native Indians who used to inhabit the Northern Texas region probably used these kinds of artifacts to hunt wild animals. This is because some of the Bird point artifacts discovered at the site were found in the decayed carcasses of bison and deer. Bird point artifacts were not only used by the Native Indians for hunting but were also occasionally used as weapons during the frequent wars and conflicts. This was particularly before the invention of bows and arrows. The Native Indians probably placed the bird points to their spears to make them effective tools for both warfare and hunting. Another important artifact that was discovered was an Asphaultum hafting. This artifact was identified by the characteristic black color of its residues. It is speculated that during the prehistoric times, the Native inhabitants of Northern Texas to mould some form of projectile weapons and hunting tools as well as to make a waterproof inner coat for their clay pots used Ashphaultum. Finally, the depression also contained an artifact known as Waco sinker. Although it is difficult to pinpoint the specific use of this prehistoric artifact, it is widely believed that the native Indians as bola stones or sinker weights used Waco sinkers during hunting. For example, the Waco sinkers may have been used by hurling them at the hunted animals and the two stones would then wrap around the animal and pull it to the ground. The close proximity of the artifacts with the discovered graves suggested that they may have been intentionally buried along with the bodies as votive offerings, grave goods or as hoards (Inca rebellion Video, 2007).The artifacts are therefore valuable hints at the culture of the dead individuals, their occupation as well their lifestyles. All these aspects are significantly important in the forensic anthropological analysis of the discovered remains. Analysis and recovery of the human remains All the three human skeletons that were discovered in the depression were completely skeletonized. One of the foremost procedures in the forensic anthropological analysis of the remains was to reconstruct the biological profile of each of the three skeletonized remains. Biological profiling is critically important both as a means of narrowing the short lists of the persons as well as in the provision of supporting evidence for easier identification. Evidence of trauma and injury at the time of death can also be determined through careful analysis of the remains. Both antemortem, perimortem injury and trauma are effective in the determination of the possible cause of death to the persons whose remains are being studied (Reichs, 4, chapter one). In most cases, biological profiling involves the use of a number of characteristic that can be determined through careful analysis of the remains. Some of these important characteristics include sex, age, height, racial group, cause of death such as in the case of trauma among other characteristics. All these characteristics can be effectively analyzed by comparing the features of the skeletonized remains with the demographic details of the living people. We decided to take the radiographs of the skeletonized remains and compare them with the radiographs of the current populations. For instance, our major hypothesis was that the remains were likely to belong to the Native Indians who may probably have lived in the region around the modern political state of Texas. Consequently comparing the radiographs of the remains with those of the living members of Native Indians can help us in the confirmation or ruling out the identification of the remains. Both the biological and physical characteristics of the remains can easily be determined using visual methods. We also employed the use of metric methods in the analysis of the remains. For example, calipers were used to obtain accurate bone measurements while stereomicroscopes were used to analyze the potential signs of injury and trauma. Additionally in some cases, mathematical models and formulas were used to determine characteristics such as height of the persons before they died. A number of forensic techniques and principles can be employed to determine the biological profile of the skeletonized remains, their sex, height, weight, occupation, racial group and cause of death and the time of death (Reichs Video). One of the most important assessment criterion for the remains is the identification of their ancestry particularly with regard to the contemporary anthropological racial groups which are categorized into Caucasoid(European origin), Negroid(African Origin) and Mongoloid(Asian origin). During the determination of the racial identity of the remains, a care full examination of facial bone structures as well as their femur bones was used. The principle in this regard is the fact that skeletons of Caucasian persons have triangular nose holes while Negroid skeletons have squarer nose holes. According to Maples and Browning (48, chapter 5), persons of Mongoloid descent usually have a diamond shaped nose hole. Additionally the shape of the femur bone can be used to determine the racial group of the remains. For example, the femur bones of Negroid are generally straighter as compared to the other racial groups. Similarly, we can also use the variations in the skull morphology among the anthropological racial groups to determine the ancestry of the three remains. Skull measurements is however only useful when the crania of the remains being studied are not fragmented. The next area of analysis is the determination of the biological sex of each of the remains. This is particularly possible with regard to the fact that human beings are generally sexually dimorphic just like most other primates. The main anthropological principle used to determine the sex of the human remains is based on the fact that males often have more prominent jaws, brow ridges and eye sockets while women usually have a significantly wide pelvis bone. Consequently, the determination of the biological sex of the remains is achieved through careful analysis of the differences in the morphological characteristics of the skeletonized remains with primary focus to the dimorphic areas such as the pelvic bone (Reichs, 100). The expression of sexual characteristics however sometimes varies between populations groups and individuals and consequently it is important to first analyze the geographic ancestry of the remains before carrying out the assessment of their biological sex. The third anthropological criterion to be analyzed is the age of the persons when they died. In most cases, it is easier to determine the age of young individuals that the age of old adult remains. This is largely because there is a clearly defined developmental pathway for vertebrate skeletons particularly the teeth. To determine the age at which the persons died, we examined the joints, teeth and bones of each of the skeletonized remains. The principle of forensic determination of age is that a skull belonging to a child has bone plates wider a part. On the other hand, the older the person, the smoother the skull is likely to be. Another method that we use to determine the ages of the remains is through careful examination of their wrist development. This is method is however only reliable in the determination of the ages of children particularly those below the age of 13 years. During the early stages of development, the bones may appear as bony tissues and cartilages. As the individual grows, bones replace the cartilages and the endpates through which the various bones articulate with one another are formed. The sizes of the bones also considerably increase during the process. The age of the individuals can also be determined through a careful assessment of their degeneration during the time they have been buried. This method is however inaccurate and should only be used in conjunction with the other assessments. The fourth area of biological profile that is crucial to the successful anthropological analysis of the remains was their physical heights and stature of the remains. This is best estimated by assessing the relationship of their bones particularly the length of their bones. The anthropological principle used in this context is that it is easier to determine the physical heights of each of the remains based on the length measurements of their arm bones and legs. A number of formulas are used to calculate the average heights of the particular remains (Reichs, 137). On the other hand, the ridges where the muscles may have bee attached to the bones may also be used in the determination of the physique of each of the individuals. The ridges of muscle attachment can also be used to determine whether the persons were right handed or left handed. In most cases, a right-handed individual will have more muscle attachment ridges on the bones of the right hand side. Lastly, the reconstruction of the biological profile also entails a careful analysis of the possible cause of death by looking for any possible characteristics of individuation such as trauma, anomalies and pathological conditions. In this regard, a person who had a bone fracture can be determined through careful visual analysis of the bone structures of the skeleton. To determine the nature of death, signs of trauma such as broken bones, stab marks, bullets within the vicinity as well as marks on the skull are significantly important indications that the individual may have died violently (Maples and Browning, chapter one, page 9) On the other hand, a fractured hyoid bone in the throat can suggest that the individual may have died after being strangled. All these aspects are significantly important in the forensic anthropological analysis of the discovered remains. Although approximating the period when the individual died may sometimes be difficult, the amount of soft tissues still attached to the skeletonized remains may be a likely indication of how long the remains have stayed. The extent of weathering of the bones can also be used although this sis sometimes affected by rodents as well as the acidity of the surrounding soil (Cannibalism video). Findings The success of reconstructing a biological profile for each of the three human remains largely depended on their extent of preservation. Fortunately, all the three remains were well preserved in their graves and were nearly intact. This was particularly because the soils around the place were not very acidic and therefore the bones were able to survive for longer time. Consequently, it was easier to analyze some of the characteristics necessary for their biological profiles. After a comprehensive analysis of both the three human remains and the three discovered artifacts using various forensic techniques and principles, all the findings were recorded and interpreted. A careful study of the morphological characteristics revealed that the most probable racial identity of the remains was likely to be Native Indians. This conclusion was particularly arrived at after the findings regarding their facial bone structures and skull was found to be consistent with those of Mongoloids racial groups (Maples and Browning, 150). For example, all the individuals were found to have a diamond shaped nose hole. Their cranial structures, shape of teeth as well as the distance between the eyes were also similar to those of the living American Indians today. Although it was not quite easy to determine the sex of the remains, the size of the bones as well as the number of ridges for muscle attachment in all the three skeletonized remains suggested that they were males. To determine the sex of each of the three remains, we studied the pelvis, forehead, jawbone as well as their base of skull. A careful analysis of their pelvic bone structures also indicated that all the three remains had narrow pelvic inlets and this ruled out the possibility that any of them was a female. Generally, any individual who has attained the puberty age usually develops primary and secondary sexual characteristics in both their soft tissues and the hard tissues such as their skeleton structures. In the females, the pelvic region is often wider in shape and the males usually develop broad shoulders in their upper skeleton structure. The findings of the analysis of the age of each of the three remains were based on a careful study of their joints, teeth and bones. It was noted that the skulls were generally smoother and were therefore likely to belong to adult individuals. It was however not possible to determine the ages of the remains based on the rate of degeneration since this may have been influenced by other factors such as attack by rodents or the acidity of the soil in which they were buried. On the other hand, the findings regarding the heights and stature of the individuals were determined through careful metric analysis of the length of their arm and leg bones. The results suggested that the individuals may have been comparatively shorter than the average American of today. This is however likely to be attributed to the fact that the current average height of Americans has throughout the generations continued to rise and therefore our ancestors who lived in the 1550s may be likely to be shorter. The analysis of all the three remains indicated little evidence of trauma or pathological conditions that may have resulted in their deaths. It was however noted that two of the remains had minor skull fractures. This may suggest that the cause of death may have been a physical injury or violence. It is worth noting that the complete reconstruction of the remains was only achieved after the identification and interpretation of the value of the accompanying artifacts to the lives of the individuals and why there found near their graves. Conclusion In conclusion, the analysis of the remains as well as the artifacts that were discovered within the vicinity of the site suggests that the individuals may have died a natural death and were intentionally buried in their graves. This is because particularly in view of the fact that there was little evidence of trauma to suggest any tragic ends of their lives such as being killed in wars or conflicts. The close proximity of the three remains with the artifacts however suggest that they may have met their death while using the artifacts or the artifacts were intentionally buried along with the bodies as votive offerings, grave goods or as hoards. The artifacts are therefore valuable hints at the culture of the dead individuals, their occupation as well their lifestyles. Works Cited Bayers, N., Steven. Introduction to Forensic Anthropology,(4th edition). New York: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print. Maples, R., William and Browning, Michael. Dead Men do Tell Tales: The Strange and Fascinating Cases of a Forensic Anthropologist. New York: Broadway books, 1995.Print. Reichs, Kathy. SpiderBones,1st edition. New York: Scribner publishers, 2010. Print. Video: Kathy,Reichs. Video: Cannibalism Video: Inca rebellion Read More