Exam 2 Flashcards
What is forensic anthropology?
Scientific discipline applying methods of archaeology and biological/physical anthropology to the collection and analysis of legal evidence
What kinds of cases can forensic anthropologists help with?
Terrorist attacks, natural disasters, crime against humanity, plane crashes
How can forensic anthropologists help in the search for remains?
Surface finds, subsurface burials, burnt remains, bodies in a compromised state of any sort
What role does archaeology play in forensic anthropology?
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What kinds of information can forensic anthropologists get from the bones?
Age, sex, ancestry/race, stature (height), health info, activity indicators
What do we look for to tell the sex of an individual from the bones?
Skull & pelvis
What do we look for to tell the age?
Teeth
Compare techniques for aging subadults (kids) and adults
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Can we figure out how tall a person was just from their bones? How?
Yes, by measuring the thigh bone
Can we tell what kind of diseases a person had from the bones? How?
Yes, if you’ve been sick for more than a few months then you can see it in the bones
How can forensic anthropologists help in studying trauma?
Can help in cases of abuse and neglect
What is the postmortem interval?
Time since death
Can injuries a person received during his/her lifetime actually be useful to a forensic anthropologist? How?
Yes, it can help identify them
Is it possible to tell the difference between the trauma caused by a knife, and a saw, or a gun? How?
A gun shot is considered blunt force trauma, and a knife caused a sharp force trauma. A gun shot causes cracking and a saw eats the bone and creates bone dust
How is sex (being male or female) biological?
It’s your DNA
How is gender (being man or woman) cultural?
When it comes to gender the society defines your role
Are the terms sex and gender equally interchangeable? Why or why not?
No because males or females can be considered the opposite gender than their sex
What is the Cheyenne “two spirit”? How did they dress? What role did the “two spirit” or “berdache” serve in the Cheyenne community?
Two spirit is the third gender in Cheyenne culture. A male would find out on their vision quest that they were two spirit. They would dress as women, speak of themselves as women, and be taken on as a second wife. Ceremonial roles, especially in times of transition- birth, marriage, death.
Who are the Xanith? Where are they found? Do they dress exactly like the women? If not, how do they dress? What role do the Xanith serve in their Oman community? Can one retire from being a Xanith? If so, how?
The Xanith is a 3rd gender in Oman, the Middle East. They have their own style of dress: medium length hair and wear pastels. They are allowed do things women cannot; they can go out on their own and it’s not demeaning to perform womens tasks & more freedom in the mosques. Can serve as prostitutes without being considered homosexual. They can retire by cutting their hair, wearing white and referring to themselves as old men, or marry a women and prove they had sex
What roles almost always fall on the shoulders of men?
Hunters, mining, quarrying, boat making, instrument making, weapons making, warriors
What roles are usually those of me?
Fishing, herding, butchering, clearing land, home building, political leadership
What roles can be completed either by men or women?
Shellfish collection, small animal care, activities with crops, milking animals, preparing skins, making leather products, baskets, clothing or pottery
What roles are usually done by women?
Wild plant collection, child care, cooking, laundry, water fetching, spinning yarn, and collecting fuel
What roles are almost always done by women?
Infant care
How is the strength theory used to explain the difference in gender roles?
Biology; men have more muscle mass; men have better aerobic capacity, stamina and speed
How does the Compatibility with Childcare Theory explain the difference in gender roles?
Has nothing to do with the female temperament, when things are done for trade/commercial products, men tend to do them
How does the Expendability Theory explain the differences in gender roles?
Losing men is less of a risk to the survival of the group, so men tend to do the most dangerous jobs
Which theory do you like the most for explaining these differences and why?
I like the expendability theory because it explains why women in the past has always been kept from war and dangerous tasks even in ancient times
Do all cultures have similar definitions of proper, normal sexual behavior? Be sure to support your response
No, in some cultures homosexuality is normal and even expected. The Etoro of New Guinea have an aversion of women; they have a 260 day ban on sex with women and restrictions on where they can have sex, fearing it will damage their crops. Other cultures have a ban on sex to protect the children.
What can you tell me about the Abelam of New Guinea, ceremonial yams, and what yams have to do with sex?
Yams are linked with social status in Abelam of New Guinea. Hot emotions, fighting and sex, can hurt the yams growth, therefore it’s band.
How do the Lepcha of the Himalayas define homosexuality?
A man who ate meat from an uncasturated pig, would then be a homesexual
When is homosexual behavior acceptable among the Papago Indians of the Southwest?
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What can you tell me of the mentoring relationship between older males and younger boys among the Siwan of North America? Are the boys required to marry a female?
Boys are given a mentor and expected to have sex with them until they are 16-20 years old. After this they marry a female.
What can you tell me about the sexual preferences of the Etoro of New Guinea? Why do these preferences exist (what do they think of women)? What restrictions exist for having sex with a woman in this culture? Are there similar restrictions on male homosexual sex? If no, why not?
The Etoro of New Guinea have maladaptive customs. They have an aversion to women. They have a 260 day ban on women, and restrictions on where they can have sex so they won’t damage the crops. No restrictions on male homosexual sex because they do not fear that they will harm the crops.
What are some ideas that have been suggested on why some cultures might be more accepting of homosexual behavior?
It’s a form of birth control
What is nonduring growing seasonverbal communication? Do we still really use it? If yes, how so?
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Does shaking the head up and down mean “yes” everywhere in the world?
No
Does the A-Ok hand gesture mean “okay” in all parts of the world? Might you offend some one in Greece by doing it? What does it mean in Japan?
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Japan = Money
Where does the thumbs up hand gesture get you a beer?
Germany
What is phonology?
How sounds are made
What is morphology?
How sound sequences have meaning
What is syntax?
How words are used to form phrases
What are historical linguistics? How do languages change over time? Can you think of an example?
How languages change over time; mutations occur over time. In Canterbury Tales and Beowulf.
Can you tell social status, economic status, and/or level of education by the way people talk? How?
Yes, the form of the way you greet someone in certain cultures can depict economic status. People who are uneducated speak differently and do not always follow the rules.
Can you tell how close the relationship is between people by listening to the way they address one another? How?
In other languages the form of you someone used changes based on their relationship to the person.
What is the relationship between language and culture?
The more specialists you have, the more specialists language needed. Different verb tenses, gender specific language.
When you point your index finger to your head, are you calling someone “smart” in France?
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