Vanishing River Volume 2: Agricultural, Subsistence, and Environmental Studies: Part 3: Chapters 8-11

Karen R. Adams; Steven Bozarth; Suzanne K Fish; Paul R. Fish; Steven D. Shelley; Kellie M. Cairns

Vanishing River Volume 2: Agricultural, Subsistence, and Environmental Studies: Part 3: Chapters 8-11

Part of the Lower Verde Archaeological project

Author(s): Karen R. Adams; Steven Bozarth; Suzanne K Fish; Paul R. Fish; Steven D. Shelley; Kellie M. Cairns

Editor(s): Jeffrey A. Homburg; Richard Ciolek-Torello

Year: 1997

Summary

Chapter 8 discusses data from macrofossil and flotation samples from village, hamlet, farmstead,

and field house settings along the lower Verde River. Chapter 9 treats the pollen and phytoliths that were isolated from sediment samples

collected in a variety of agricultural features including

rock piles and alignments, terraces, and field houses, in

addition to habitation features such as hearths, living floors,

middens, and roasting pits in the LVAP area. The overall goal of

these analyses was to further understanding of prehistoric

agricultural strategies and utilization of noncultivated plant

species in the study area. Chapter 10 describes the faunal material recovered during data recovery efforts at LVAP sites and activity areas. The faunal analysis

identifies the taxa present in the project sites, identifies any

butchering or food-processing patterns, assesses environmental

correlates of the faunal assemblage, and detects

temporal changes in the use of faunal resources. If temporal

changes were found, the analysis examined whether they

were the result of cultural factors or changes in the local or

regional environment. Finally, Chapter 11 presents the results of a cross-cultural assessment of the agricultural potential of the Horseshoe Basin area. The authors discuss their selection of Native American consultants to address farming in the area, and their methods for comparing and contrasting consultant assessments. The “ideal” Native American consultant for evaluating the

prehistoric agricultural potential of a study area would: (1) be

able to claim some degree of cultural continuity with the

former occupants; (2) be conversant with techniques suggested

by the prehistoric agricultural remains; and (3) have

farming experience in the same kind of environment. In light

of the foregoing discussion, such an individual clearly does

not exist for the LVAP location.

Consequently, the authors selected representatives from several different cultural traditions in the local area; they consulted with Zuni, Apache, Pima, and Tohono O’odham farmers. Authors also used

alternative methods for comparing and contrasting the assessments

of representatives from several Native American farming

traditions in surrounding areas.

Cite this Record

Vanishing River Volume 2: Agricultural, Subsistence, and Environmental Studies: Part 3: Chapters 8-11. Karen R. Adams, Steven Bozarth, Suzanne K Fish, Paul R. Fish, Steven D. Shelley, Kellie M. Cairns, Jeffrey A. Homburg, Richard Ciolek-Torello. In Vanishing River: Landscapes and Lives of the Lower Verde Valley: The Lower Verde Archaeological Project: Volume 2: Agricultural, Subsistence, and Environmental Studies. Pp. 149-248. Tucson, AZ: Statistical Research, Inc. Press (Tucson, AZ). 1997 ( tDAR id: 372148) ; doi:10.6067/XCV8SF2T72