Dissertation
CHILDHOOD IN TIMES OF CHANGE: A DIET AND LIFE HISTORY STUDY OF SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA OHLONE JUVENILES
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
01/2020
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/111259
Abstract
This study takes an interdisciplinary approach to studying childhood during significant environmental and social changes in the past, specifically how diet, health, and life history patterns of San Francisco Bay Area children were impacted by the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (MCA) and socioeconomic changes (e.g. transition to terrestrial economy, sedentism, increased social inequality) that began during the Middle Period and intensified during the Late Period. By reconstructing the diet and health profiles of 45 juveniles from five prehistoric Bay Area sites [CA-SCL-134, Yakmuy ‘Ooyákma-tka (CA-SCL-215), CA-ALA-329, CA-SCL-623, and CA-SCL-870], individual diets were studied, as well as patterns observed in life history milestones relating to diet (e.g. weaning age and age at which children begin independent foraging). Results suggest that weaning behavior varied over time, based on a decrease in the mean age of the start of weaning during the Late Period. This sample also shows a faster tempo of weaning compared with studies of contemporaneously occupied Bay Area sites. Dietary reconstructions of weaned children indicate that independent foraging by children is typical childhood behavior, and self-provisioning is connected to learning hunting and foraging skills. As the child ages and skills improve, the resources they procure and consume change and eventually match those of adult diets. Finally, results show a higher prevalence of skeletal stress indicators among children with lower protein diets. This study contributes to important anthropological discussions regarding the facultative nature of childhood and life histories and identifies possible influential factors to these dynamics.
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Details
- Title
- CHILDHOOD IN TIMES OF CHANGE: A DIET AND LIFE HISTORY STUDY OF SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA OHLONE JUVENILES
- Creators
- Nichole Allyse Fournier
- Contributors
- Shannon Tushingham (Advisor)Erin Thornton (Committee Member)Robert Quinlan (Committee Member)Cara Monroe (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Anthropology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 213
- Identifiers
- 99900581809601842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation