Contemporary Wickiups in the Mountains of Northern New Mexico

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Wickiups—sometimes labeled as lean-tos or even misidentified as tipis—are relatively ephemeral, petite wooden structures with a clear presence in the American Intermountain West. Extensive archaeological research has been conducted into wickiups created by Numic peoples and Utes and Apaches in the protohistoric and historic periods. Yet, as with artifacts and features like rock cairns and graffiti, archaeologists and resource managers often make hard delineations between contemporary and historic or prehistoric examples—for example, seeking to record and protect them on one hand while admonishing people from continuing to build modern examples on public lands today. In contrast, this study of contemporary wickiups in the mountain forests of Northern New Mexico and their presence in local popular culture shows their value in understanding how a range of people today respond to, live within, shape, and perceive their environment. Rather than viewing them as created simply in acts of historical mimicry, vandalism or resource destruction; their existence are examples of cultural continuity, sharing of community resources, and reactions to degraded and disrupted landscapes. Archaeological study of contemporary wickiups in New Mexico as material expression leads to an understanding of how people participate in place.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32833