Dissertation Research:Exchange and Production in the U. S. Southwest

在查尔斯·亚当斯博士的指导下，劳里·韦伯斯特女士将为她的博士论文收集数据。她将利用考古和人种学材料以及历史记载重建史前和早期历史上普韦布洛印第安人的纺织品生产和交换系统。她将参观一些收藏标本的博物馆，并研究它们的制作方法。由于美国西南部干燥的环境，许多纺织品在考古背景下保存完好，因此有可能获得史前纺织品用途的信息。大量的人种学收藏也存在，因此人们可以追溯到历史时代的变化。纺织品在普韦布洛社会中扮演着非常重要的角色。除了它们的实用功能外，它们还被广泛用于宗教和其他象征目的。他们发挥了重要的经济作用和社会作用。当西班牙人征服普韦布洛人时，他们重组了纺织生产，并在一些地区建立了一个工业。随着羊毛、染料和织具等新材料的引入，纺织制造业也受到了更间接的影响。韦伯斯特的目标是追踪从前西班牙语时代到西班牙时期的变化。最终目的不是将纺织品理解为纺织品，而是利用它们来洞察普韦布洛的经济和社会制度，并了解这个土著群体如何适应文化变化。这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。它将加深我们对物质文化与社会/经济组织之间关系的理解。它将揭开美国历史的新面纱，并有助于培养一位有前途的年轻科学家。

Under the direction of Dr. Charles Adams, MS Laurie Webster will collect data for her doctoral dissertation. She will utilize archaeological and ethnographic materials as well as historical accounts to reconstruct the prehistoric and early historic Pueblo Indian system of textile production and exchange. She will visit a number of museums which house specimens and study the methods by which they were manufactured. Because of the dry Southwestern U.S. environment many textiles preserve well in archaeological contexts and therefore it is possible to gain information on prehistoric textile use. Extensive ethnographic collections also exist and therefore one can trace changes into historic times. Textiles played a very important role in Pueblo society. In addition to their utilitarian function they were widely used for religious and other symbolic purposes. They played a major economic role and social role. When the Spanish conquered the Pueblo peoples they reorganized textile production and in some areas established an industry. Textile manufacture was also affected in more indirect ways with the introduction of new materials, such as sheep wool, dyes and weaving implements. Ms. Webster's goal is to trace changes from the pre-Spanish through Spanish period. The ultimate purpose is not to understand textiles as textiles, but rather to use them to gain insight into the Pueblo economic and social systems and to learn how this indigenous group adapted to culture change. This research is important for several reasons. It will increase our understanding of the relationship between material culture and social/economic organization. It will shed new light on the American past and assist in the training of a promising young scientist.