ESJOA Summer 2019
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CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, DOMINGUEZ HILLS VOLUME 16 | SUMMER 2019 ESJOA Summer 2019 Volume 16 ElectroNic StudeNt JourNal of ANthropology © CSU DOMINGUEZ HILLS ANTHROPOLOGY CLUB 1000 E Victoria Street, CarsoN CA 90747 | [email protected] VOLUME 16: SUMMER 2019 California State University, Dominguez Hills Electronic Student Journal of Anthropology Editorial Team Editor-iN-Chief Michelle L. Sov DesigN Editor Yesenia Rubi Landa Editor Fernanda Hernandez Editor Jessica Martinez Editor Ernesto Soria Editor Nicole Simbulan https://www.csudh.edu/aNthropology/esjoa/ Contents 02 Stereotypes and Forensic Anthropology Sheyla Flores Palo Mayombe, Forensic Anthropology and 10 Cultural Anthropology Matthew Fusco Natural Mummification 18 Fernanda Hernandez 24 Handling Ethics in Forensic Anthropology Jessica Martinez 31 Human Remains After Infectious Outbreaks IN THIS ISSUE Nicole Simbulan ESJOA is very proud to present our 16th volume. The articles being featured are An Analysis of Cerro Sechín's Iconography and its written by current 40 Purpose CSUDH students and Michelle L. Sov one recent alumnus. Publishing as an undergraduate is a great privilege, and we Arrival and Subsistence in Coastal Versus hope to inspire future 52 undergraduates to Continental North America Sahara Vilchis publish their research. ESJOA | 1 Stereotypes and Forensic Anthropology Sheyla Flores To uNderstaNd why ForeNsic ANthropology aNd Biological ANthropology uses certaiN skeletoN traits to determiNe race, we Need to iNvestigate why these traits exist, aNd how aNd why the idea of “race” emerged. ForeNsic ANthropology is so uNique aNd fasciNatiNg iN that aNthropologists iN this field uNderstaNd that there are a variety of differeNt preseNtatioNs possible for skeletoNs that have beeN fouNd, but they also uNderstaNd why the patterNs of certaiN skeletoNs exist. These aNthropologists are also traiNed to kNow that ideNtifyiNg aN iNdividual by their aNcestry is Not always correct. While it "My name is Sheyla Flores, and I am a helps to coNfirm a positive ideNtificatioN, they current senior at CSUDH. I decided to uNderstaNd that there are maNy factors that write on this subject because it is a affect Not just the humaN body, but the boNes. controversial topic that should be Geographical factors, cultural modificatioNs, resolved. As anthropologists, we are aware that the idea of race is diseases, famiNe, severe iNjuries, aNd boNe nonexistent, but we should be able to stress are just a few examples of boNe spread our research throughout all modificatioN causes. IN this research paper, the fields so that they too can realize that attempt to uNravel this idea of stereotypical race is socially constructed and not traits iN estimatiNg “race" for a foreNsic case is biological." challeNged. It is emphasized that these traits should Not be used aNy loNger due to the stroNg emphasis oN “race” aNd the idea that it creates of aN iNdividual wheN determiNiNg aNcestry. STEREOTYPES AND FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY -SHEYLA FLORES ESJOA | 2 ESJOA | 3 These patterNs or traits are coNsidered be applied to the word “race” is “a category of stereotypical because they are the oNly curreNt humaNkiNd that shares certaiN distiNctive patterNs that have beeN fouNd withiN the physical traits.” UNited States. Adequate research of skulls A great example of misaNalysis of the skull from all over the world could disprove the is explaiNed iN NaNcy S. OsseNberg’s article, ideologies that exist iN the U.S. For starters, “WithiN aNd BetweeN Race DistaNces iN biological aNthropologists refer to the patterN PopulatioN Studies based oN Discrete Traits of of these traits as a cliNe. They have eNough the HumaN Skull.” This article aNalyzes three iNformatioN to map out some of these traits specimeNs of Native AmericaN desceNt. Her aNd caN explaiN why they exist, such as maiN goal is to disprove that the iNdustry adaptatioN of the eNviroNmeNt or geNetic drift. caNNot use limited data to provide a thorough A quick example is the Narrow Nasal apertures aNalysis. She meNtioNs the studies of that are commoNly fouNd iN “EuropeaN” skulls CorrucciNi aNd how his data misaNalysed the versus iN comparisoN to the shallow Nasal three iNdividuals uNder questioN. CorrucciNi’s boNes of aN “AfricaN AmericaN” skull. The research was based oN 72 iNdividuals of differeNce here exists because these AmericaN White aNd Negro populatioNs. iNdividuals have desceNdaNts from differeNt CorrucciNi’s aNalysis claimed that the Native areas of the world. CoNcave Nasal boNes will AmericaN iNdividuals’ measuremeNts iN skulls allow for easier breathiNg iN warm climate correlated with that of a “AmeriNd-Negro,” areas, whereas Narrow apertures are a beNefit which was iNcorrect. OsseNberg states: iN cold climates—they warm the cold air that [...] perhaps the most sigNificaNt passes through the Nostrils. NoNetheless, error implicatioN of these spurious AmeriNd- has beeN coNtiNuously reported because the Negro distaNces is iN uNderscoriNg the stereotypical traits we are accustomed to aNd followiNg requiremeNts of ideal research work off of caN be biased iN Nature. Results of desigN for a populatioN study: choose a file caN poiNt out that the size of the Nasal samples comparable iN regioNal scope aNd boNes will determiNe the skull as “HispaNic” diversity, iNclude a large Number of skulls wheN they appear iNtermediate, but this so that coNclusioNs caN be based oN a iNdividual could be from aNywhere iN the coNseNsus rather thaN oN the evideNce of world. He or she could be from a differeNt oNe sample per group aNd use all culture, aNd foreNsic cases have the teNdeNcy available classes of attributes. to piN a certaiN image iN the public’s head due OsseNberg emphasizes the importaNce of to racialized categories commoNly used iN the coNductiNg research without assumptioNs. UNited States. The closest defiNitioN that caN Most of the studies that have beeN coNducted, maNy of which are refereNced iN physical STEREOTYPES AND FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY - SHEYLA FLORES ESJOA | 3 aNthropology texts, origiNated from ideas of coNfirmed that “races themselves could Not be race. OsseNberg’s three Native AmericaN scieNtifically defiNed.” (JabloNski 2015, 80). iNdividuals were Eskimo aNd of NortherN Although it is true that race caNNot be regioN desceNt. It is commoN to fiNd skulls physically seeN iN skeletal remaiNs, from theN with coNcave Nasal boNes aNd a promiNeNt out the idea of race was used as a class system. brow ridge iN this regioN as well, due to the People begaN reportiNg that certaiN races were climate iN which they lived. Their structure better or prioritized due to their groupiNg. allowed them to survive iN the severely cold KaNt had sparked the braiNs of the public, aNd weather aNd solidifies the poiNt that traits iN the fire has Not goNe out siNce. This idea of skeletal remaiNs caNNot be believed to be “race” is very much still iN place today. It has coNsisteNt wheN there is a limited use of beeN so iNtertwiNed iN our culture that we do iNformatioN aNd aNalysis to work off of. Not thiNk aNythiNg bad about it because it has The most iNflueNtial ideas iN scieNce stem become a Norm to society. ForeNsic from some of the most respected meN that ANthropology iN the UNited States has have existed iN society. That is Not to take uNforgivably adopted this ideology aNd has away from the fact that they had Neutral beeN usiNg this as a system to classify iNteNtioNs iN uNderstaNdiNg brilliaNt ideas, but iNdividual boNes to help estimate determiNiNg other ideas aNd topics of research were Not the who the iNdividual is iN cases withiN the greatest. ONe great example is ImmaNuel KaNt, foreNsic field. a famous aNd well-respected philosopher of “The Skull Collectors: Race, ScieNce, aNd his time. He was oNe of the first to imply the America’s UNburied Dead,” by ANN FabiaN, idea of race aNd how it was a distiNctioN explaiNs how the groupiNgs iN ForeNsic amoNg people due to the geographical areas ANthropology came to be. Samuel George that they beloNged to. UNfortuNately, he was MortoN is coNsidered the fouNder of the so well-kNowN aNd respected that this idea of uNderlyiNg racist ideas of craNial features. He “race” stuck aNd persisted for years to come. studied about a thousaNd iNdividuals of the KaNt’s idea was extremely supported amoNg UNited States populatioN aNd came up with the racist groups. They believed that there was a CaucasiaN, MoNgoliaN, AmericaN, Malay, aNd scieNce behiNd the way people acted aNd EthiopiaN groups based off craNia. He was thought that biology could explaiN it. NiNa supposedly able to classify aNd quaNtify the JabloNski’s article, “Race,” touches oN the differeNces iN the remaiNs of these iNdividuals. brief history of KaNt’s racial idea aNd explaiNs MortoN’s research was racist iN Nature. His how, iN the 20th ceNtury, this idea was iNteNtioN to study whether there were aNy challeNged. The most iNflueNtial scieNtists of differeNces iN skeletal remaiNs was oNly to the 1960’s (duriNg the civil rights movemeNt) prove that a certaiN race was better thaN discredited “race” aNd aNother. MortoN’s maiN frame of research STEREOTYPES AND FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY - SHEYLA FLORES ESJOA | 4 was measuriNg the craNial capacity of these bodies for cultural pride aNd beloNgiNg all the skulls. MortoN thought that the bigger the time. Cultures like that of the KayaN womeN skull, the smarter the iNdividual. FabiaN’s of NortherN ThailaNd eloNgate their Necks aNd, iNvestigatioN proves how the idea of race was as a result, modify their skeletoNs. Their woveN iNto the basis of estimatioN iN cultural modificatioN goes deep to the boNe, aNthropology, which was later heavily adopted aNd, if it was fouNd iN the U.S., it would be iN the foreNsics iNdustry. classified iNcorrectly because the data that is To further the issue, JohaNN Casper Lavator here oNly goes far eNough to describe five was kNowN for his work regardiNg groups.