Doctoral Dissertation Research: An Archaeological Examination of Shoshone Collective Action

在布鲁斯·B·哈克尔博士的指导下，马特·奥布莱恩将进行以合作狩猎的社会经济组织为中心的论文研究。人类在狩猎和聚集的环境中进化，现代群体特有的多种形式的社会组织都源于这一基本基础。从平均主义到复杂的社会分层社会的转变是如何发生的，这是一个中心的考古学问题，本研究项目集中在这一问题上。奥布莱恩先生的论文研究从考古学的角度探讨了集体狩猎中的社会经济不平等问题。Co-Pi将重点分析来自伊甸园法森遗址的动物群组合。伊甸园法森是史前时期(公元1350-1750)的肖肖恩露营地，有220多只叉角羚的骨骼遗骸。该遗址本身被12个独立的家庭单元占据，并发现了与所有家庭单元相关的羚羊遗骸。通过确定每一块肉是如何分配的--一些选择，一些不那么选择--奥布莱恩可以洞察每个家庭的相对地位。Shoshone社会结构被认为是平等主义的经典例子，具有有限的老年官僚和流动的群体从属关系。然而，关于蛇河沿岸季节性捕鱼期间临时领导层的民族史料有限。尽管肖肖尼人以其多样化的饮食而闻名，但叉角羚在前马肖肖尼人中发挥了重要的生存作用。拟议的项目有助于研究落基山脉和高平原的肖肖尼史前史，但也将人类学理论延伸到过去的社会组织中。首先，这项研究将开始填补西部高平原和落基山脉史前晚期至史前时期的空白。其次，它将提供一个机会，将考古证据与现有的肖肖尼文化的人种学记录联系起来。这项研究提供了一个案例研究，以检验从对当代觅食者的经验观察中发展出来的共享概念或模型是否可以应用于过去。传统的动物群分析与创新的方法相结合，提供了对过去生活方式的更全面的解释。这篇论文的研究也提供了更广泛的影响，超越了那些专注于史前食物分享的影响。这项研究将为Co-Pi提供一个进行独立研究的关键机会，这将有助于他的专业发展。这项研究的结果将通过今后同行评议的出版物和在国家认可的会议上的介绍向人类学界开放。从物流的角度来看，这项研究将导致根据怀俄明州的标准对伊甸园法森藏品进行管理，这将为未来的研究提供对这一集合的访问。

Under the direction of Dr. Bruce B. Huckell, Matt O'Brien will conduct dissertation research that centers on the socioeconomic organization of cooperative hunting. Humans evolved in a hunting and gathering milieu and the multiple forms of social organization that characterize modern groups all derive from this underlying base. How the transformation from egalitarianism to complex social stratified societies took place constitutes a central archaeological question and this research project focuses on this issue. Mr. O'Brien's dissertation research addresses the question of socioeconomic inequalities in communal hunts from an archaeological perspective. The Co-PI will focus the analysis on the faunal assemblage from the Eden Farson site. Eden Farson is a Protohistoric period (AD 1350 - 1750) Shoshone campsite with the skeletal remains of over 220 pronghorn antelope. The site itself was occupied by 12 separate family units and the antelope remains were found in association with all of them. By determining how individual cuts of meat -- some choice and some less so -- were distributed, Mr O'Brien can gain insight into the relative status of each household. Shoshone social structure is considered a classic example of egalitarianism with a limited gerontocracy and fluid group affiliation. Yet, there are limited ethnohistoric accounts of temporary leadership during seasonal fishing along the Snake River. Although the Shoshone were known for their diverse diet, pronghorn played an important subsistence role in the pre-horse Shoshone. The proposed project contributes to Shoshone prehistory of the Rocky Mountains and High Plains, but also extends to anthropological theory into past social organization. First, this study will begin to fill in the gaps of the Late Prehistoric Period to Protohistoric Period in the western High Plains and Rocky Mountains. Second, it will provide an opportunity to bridge the archaeological evidence to the existing ethnographic record of Shoshone culture. This research provides a case study to test whether sharing concepts, or models, developed from empirical observations of contemporary foragers can be applied to the past. The combination of traditional faunal analysis with an innovative approach provides a more holistic interpretation of past life-ways. This dissertation research also provides broader impacts beyond those focused on prehistoric food sharing. This research will provide the Co-PI a crucial opportunity to perform independent research that will aid in his professional development. The results from this study will be accessible to the anthropological community through future peer-reviewed publications and presentations at nationally recognized conferences. From a logistic standpoint, this research will result in the curation of the Eden Farson collection according to Wyoming state standards, which will provide access to this assemblage for future research.