Dissertation Research: Prehistoric Ritual Technology: A Pueblo Case Study

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Under the direction of Dr. E. Charles Adams Mr. William Walker will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will participate in the excavation of a large or "great kiva" which is part of the Homol'ovi II site located in northeastern Arizona. The size of the kiva, ca. 11 m. by 6 m., makes it large both in Southwestern terms and also in relation to other ritual structures at the site. In the course of extensive excavation the site will be trenched to divide it into four quadrants which will be mapped and excavated in their entirety. Pollen and flotation samples will be collected from features and other locations to assess the ritual use of plants. The chronology of use will be determined through ceramic as well as tree ring and radiocarbon dating. In addition to the ceramic materials, lithic and groundstone artifacts as well as faunal and macrobotanical remains will be studied. In this way the history of the structure and its use can be reconstructed. In the centuries preceding Columbus complex societies developed in the U.S. Southwest. They were characterized by large population aggregations, construction of multistory "apartment" houses and of ritual structures. Archaeologists want to understand how complex societies develop and are maintained and for this reason have focussed on this Southwest phenomenon. Based both on archaeological and ethnographic evidence, it is known that religion played a central role both in social control and integration. Just how it functioned and changed over time however is unknown. Through a study of this grand kiva Mr. Walker will address this issue. Because ritual features are added over time the history of the structure and its use can potentially be reconstructed. This project is important for several reasons. It will increase our understanding of how complex societies emerge and are maintained. Mr. Walker also wants to develop new techniques both to excavate and to interpret architectural remains such as kivas and his work should set an example which may be applied in other parts of the world. Finally, the project will assist in the training of a promising young scientist.