Ronald H. Towner

Projectile Point Rejuvenation: A Technological Analysis

AbstractThis paper presents the results of the experimental production, use, and rejuvenation of 30 projectile points. Breakage patterns and morphological change of points resulting from rejuvenation are documented. The debitage produced during each stage of the experiment was examined from a technological perspective and assessed in terms of its archaeological visibility. The assemblages resulting from point production and rejuvenation are quite different from one another and each can be identified through a technological analysis. The study indicates that a curational behavior such as rejuvenation can be identified in the archaeological record if the proper sampling, field recovery, and analytical techniques are employed.

Correspondence in tree-ring and thermoluminescence dating: A protohistoric Navajo pilot study

Dating of early Navajo residence and special use sites, ca. A.D. 1500-1775, has been hampered by a lack of datable materials and poor precision in radiocarbon results. Methods described in this paper use materials ubiquitous at early Navajo sites in northwestern New Mexico and employ a dual strategy involving tree-ring dating of nonarchitectural wood and thermoluminescence assay of ceramics and burned rock. Comparison of samples obtained from a number of sites near the Morris Site 1 pueblito indicates remarkable correspondence between tree-ring and thermoluminescence results. These techniques are argued to have considerable reliability for relatively recent cultural manifestations such as these early Navajo sites. Thermoluminescence in particular may be useful in protohistoric contexts where tree-ring dating is unavailable. The thermoluminescence technique has the added benefit of directly dating pottery sherds, which can be useful for developing ceramic cross-dating sequences.

La 2298: The Oldest Pueblito Revisited

ABSTRACTTree-ring dates from Tapacito Ruin (LA 2298), the earliest securely dated Navajo pueblito, have played a central role in the interpretation of the Gobernador phase of Navajo history. Although previous research provided general parameters for the site occupation, the lack of provenience data for many of the tree-ring specimens left several questions unanswered. Research conducted in 1990 confirms the early occupation of the pueblito and offers suggestions concerning the site occupation and its role in post-Revolt Dinetah.

Historical dendroarchaeology in the El Malpais area: Lessons from the Savage homestead

The El Malpais National Conservation Area (EMNCA) of west central New Mexico contains dozens of early-20th-century archaeological sites. One site, the Savage homestead (LA 74544), contains evidence of a relatively intensive settlement history in the form of more than 20 structures, roads, fields, and artifacts. The Savage homestead settlement history is investigated through dendrochronological, documentary, archaeological, and oral history data. The assembled data testify to the tenacity and strength of a widow with six children subsisting in the isolation of the high desert of New Mexico and threading her way through the federal paperwork maze to earn a homestead patent—a task accomplished, but an occupation that was short-lived. The social, economic, and environmental contexts of the occupation and abandonment suggest implications for understanding the regional occupation of the area both historically and prehistorically.

Assessing the Importance of Past Human Behavior in Dendroarchaeological Research: Examples from Range Creek Canyon, Utah, U.S.A

Abstract Dendroarchaeological samples can contain three kinds of information: chronological, behavioral, and environmental. The decisions of past people regarding species selection, beam size, procurement and modification techniques, deadwood use, and stockpiling are the most critical factors influencing an archaeological date distribution. Using dendrochronological samples from prehistoric and historic period sites in the same area of eastern Utah, this paper examines past human behavior as the critical factor in dendroarchaeological date distributions.

Reflections On the Foundation, Persistence, and Growth of the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, Circa 1930–1960

Abstract On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, it is appropriate to reflect on the origin of the LTRR and the oft overlooked early period of its history. The period from the “Bridging the gap” event in 1929 to the semi-retirement of A.E. Douglass in 1958 was a crucial time in the development of the LTRR. Although this paper focuses on the history of the LTRR between those events, at points the history of the LTRR is, essentially, the history of the field, making a holistic understanding all the more important. The information presented here is rooted in a series of transcribed historical lectures delivered in 1992 and 1993 by Director/Professor Emeritus Bryant Bannister, and several historical reports composed by him between 1963 and 1998.

Archaeological Chronometry: Radiocarbon and Tree-Ring Models and Applications from Black Mesa, Arizona

where change is gradual and continuous, moving from relatively simple to more complex. In fact, recent research demonstrates that this was not the case. A new discussion on possible cannibalism among the Anasazi also is treated in descriptive terms. An anthropological perspective, particularly important when discussing such a sensitive topic, is largely missing. Chapter 9 examines the post-archaic of eastern Colorado, beginning with a discussion of Plains Woodland archaeology. This is followed by a summary of Upper Republican sites of northeastern Colorado and the Apishapa Phase in the southeastern corner of the state. The chapter concludes with a brief description of the Upper Purgatoire Complex and sites stone-circle sites. Chapter 10 completes the culture history with a discussion of the historic tribes found in Colorado: Apaches, Navajos, Utes, Comanches, Arapahos, and Cheyennes. The book closes with a brief summary (chapter 11) and a discussion of Colorado archaeology as it is practiced today (chapter 12). A final chapter presents short biographies of over 40 archaeologists who have been instrumental in reconstructing Colorados past. These engaging portraits are a substantial contribution to the book, helping to flesh out the history of archaeology in the state. The book closes with appendixes on terminology and Colorado archaeological agencies and institutions, a glossary, and a substantial bibliography. Cassells has done a great deal for Colorado archaeology, and this revised text is another important contribution.

CAMBIUM-PEELED TREES IN THE ZUNI MOUNTAINS, NEW MEXICO

Abstract Cambium-peeled trees are relatively common in ponderosa pine forests of the Intermountain West. Found from British Columbia to southern New Mexico, cambium-peeled trees have been interpreted as (a) a response to famine conditions related to climatic variations, (b) a response to conflict-related food shortages and scheduling issues, (c) a sweet or delicacy, and (d) a medicinal product used to treat various internal and external ailments. This paper uses dendrochronology, and ethnohistory to examine three spatially discrete groups of peeled trees in the Zuni Mountains of New Mexico in terms of their relationships to climatic variability, conflict and cultural practices. Abstract Árboles pelados de cámbium son relativamente comunes en los bosques de pino ponderosa del oeste en las regiones entre montañas. Se encuentra desde Columbia Británica hasta el sur de Nuevo México, los árboles pelados de cámbium se han interpretado como (a) una respuesta a condiciones de hambruna en relación con las variaciones climáticas, (b) una respuesta a la escasez de alimentos relacionados a conflictos y asuntos de programación, (c) un dulce o delicadeza, y (d) un product medicinal para tratar diversas dolencias internas y externas. Este trabajo utiliza la dendrocronología, la etnohistoria para analizar tres grupos espacialmente discretos de los árboles pelados, en las montañas Zuni de Nuevo México en términos de su relación con la variabilidad climática, los conflictos y las prácticas culturales.

Early Navajo land use in northwestern New Mexico: Big Bead Mesa in regional perspective

Big Bead Mesa (LA 12351) is the most famous Navajo archaeological site ever investigated and has played an important role in the interpretation of Navajo culture history. It remains a sacred place to the Navajo, both for historical and spiritual reasons. Pioneering work by Dorothy L. Keur resulted in the publication of the first Society for American Archaeology Memoir and brought Navajo archaeology national recognition. James Hester used Big Bead Mesa as the type site for his Cabezon Phase, although he conducted no research at the site. Big Bead Mesa is not the only Early Navajo site in the Rio Puerco Valley; however, the surrounding area has never been adequately investigated or reported. This paper documents a variety of Navajo sites in the Rio Puerco Valley and indicates that Big Bead Mesa was only a small part of a much larger Navajo occupation that extended to the north, west, and south.

From the Land of Ever Winter to the American Southwest: Athapaskan Migrations, Mobility, and Ethnogenesis. DENI J. SEYMOUR, editor. 2012. University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City. 443 pp.

were champions of equality or believed that women were just as smart. Rather, they were a much cheaper labor force, and a very diligent one at that. Thus a small project budget might result in a significant number of female participants, as illustrated by the work of Edgar Hewett in the Southwest. The majority of these women reached the M.A. level at most, discouraged to go any further by everyone around them, including such major figures as Tozzer, Kidder, and Kroeber. Women could not at first receive Ph.D.s from Harvard or Columbia, hence not one of them came to achieve high professional standing or establish a department. Their numbers remained insignificant compared to the expanding ranks of archaeological men. Moreover, women took up research topics that men found onerous or tedious, such as paleobotany, archaeozoology or bioarchaeology, that initially offered little reward in fame or professional standing.