Variations in Ceramic and Obsidian Dispersal among the Ancestral O'odham

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

It has been long understood that the trade routes for obsidian differ from that of other materials such as ceramic among the Ancestral O'odham (also known as the Hohokam). Previously conducted sourcing studies have shown that many materials including ceramic are exchanged among communities that share an irrigation canal. However, obsidian is seemingly traded through kinship-based networks as individual houses within communities seemingly have different sources. Many papers have noted this phenomenon but there has been less published offering explanations. I posit that one potential explanation for the differing modes of trade is a fear of warfare which has resulted in obsidian being traded among kinship groups. Ceramics and other materials are not tools of war, but obsidian has the potential to be used for violence. Thus, one may wish to limit access to such a material to those who can be trusted. Unlike Ceramics which could be exchanged in public markets, obsidian was only exchanged among the most trusted of allies like kin. While only currently a hypothesis, it is one that warrants further examination.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 52625