Theses and Dissertations

Advisor

Miller, Shane

Committee Member

Anderson, Derek

Committee Member

Lambert, Shawn

Committee Member

Boudreaux, Tony

Date of Degree

8-7-2025

Original embargo terms

Immediate Worldwide Access

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Applied Anthropology

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures

Abstract

The Aklis Site, located in the Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge on St. Croix, contains both an artifact-dense shell midden and numerous human burials actively eroding into the Caribbean Sea. Here I examine the records and collections from the site through the lens of site formation theory to ask: (1) Are there detectable occupational horizons within the midden?; (2) To what extent have cultural and non-cultural transforms affected the integrity of the midden? and; (3) If detected, are these occupational horizons of sound enough integrity to allow for future radiocarbon dating that might clarify culture chronology for the greater West Indies? To this end, a battery of tests, including refit analyses, and examinations of artifact orientation and inclination, and artifact mass versus relative elevation are used to examine the spatial relationships of artifacts within the midden and establish site integrity for future examinations of the site.

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