A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Man’s Best Friend: Insights from Casas Grandes and the North American Arctic

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Human-animal relations are inherently dynamic in nature and, in recent years, archaeologists have started to explore alternative approaches to shed light on anomalous patterns that deviate from traditional models of understanding. Archaeologists traditionally assumed that they could account for cultural differences globally by employing western divisions of nature vs. culture, thing vs. person, and humans vs. animals. Those interested in the study of ontology must recognize that ancient societies may function in radically different conceptual worlds, often informed by exposure to differing environmental conditions. By examining human-dog relations in both the Casas Grandes culture in Northern Mesoamerica and the Thule culture in the North American Arctic, this paper highlights the benefit of cross-cultural comparison in examining how environmental factors affect individual and collective ontological perspectives. We draw on archaeological evidence of excavations from multiple sites in both regions ranging from 800 A.D.-1450/1500 A.D., as well as ethnographic analogy from historic-period Inuit groups. Through a comparison of ontology, we aim to present alternate modes of inquiry that account for differences specifically related to the treatment of dog species and the unique environments they live in.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38106.0