Questioning the Native American Population Rebound in the Horseshoe Lake Watershed from AD 1500 to AD 1700

White and colleagues (2020) have argued that after Cahokia's AD 1400 decline, the native population in the Horseshoe Lake Watershed rebounded beginning in AD 1500 and peaked around 1650, and that the native groups populating the area were members of the Illinois Confederation. These arguments are based on a population reconstruction obtained from fecal stanol concentrations from Horseshoe Lake sediment cores and regional historical, archaeological, and environmental data. We argue that their interpretations are problematic because they discount extensive regional archaeological and historical datasets and do not consider alternative hypotheses that could explain high levels of fecal stanol concentrations in lake sediments.

Homestead and Exemptions

This chapter looks at Article XII of the Oklahoma constitution, which concerns homestead and exemptions. Section 1 was amended in 1997 to clarify homestead rights when a property is used for both residential and commercial purposes and to set forth the percentage of use that must be for residential purposes in order to qualify for the exemption. Because of the Native American population in Oklahoma, the constitution contains a specific provision protecting Native Americans’ homestead rights. Section 2 operates as a paternalistic public policy to protect the family home. The home can only be sold for debts directly connected to the construction, improvement, or taxes regarding the homestead; a forced sale of a homestead for payment of ordinary debts, judgment liens, and other obligations is not available to a creditor in Oklahoma. Lastly, the primary objective of Section 3 is to undo parts of an old Oklahoma law regarding exemptions.

Police Stops and Searches of Indigenous People in Minneapolis: The Roles of Race, Place, and Gender

We examine disparities in police stops, searches, and arrests of Native Americans in Minneapolis, a major metropolitan area with a substantial Native American population. During the study period, 1.42% of women in Minneapolis report their race as American Indian or Alaska Native, but the Minneapolis police report that 6.43% of police stops of women (including vehicle stops and non-vehicle stops) are Native American. Native American men comprise 1.51% of the male population and 3.29% of police stops of men. After they were stopped, 28% of Native American women were searched and 20% were arrested, over twice as often as women of any other race. The disproportionate stops of Native American women are concentrated in areas with high Native American residents.

Sex Dimorphism in the Deciduous Dentition of Modern Pima

A sample of primary teeth from a Pima Native American population was measured to determine the presence and amount of sex dimorphism. An average percent sex dimoprhism of 2.40 was found. The finding is in accord with the findings of other researchers of low sex dimoprhism in the primary dentition. The percent sex dimorphism for the primary dentition of the Pima was compared to percentages for the primary dentitions of a Caucasian and an Australian population. The amount of sex dimorphism in the Pima was found to be less than that in the Australians, but greater that that in the Caucasians. Finally, the hypothesis that the amount of sex dimorphism in primary and secondary dentitions is similar was tested and found to be true for this population of Pima.