Intersections of Identity, Health, and Diet in the Wyoming Territory

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The mid to late 19th century in the United States is noted by the Department of the Interior as a significant period of westward colonial expansion, leading to an extension of colonial power structures. This biocultural Master's thesis research on Wyoming Territory burials establishes methodological and theoretical approaches for associating stable isotope results regarding diet and mobility, developmental anomalies, and sociocultural contexts in historical Wyoming. Previously, a sample of the remains was analyzed for light stable isotopes to reconstruct diet and mobility in this context. Individuals buried at historical sites across the state (Red Mountain AD 1880-1910, N=6; Platte Bridge Station/ Fort Casper AD 1859-1867, N=3; and Korell-Bordeaux AD 1830 to 1890, N=17) will be analyzed for developmental anomalies and nonspecific indicators of stress. Relationships between the osteological and stable isotope analyses will then be explored. Results will inform a discussion of these peoples’ lived experiences embodied in their material remains. Using a postcolonial lens augmented by Critical Discourse Analysis of historical documents to provide insight into the identities of these individuals, the historical narrative can be viewed critically and systematically in order to illuminate a more multivocal history of Wyoming.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 26228