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The dendrochronology of the Navajo pueblitos of Dinetah Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Towner, Ronald Hugh, 1957- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 24/09/2021 14:57:06 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/288823 INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter &ce, while others may be from any ^e of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. 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Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Infonnadon Company 300 North Ze^ Road, Ann Aibor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 THE DENDROCHRONOLOGY OF THE NAVAJO PUEBLITOS OF DINETAH by Ronald Hugh Towner Copyright © Ronald Hugh Towner 1997 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1997 UMI Number: 9729440 Copyright 1997 by Towner, Ronald Hugh All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9729440 Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA ® GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Ronald Hugh Towner entitled The Dendrochronology of the Navajo Puebli tos of D i netah and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Date /m Date Ui. Date i'i TPno Date Date Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copy of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. y V * » /O Date 3 STATEMENT BY THE AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without spedal permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for pemnission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost I thank Jeffrey S. Dean of the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research. His insight, support, and friendship have made this dissertation an enjoyable task; virtually all of the ideas in this work, and certainly all of the good ones, were developed talking with Jeff. 1 will always remember our summers in the Dln6tah as one of the highlights of my career. J. Jefferson Reid has always given me good advice, and if I refused to listen that is no fault of his. Barbara Mills has prompted me to think about the archaeological record in ways that have significantly improved my work, past, present, and future. Tom Swetnam and Lisa Graumlich have kept me tied to dendrochronology and data, even when I wanted to go off on flights of fancy. Other members of the academic community who have helped over the years include: William J. Robinson, Dave Brugge, Florence H. Lister, Denny O. Bowden III, Richard Warren, Steve Nash. Bryant Bannister, Miranda Warburton, Rex Adams, and James Fairchild-Parks. Much of this work was expedited by the New Mexico Bureau of Land Management. I have never met a more dedicated group of professional public servants. This project was facilitated in part by the amazing John Roney of the Albuquerque District BLM; despite suicidal vehicles, steep ladders, and budgetary snafus, John made working on the pueblitos easy. My good friend James M. Copeland of the Fanmington District BLM has gone above and beyond the call of duty. His unflagging interest in and keen insight into the archaeology of the Dinetah are assets that cannot be duplicated. Hugh Rogers of Farmington must share some of the credit (or blame) for parts of this work because when we were sitting in Rabbit House one day, he asked "How long do you think 11 took to build this place?"- an important question indeed. This work could not have been done without the friendship and previous woric of Byron Johnson. He, Charies Wheeler, Gary Brown, and Lori S. Reed of Westem Cultural Resource Management have helped me refine my thinking and look beyond the trees to see the forest (so to speak). Doug Dykeman, Paul Reed, and Jeff Wharton of the Navajo Nation Archaeology Department-Farmington have provided valuable data and stimulating ideas while rambling around the Dinetah in a truck. Steve Fuller, Leslie Sesler, and Tim Hovezak of La Plata Archaeological Consultants have opened my eyes to new areas, given generously of their time and data, and been very patient while we discussed the minutae of dendrochronology. Jon Young of the USFS granted permission to sample the sites on forest lands. The interest and support of Alan Downer and the Navajo Nation Historic Preservation Department has been very important over the past seven years. All of the above individuals deserve much credit for the changes in Navajo archaeology over the past decade; the next decade promises even more changes, and we all should look forward to some exciting times. Partial funding for this research has been provided by the National Science Foundation (Grants DBS-9002235, SBR-9002235, and BNS-8504241 to Jeffrey S. Dean). The Robert F. Lister Fellowship given by the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center provided crucial funds at a very critical time. Other funding sources include the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society, the Graduate College of the University of Arizona, the Byron Cummings Award of the Department of Anthropology, and the Gilbert Altschul Scholarship of Statistical Research, Inc. Additional monies from the New Mexico Bureau of Land Management and New Mexico SHPO have funded much of the sample dating. Finally, I want to thank my wife, Elizabeth J. Miksa, for believing in me even when 1 became frustrated. This is one down and one to go. Lastly, thanks to my daughter, Allison Patricia Miksa Towner, just for being herself and for reminding her dad what is really important. 5 DEDICATED TO Wallace B. Towner 1926-1990 who always supported me even if he didn't understand me and Patricia J. Towner 1927- who has always supported and understood me TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF TABLES ABSTRACT CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE PROBLEM INTRODUCTION PREVIOUS RESEARCH The Navajo in Historical Documents A Short History of Navajo Archaeology Previous Pueblito Research Themes in Navajo Archaeology The Athapaskan Entry into the Southwest and Navajo Origins Navajo Culture Change in the Dinetah Abandonment and Migration out of the Dinetah VOLUME OUTLINE CHAPTER 2. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS INTRODUCTION Early Navajo Wood Use Behavior Tree-Ring Dating the Initial Occupation of the Dinetah Temporal Aspects of the Pueblito Site Occupations Pueblito Site Dendrochronology Estimating Pueblito Site Occupation Spans Estimating Regional Occupation Density Spatial Aspects of the Dinetah Pueblito Site Occupations .... Climate, the Occupation and Abandonment of the Dinetah . Constructing a Model of Navajo Ethnogenesis RESEARCH METHODS The Archaeological and Dendrochronological Data Archaeological Data: Site Maps and Locations Archaeological Data: Architecture Archaeological Data: Ceramics and other items of Material Culture Dendrochronological Data 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS-Continued Interpreting the Dendrochronological Data 62 DISCUSSION 65 CHAPTER 3. THE SITES 67 PRE-1700 FORKED-STICK HOGANS AND ASSOCIATED SITES 67 LA 74243 67 LA 72746 69 LA 72747 71 LA 72767 73 LA 16209 75 LA 105925, LA 105929, LA 105930, LA 105483, IM-12 . 77 LA 79462 78 PUEBLITO SITES 81 Frances Canyon Ruin (LA 2135) 8i Three Corn Ruin (LA 1871) 95 Old Fort Ruin (LA 1869) 115 Tapacito

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