Color and Technology: A Legacy of Painted Burial Objects at Nuvakwewtaqa (Chavez Pass, Northern Arizona)

Summary

Known to the Hopi as Nuvakwewtaqa, the Chavez Pass pueblo complex (13th-15th CAD) was excavated in part by researchers from Arizona State University from 1976 through 1982. Before these excavations, the site had been subjected to decades of looting, especially in burial contexts. A recently completed Forest Service sponsored NAGPRA project provided the opportunity to photograph and analyze the exceptional artifacts found in burial contexts prior to repatriation. This poster discusses new insights gained from examining a clay-lined, painted basket as well as painted wood artifacts which demonstrate specialized craftsmanship and knowledge. As part of the repatriation process, we present our research and documentation of these items as a legacy for future research.

The clay-lined, painted basket found at Chavez Pass is one of less than fifty known examples of these types of baskets, arm bands, and hats from archaeological contexts in the American Southwest. When considered with the painted prayer sticks, wands, and staffs from the same assemblage, a vibrant image of social life at Nuvakwewtaqa emerges. Through their use of color and technology, it is evident the people of Nuvakwewtaqa were engaged with regional stylistic traditions and, at the same time, creators of their own local style.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Pueblos at the Passageway: A Reassessment of Burial Collections From Nuvakwewtaqa, Chavez Pass, Arizona   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage