HISATSINOM Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society

Transcription

1 HISATSINOM Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society The Mission of the Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society is to further the education, opportunities and experiences of its members, students and the general public by partnering with and serving the archaeological, avocational archaeological, and related scientific communities of the Montezuma Valley, the Four Corners area and the State of Colorado. VOLUME 26 MARCH 2014 ISSUE 3 MARCH MEETING 7pm Tuesday, March 4 Linda Honeycutt will discuss her work, Seven Basketmaker III Black-on-white Bowl Motifs Linda graduated from Ohio State in 1970 with a B.A. in Anthropology. She held various non-archaeological jobs until 1977, when she took her first job in contract archaeology near Trinidad, CO. In 1980 she co-founded Woods Canyon Archaeological Consultants in Yellow Jacket, CO. She retired from Woods Canyon and contract archaeology in 2010 and has since been pursuing a special interest of hers: Basketmaker III pottery motifs. Ongoing research has resulted in the definition of seven Basketmaker III Black-on-white bowl motifs. Each motif is derived from a photographic data base of approximately 1,200 ceramics, most of which Honeycutt recorded over the past four years at seven museums. These ceramics (mostly sherds, some bowls) are from approximately 60 dated and provenienced Basketmaker III sites in the states of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. (photo below)

2 Interviews with most of our speakers are available online after initial broadcast on the Zine. To find the replay of an interview online, go to click on Audio on the toolbar at the top of the Home Page, then scroll down to Zine in the program list. Once there, look for the speaker's name and click Download File under the name. The file will then replay the interview. Upcoming Speakers April 1 Fred Blackburn, independent researcher, The Expeditionary History of Inscription House: Research in the Prayer Rock District May 6 Susan Ryan, director of archaeology at Crow Canyon, New Approaches to Architectural Analyses: Kivas in the Northern Southwest June 3 Randy McGuire, anthropology professor/binghamton University, Cerros de Trincheras, Northern Mexico Notable Events in 2014 Colorado Council of Professional Archaeologists (CCPA) annual meeting, March 20 23, Glenwood Springs, Colorado Society for American Archaeology annual meeting, April 23 27, Austin, Texas International Rock Art Congress, July 22 28, Guiyang City, China Pecos Conference, August 7-10, Blanding, Utah New members: Sherri and Peter Katzdorn, Cortez

3 THE TROWEL AND THE GAVEL A view from the President s Bench By Larry R. Keller, JD Greetings fellow Hisatsinom members and archaeology enthusiasts. We had a wonderful general meeting Tuesday, February 4 th. Despite horrible weather and icy roads, almost 40 members showed up at the Methodist Church to hear Jonathan Till speak on Hovenweep Pottery Analysis. Jonathan himself drove over from Bluff, and we sure appreciated his effort. Thanks go out to Dr. Kari Schleher, our Vice-President, for lining him up on shorter notice than usual to fill in for Dr. Lillian Wakely, who consented on two days notice to speak to our January meeting. She had been scheduled for February, but when Fred Blackburn had a very serious illness in the family (his mother later passed away) and had to cancel, Dr. Wakely graciously consented to move up her excellent address on geology related to the Kennewick Man discovery. Our deepest condolences go out to Fred and our fellow Chapter member, his wife Victoria Atkins. Fred has rescheduled his presentation for April. A reporter from the Cortez Journal attended our February meeting and wrote a story in the Friday, February 7 edition under the headline Archaeologist Wows Hisatsinom Chapter With Latest Findings About Pottery. If you missed it, check it out online on the Journal s website. You can also get to the story by Googling Hisatsinom Chapter. Overall, he provided us with some nice publicity for our Chapter. Our speaker for the next general meeting on Tuesday, March 4 th will be Linda Honeycutt on the subject of Basketmaker III Pottery Motifs. This should give us a wonderful view of a prehistoric Four Corners culture not often exclusively studied in the past but made a priority a couple of years ago by Crow Canyon archaeologists when they began their excavations at the Dillard Site in Indian Camp Ranch in Montezuma County. The Hisatsinom Executive Board met for the second time this year on February 11 th and had a lively and productive meeting. The Board unanimously adopted a Mission Statement, which is the first of its kind for our Chapter. That Mission Statement is as follows: The Mission of the Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society is to further the education, opportunities and experiences of its members, students and the general public by partnering with and serving the archaeological, avocational archaeological, and related scientific communities of the Montezuma Valley, the Four Corners Area and the State of Colorado. Everything we do as a Chapter should be measured by this Mission Statement to make certain we are always doing our best job for our members. In this Statement we have expanded our area of geographical concern to include all of the Four Corners area, which itself is not precisely definable, but includes geography in all four states which is in proximity to the Cortez area. In the past, our Chapter has sponsored field trips to the Farmington, Aztec, and New Mexico San Juan River areas; Southeast Utah in the Cedar

4 Mesa, Moab, and Utah San Juan River areas; the Hovenweep National Monument area in both Utah and Colorado; and of course, all nearby Colorado National Parks and Monuments, including the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation and indeed, all of Montezuma and Dolores counties. In the future, we might choose to sponsor trips to, and bring in speakers who tell us about, the Navajo Reservation area in Arizona as well as New Mexico, including Canyon de Chelly, the Carrizo and Chuska Mountains and other nearby Four Corners areas. While we have speakers who give talks about many other areas which are important to archaeology, and thus important to all of us as members, our emphasis will always be on our nearby area. We encourage you as members to advise your officers and members of the Executive Board, whose contact information is in every Newsletter and on our newly revised website, about areas you are interested in where we may schedule field trips (day or overnight), to promote projects which our members may engage in to further archaeology, or about speakers we might schedule. Our Chapter is only as good as the creativity and energy of you, our members; and we need and solicit your help! I wish to inform you that the Executive Board has appointed Richard Robinson of Durango as our new Field Trip Coordinator to replace Jane Williams, who recently resigned for medical reasons. Jane has had very serious shoulder surgery, and we wish her all the best. Many Chapter members will be assisting her in her recovery when she returns home. Jane did a wonderful job for our Chapter, and I know you all join with me in wishing her a speedy recovery. Richard is a joint member of both the San Juan and Hisatsinom Chapters of CAS, and comes to us with much experience setting up, planning and leading field trips for the San Juan folks. He is a fine gentleman, and we are privileged he brings his skills and experience in the field to us. Finally, I am pleased to announce that the Board gave final approval to our new rebuilt website. It is now up-to-date, and your officers are determined to keep it up-to-date in the future. The Chapter owes a debt of gratitude to Chapter member Joe Lantz who worked many long and hard volunteer hours to develop our new website and continues to work with the rest of us to keep it updated. We have also revised our membership categories and form to track that of our parent State CAS, as well as other Chapters. Please check out our revised website by going to the CAS website: and clicking on Chapters on their Home page; or Google Hisatsinom Chapter and click on the one related to the Google Site. We hope to announce additional new and exciting improvements to our Chapter in the future. On behalf of the Hisatsinom Executive Board, I wish to thank each of you for your membership and support. See you on March 4 th! Board Meeting Minutes February 11, 2014 United Methodist Church, Cortez Present: Larry Keller, Kari Schleher, Gail LaDage, Laura Hall, Terry Woodrow, Richard Robinson, Nancy Evans, Patricia Lacey, Joe Lantz. Larry provided all present with the President s Agenda.

5 1. Joe Lantz updated the Board on the Hisatsinom Chapter website. Access by members and the public, posting photographs and possible use of a URL was discussed. Joe will be available to those of us who need training on posting information. A motion was made and seconded to appoint Larry to review all items, except calendar events, before they are posted on the website. It was approved unanimously. Those who attend field trips may have their photograph appear on the website. 2. Our participation in the Four Corners Lecture Series was discussed. Nancy said our participation will cost $50. The Cortez Cultural Center has agreed to provide the venue for an event but will not be participating. We will discuss this item by A motion was made, seconded and approved to accept Richard Robinson as our new Field Trip Coordinator. He accepted and stated he may schedule some joint field trips with SJBAS chapter, as he has been the coordinator for them as well. 4. The Board agreed to use the same membership form as other CAS chapters, which allows a discount for those choosing to not receive Southwestern Lore, the CAS professional journal. Terry made a motion to accept the use of the form for our chapter; it was seconded and approved unanimously. 5. Terry made a motion that Kari inform speakers to aim for 45 minutes with their presentation; Q&A to follow. The motioned was seconded and approved unanimously. 6. The Board considered the adoption of a mission statement for the Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society that would be used as a heading for our newsletter. Larry read aloud: The Mission of the Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society is to further the education, opportunities and experiences of its members, students and the general public by partnering with and serving the archaeological, avocational archaeological, and related scientific communities of the Montezuma Valley, the Four Corners Area and the State of Colorado. A motion was made, seconded and approved unanimously by the Board. -Gail Ladage, recording secretary Richard Robinson Field Trip Coordinator Good Morning! Allow me to introduce myself, Richard Robinson at a ripe age of 65! I have been given the opportunity to work with you as your 2014 Field Trip Leader. Many of you already know me, but for those who don t, I am not an Archaeologist! Although born in Milwaukee, WI, I was brought up in Phoenix, AZ, and graduated from the University of Arizona in Tucson. My professional career has been in Environmental (Analytical) Chemistry. I have also taken many environmental and biological courses. After the age of 5 years, I spent my life in the Four Corner States. During that time I was brought up in Phoenix and lived in Santa Fe for some 25 years and Durango for 13 with my wife, Linda. During my time in Durango, besides hiking in and climbing the

6 mountains, I have had an active role in the SJBAS arranging and leading field trips for over 10 years. I have also been a site steward for Cultural and Alpine (mining) sites with the SJMA and SWCA. I am also a volunteer Rail Ranger on the Durango Silverton RR. From the time I could drive a car to the present, I have spent my available time in our great outdoors. During this time, even if doing a 10-day backpack trip or climbing in Tibet at 16,000 ft. elevation where I found pottery shards at my feet when I sat down in 2 foot of snow, every time I come upon an archaeological site I am always wondering how and why did they do The exciting part of knowing so little allows me to go back to the same sites and see different things each time. I do not like to just read about something or see a picture of a flower in a book, I want to see it in its place! I am honored to be working with so many knowledgeable people in an area with such a wealth of archaeology. So please help me by suggesting, offering to lead, or equally important, attending field trips. I will shortly be sending out a questionnaire for you to return filled in to help me with choices that will help in planning trips that you will be able to attend. And don t forget to just say hello some time! Thanks for This Opportunity! Richard Robinson A REVIEW OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF PALEOAMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGISTS, SCHOLARS AND RESEARCHERS STUDYING THE LATEST EVIDENCE AND THEORIES OF THE PEOPLING OF THE AMERICAS SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO OCTOBER, 2013 By Larry R. Keller

7 It was my privilege to attend the Paleoamerican Odyssey Conference in Santa Fe sponsored by the Center for the Study of the First Americans at Texas A&M University on October 17-19, I was accompanied by Chapter member Denis Boon. This was truly an international conference bringing together archaeologists, scientists and researchers from Australia, Russia, Japan, Denmark, Spain, France, England, Canada, Mexico and several Central and South American countries to present papers orally, display posters, and participate in round-table discussions on all the latest theories regarding the Ice Age colonization of the Americas. It was the first time since 1999 that an International Conference has been held. There were over a thousand attendees including scientists, educators and avocational archaeologists. A large number of original Paleoamerican artifacts, secured by armed guards, were on display including the actual Blackwater Draw New Mexico type point for the Clovis culture, as well as the Fenn Cache, the Cinmar bipointed biface (central to Bradley and Stanford s Atlantic Ice theory), the Manis, Washington mastodon rib bone with bone point embedded in it, and many other wonderful examples of American Ice Age artifacts and fauna skeletons from all over the Americas, Russia and Japan. I can t do the enormity of information presented much justice in a short review, but I ll try to review the highlights and ideas I found most interesting in two installments in the Hisatsinom Newsletter, and this article shall constitute the first. The Papers were assembled in a volume published by the Center for the Study of the First Americans entitled Paleoamerican Odyssey. This volume is in the library at Crow Canyon, and I hope will also be in the library at the Anasazi Heritage Center soon. It, and a separate pamphlet of the abstracts of all papers, is available online at the website of The Center for the Study of the First Americans: csfa@tamu.edu. Until recently, it was generally accepted that humans first began to colonize the Americas about 13,500 years ago, rapidly migrating from Northeast Asia across the Bering Strait (Beringia) and through an ice-free corridor in Western Canada to the southern tip of South America. These early Americans were thought to have carried Clovis-pointed technology and tools and hunted the largest animals (megafauna), possibly even to the extinction of multiple species. However, recent developments in human genomic studies, both of living populations and ancient skeletal remains, have caused many Ice Age archaeologists and researchers to question the timing, number of and direction of these early dispersal events. The conference in Santa Fe brought together archaeologists and others who continue to search for hard facts to test multiple models of late Pleistocene dispersals to the Americas. Special attention was paid to dispersal routes, molecular genetics, and Clovis and pre-clovis archaeology. Dr. Bruce Bradley, University of Exeter U.K. and sometimes Cortez resident, and Dr. Michael Collins, Texas State University, presented their hypothesis that Clovis was not a single culture, but a disparate set of cultures unified by a technologically coded belief system. This system was complex, demanding expert knowledge and significant skill to achieve, even at a basic level. It involved selection of exotic raw materials, production of oversized bifaces for caching, controlled full-face and overshot biface flaking, and flat-backed blade core maintenance. In their view, Clovis was a Cultural Revitalization which was a social movement imposed on environmental factors rather than controlled by them. They introduced a complex series of elements defining this social movement focusing specifically on technology (tool-making strategies). They stated they accept(ed) that there were established populations along the Eastern Seaboard of North America as early as 22,000 years ago, and that these populations were the origin of what became known to us as Clovis. They postulate that...(i)t was from this area that revitalization originated and spread throughout the Americas.

8 Three speakers presented evidence from archaeological digs in Hokkaido, Japan and Yana, Russia that humans inhabited sites there prior to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) years ago and may have crossed into Beringia much earlier than previously believed. Dr. Kelly E. Graf of the Center for the Study of the First Americans presented evidence and theories that the arrival of the First Americans across Beringia from Siberia may have occurred as early as 16,000 years ago based upon discovery of Micro-blade technologies in tool-making widely seen as Pre-Clovis. Jon M. Erlandson, of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Oregon, stated that there is evidence of a pre-clovis people off the shores of British Columbia and Washington State and in river valleys with salmon runs on B.C. islands dating to 14,000 years ago. Advanced technology is being tried to detect underwater coastal sites. Dennis Stanford, Director of the Paleo-Indian program at the Smithsonian Institution, presented information that a deep sea scallop dredge over 40 miles off the Virginia coast, near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, came up with parts of a mastodon and a bipointed biface. This area is part of the coastal shelf that was above sea level during ice ages. The biface is called the Cinmar biface knife and was on display at the conference. It is dated at 28,800 years ago. The style is similar to Solutrean culture bifaces found in northern Spain in the Bay of Biscay area. He also discussed similar style point finds in peat bogs and coastal islands in the Chesapeake Bay area, with dates ranging from 17,200-28,800 years ago. These finds are consistent with Stanford and Bradley s theory of a migration of people from Europe to America via an Atlantic coastal route. See their book, Across Atlantic Ice for a more extensive discussion. Bradley presented what he called a think piece. The theme was: maybe Clovis was not a people with a particular culture, but a ritual cult that spread among existing populations. In this view, the very skillfully made artifacts they produced had both spiritual as well as utilitarian functions. Bradley is an expert flintknapper. In his view, the complex skill needed to produce the fine Clovis points required training from a master craftsman to a student over a considerable training time. Perhaps the skill was part of cult training. He added that Folsom may also have been a cult based on a similar master/student system. He cited the example of the ghost dance cult that spread quickly among several western American tribes in the late 1800s. David Kilby of the Department of Anthropology at Eastern New Mexico University stated that there have been 25 Clovis caches discovered. They are found in only a part of the Clovis range. They are all between the Mississippi River and the eastern slopes of the far western mountains. The cache items seem to have a special meaning. The items do not show heavy use. There are often very large bifaces, made of exotic material. Some have ochre on them or have unusually deep overshot flaking. They were apparently left by seasonal hunters expecting to return. A large cache was found in Boulder a few years ago by someone digging in their front yard. This conference report will be continued in next month s Hisatsinom Newsletter Ed. Note (Open the attachments to see the photo of the Fenn cache found in NE Utah as well as other exhibits.)

9 McAfee Survey Update by Bob McBride, Survey Leader Despite the winter weather, we have been busy with the survey!! Inside that is.. Dale Davidson has done some research on the homestead site we recorded last summer and has found that the site was successfully homesteaded with a patent issued by the U.S. government to Sydney M. Denton in December Diane McBride has been working on the site drawings required by the state and now has completed all 59 sites which we ve recorded to date. Dale Diede has located and labeled all 59 sites on USGS maps and has been working with Crow Canyon to get all of the site data collected thus far loaded into shape files. Then this information can be made part of the Village Ecodynamics Project Modelling effort being done in conjunction with Washington State University. As many of you know from past chapter presentations by both Mark Varien and Scott Ortman, the VEP is a multi-year effort to better understand the ancestral Pueblo subsistence and settlement patterns in the greater Mesa Verde area. This is the last year of the project, so we want to get the data in before the final modelling runs are made on WSU s computer. I ve been working on getting the final report written for the project and have 85 pages written describing the project findings so far. Lastly, I would like to thank our hosts Chuck and M.B. McAfee for letting us have access to their beautiful 2500 acre property for the past year and a half and for letting us record the sites of the Puebloans who lived there so long ago. As we prepare to resume field work on the last 500 acres beginning April 6th, we need to know of anyone would like to join us. We need to know now since training is set for Friday, March 14. Contact Bob at or mcbrideinspect@yahoo.com February Meeting Minutes February 4, 2014 Hisatsinom chapter president Larry Keller opened the meeting at 7 pm. Larry thanked all who braved the wintry conditions for joining us. Thirty-seven attended. Vice-President Kari Schlerer introduced our evening speaker, Jonathan Till of Abajo Archaeology and thanked him for driving all the way from Bluff, Utah. He has practiced archaeology in the Four Corners for about twenty years, working in Blanding, at Hovenweep, and at Crow Canyon as well as for Abajo Archaeology. Analysis of Pottery Collections from Hovenweep National Monument Jonathan Till suggested that the good news was, we get to hear this information for its first airing, but he cautioned with a smile, that it might also be the bad news. Lively and enthusiastic, Till explained that Abajo Archaeology was contracted by Canyonlands Natural History Association to do a re-analysis of 11,756 sherds from Hovenweep, some collected between 1930 and the 1950s. Most are P-III, with P-II represented also. The former analysis was done by Dr. Joseph Winter and students from San Jose State in the early 1970s. Larry Nordby was involved recently as well. Till complimented their work and stated that this recent analysis has been more robust and the information digitized with access to be available as an electronic collection.

10 Describing the Pecos Classification for those not familiar with it, he suggested we insert favorite BC date for BM-II. He then discussed the P-III time period from mid- to late 1200s when the Ancestral Puebloans in the Mesa Verde area were aggregating into large villages. An example was Yellowjacket Pueblo north of Cortez - an intensive settlement strategy with a focus on the center place. Fields were moved closer, towns were walled, and the pueblos often protected springs at the heads of canyons, as seen at Goodman Point and Sand Canyon Pueblos. Plazas were open-air and not exclusive to just a few. Till mentioned that the Hovenweep Holly Unit P-II pottery was distinctive and exquisite, reminding him of an Escher painting. Whiteware is often represented by serving bowls, some of feasting size, up to 20 inches in diameter. Grayware cooking vessel sherds indicated a rim radius up to 12 inches. Their work has focused on rim arc analysis, comparing vessel sizes from several areas to compare with those of Hovenweep. Temper analysis for both whiteware and grayware has confirmed more use of crushed sherd than from other sources. They did a control to avoid counting many rim sherds from the same vessel. Till encouraged Q and A during his talk and then answered several more questions from the group afterwards. He was asked why the re-analysis was done, why was it important. Among the reasons he mentioned were to ascertain the full extent of the Hovenweep ceramic collection and to identify pertinent sherds or assemblages of sherds that might be useful for further study. Larry adjourned the meeting at 8:20 and refreshments were enjoyed while Hisatsinom members visited with guests. -Gail LaDage, recording secretary To read the CAS state newsletter, THE SURVEYOR, go to and click on NEWSLETTER ---- The Surveyor is also available as a print copy at the Cortez Public Library. It is in a folder labeled CAS SURVEYOR, lying flat on a shelf in the archaeology section, the 930s. It s not for checkout; you may read it there. PAAC Report: Kevin Black, Assistant State Archaeologist, drove over from Denver and presented the PAAC class Colorado Archaeology to a packed house at the AHC the weekend of January 31-February 3. After 20 hours of instruction on the prehistoric peoples across the state, many took the test toward one of the certifications offered. It was a very informative class, with lots of slides and artifacts. The chapter even acquired some new members! The next class will be sometime in the fall. Please join us! - Terry Woodrow, PAAC Coordinator The full PAAC schedule may now be found on the chapter website click on Chapters, click on Hisatsinom Local PAAC Events: May 31 Durango...Field & Laboratory Photography June 1 Durango...Field & Laboratory Photography

11 For more information visit the PAAC web site at or contact Terry Woodrow, PAAC coordinator at or Treasurer's Report as of 2/12/14 Finances Checking- $ Expenses: Income: CAS state dues- $ Dues- $60.00 PO Box rent-$54.00 Speaker-$50.00 Membership information may now be found on the chapter website click on Chapters, click on Hisatsinom 2014 Executive Board President Larry Keller Vice President Kari Schleher Recording Secretary Gail LaDage Treasurer Laura Hall P.A.A.C Coordinator Terry Woodrow Field Trip Coordinator Richard Robinson Newsletter Editor Nancy Evans CAS Representative Copy for the newsletter should reach the editor by the 20 th of each month. Submissions are welcome. Unless otherwise noted, meetings are held the first Tuesday of every month at 7pm at the First United Methodist Church in Cortez Contact us: or write P.O. Box 1524, Cortez CO, Our website: click on Chapters, click on Hisatsinom