And the Legacy Continues: Homol’ovi Looking Forward

Summary

This paper honors the anthropological contributions of the Homol’ovi Research Program (HRP) and its directors. We reflect on the conception and implementation of field and curation protocols that enabled years of innovative research into ancient Pueblo lifeways, work that continues today. Though fieldwork in the region has ceased, researchers still benefit from exceptional field recording standards, sound conservation techniques, and an explicitly behavioral project methodology. HRP was particularly meticulous in its attention to nuanced variation in archaeological deposits. In homage to the latter, we outline a case study of depositional content at Homol’ovi I, a late prehispanic Hopi village and the most intensively excavated site within the Homol’ovi Settlement Cluster. Using HRP data, we examine the co-occurrence of marine shell and turquoise—two relatively rare and symbolically important material varieties. Despite their scarcity, however, both were commonly deposited together at Homol’ovi I. We consider the social implications of the pairing, past and present, using archaeological and ethnohistorical insights. Our collections-based study demonstrates the lasting benefits of detail-oriented field techniques, an enduring hallmark of the HRP.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21241