Cultural Resources Overview Little Colorado Area, Arizona
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Cultural Resources Overview Little Colorado Area, Arizona Fred Plog CULTURAL RESOURCES OVERVIEW: LITTLE COLORADO AREA, ARIZONA by Fred Plog For Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests Arizona Bureau of Land Management 1981 USDA Forest Service Bureau of Land Management Southwestern Region Arizona State Office Albuquerque, New Mexico Phoenix, Arizona CONTENTS Page Maps iv Figures iv Tables v Preface vii Acknowledgements vii The Little Colorado Overview Unit 1 Introduction 1 Geology 1 Zone I: The Basalt Highlands 1 Zone II: Coconino-Kaibab, Moenkopi Uplands 7 Zone III: Chinle Plains 7 Zone IV: Sediment Zone 7 Other Considerations 7 Topography 7 Precipitation 10 Temperature 10 Hydrology 12 Soils 16 Vegetation and Fauna 16 Reconstructing Past Environments 17 Geology 17 Topography 23 Precipitation and Temperature 23 Hydrology 25 Soils 25 Vegetation 25 Future Research 28 Resource Acquisition 30 Introduction 30 Geological Resources 30 Landforms 31 Temperature and Precipitation 31 Soil 32 Flora 32 Fauna 33 Strategies of Resource Utilization: Food 33 Strategies of Resource Utilization: Fuel 38 Future Research 41 History of Research 42 Prehistory of the Overview Unit 49 Introduction 49 Paleolndian 49 Desert Culture 52 The Pithouse and Pueblo Periods 53 Chronometric Data 61 Chronologies Again 66 i Page Evolutionary Patterns 68 Demography 68 Productive Processes 70 Organizational Patterns 72 Future Research 74 Ceramic Technology 76 Introduction 76 Style 77 Function 81 Technology 81 Future Research 86 Chipped and Ground Stone 91 Introduction 91 Typology 91 Manufacturing Processes 92 Chronology 92 Function 92 Exchange 98 Future Research 99 Settlement Patterns: Intra-Site 101 Elements of Intra-Site Patterns 101 Intra-Site Spatial Patterns 102 Future Research: Room Type 106 Patterns and Principles of Settlement Layout 107 Future Research: Growth Processes 113 Settlement Patterns: Inter-Site 115 Elements of Inter-Site Patterns 115 Low Density Artifact Scatters 115 Lithic Scatters 115 Ceramic Scatters 115 Artifact Scatters 115 Petroglyphs/Pictographs 116 Water Control Devices 116 Shrines 116 Rock Shelters 116 Pithouse Sites 116 Pueblo Sites 120 Great Kivas 121 Compounds 121 Defensive Sites 121 Analyses of Site Types 121 Sites and Their Environment 127 Future Research: Site Types 131 Future Research: Locational Patterning 131 Archeology of the Little Colorado Region 133 Introduction 133 Site Formation Processes 133 Natural Transformation Processes 134 Environmental Change 134 Deposition 135 Erosion 135 Differential Erosion/Deposition 136 Catastrophes 136 ii Page Cultural Transformation Processes 13G S-A Processes 13C A-S Processes 138 A-A Processes 139 General Impacts 139 Timber Impacts 140 Range Management Impacts 140 Engineering Projects Impacts 141 Fire Suppression Impacts 141 Recreation and Land Exchange Impacts 141 Mining Impacts 142 S-S Processes 142 Describing Spatial Variation 142 Artifacts 142 Spatial Systems 145 Behavioral and Organizational Systems 146 Distributions of Material Traits 150 Boundary Markers 150 Warfare 150 Architectural Features 151 Art 151 Temporal Variation 151 Building Processual Models 153 Long-Term Processual Variables 153 Short-Term Processual Variables 153 Programmatic Variables 154 Underlying Assumptions 154 Regional Planning: The Significance Issue 156 Evaluating the Utility of Significance 156 Consistency 157 The Alternatives 158 Planning: Implementing Significance 159 Transformation Processes 159 Spatial Variation 160 Temporal Variation 160 Managing Cultural Resources 161 Planning and the Inventory Effort 161 Inventory Coals 161 Protection from Land Use Activities 164 The Scientific Community 165 Interpretive Programs 166 Awareness Program 167 Display Program 168 Interpretive Archeology 169 Administrative Studies 171 Bibliography 173 Index 194 i i i MAPS Page 1. Forest Service-Bureau of Land Management Joint Cultural Resource Overview Units 2 2. The Little Colorado Overview Area: Cultural Features . 3 3. The Little Colorado Overview Area: Natural Features . 4 4. Major Geological Zones of the Overview Unit 6 5. Elevation of the Overview Unit 8 C. Major Topographic Zones of the Overview Unit 9 7. Precipitation Variability in the Overview Unit 11 8. Variation in Mean Temperature in the Overview Unit ... 13 9. Variation in the Number of Frost-Free Days in the Overview Unit 14 10. Soils of the Overview Unit 18 11. Variation in the Degree of Erosion in the Overview Unit . 20 12. Modern Vegetation of the Overview Unit 21 13. Extent of Major Plant Communities in the Overview Unit Given a 500 Foot Depression from Current Conditions . 26 14. Extent of Major Plant Communities in the Overview Unit Given a 500 Foot Elevation from Current Conditions ... 27 15. The Distribution of USM and US0 86 16. The Distribution of PS0 and PSM 86 17. The Distribution of SShM 87 18. The Distribution of SShO 87 19. The Distribution of PShM 88 20. The Distribution of PCM 88 21. The Distribution of SGM 89 FIGURES 1. Geological Sequence of the Overview Unit 5 2. Desert Grassland in the Overview Unit 16 3. Grassland-Woodland Transition in the Overview Unit ... 16 4. Woodland in the Overview Unit 17 5. Coniferous Forest in the Overview Unit 17 6. Early Projectile Points 50 7. Lino-Kana'a Style Sherds 70 8. Black Mesa Style Sherds 78 9. Sosi Style Sherds 78 10. Dogoszhi Style Sherds 78 11. Tularosa/Reserve Sherds 78 12. Flagstaff Style Sherds 78 13. Kayenta Style Sherds 79 14. Polychrome Wares 79 15. Banded Ware 79 16. Indented Corrugated Sherds 79 17. Obliterated Corrugated Style Sherds 79 18. Ceramic Artifacts 79 19. Dendrogram Illustrating Attribute Based System of Style Definition 82 20. Ceramic Artifacts which Appear to have been Reused ... 82 21. Early Projectile Points and Bifaces of the Overview Unit. 93 22. Highly Standardized Points from Muvaqueotaka, a Large, Late Pueblo Just Outside the Overview Unit 93 23. Range of Variation in Projectile Points from a Single Pithouse (CS-553) in the Chevelon Drainage . 94 iv Page 24. Later Projectile Points of the Overview Unit 94 25. Stone Axe from the Overview Unit 97 26. One Interpretation of the Construction Sequence at Broken K 103 27. The Sequence of Room Additions at Kiatuthlanna 104 28. Variations in the Plan of Pithouse Villages in the Overview Unit 109 29. Variations in Pithouses in the Overview Unit 110 30. Variations in the Plan of Small Pueblo Sites in the Overview Unit Ill 31. Variations in the Plan of Larger Pueblo Sites in the Overview Unit 112 32. Pictographs in Chevelon Canyon 117 33. Agricultural Terraces at Nuvaqueotaka 117 34. Check Dams in the Chevelon Area 118 35. Cleared Field, Hay Hollow Valley 118 36. Fossilized Canal Segment near St. Johns 119 37. Vegetation Marking Buried Irrigation Ditch in Hay Hollow Valley 119 38. Irrigation Ditch Revealed in Cross-section 120 39. Adobe-walled Granary M. Chevelon Canyon 120 40. Rock Shelter in Brookbank Canyon 121 41. Baskets from Rock Shelter in Chevelon Canyon 121 42. Pithouse Site in Chevelon Canyon 122 43. Woodruff Butte Site 122 44. Pithouse Exposed by Erosion in the Wall of an Arroyo Near Nuvaqueotaka 123 45. Homolovi II Seen From the Air 123 46. Ruins of a Field House Near Nuvaqueotaka 124 47. Chevelon Site 690 a Pueblo Site 124 48. Chevelon Site 689, a Pueblo Site 125 49. Artist's Reconstruction of Four Mile Pueblo 126 50. An Aerial View of Site CS-189 127 51. Site CS-189 in Chevelon Canyon 127 52. Temporal Variation or a Contemporaneous Organizational Pattern at sites 132 53. Walls Exposed in Potholes are Often the Only Evidence of Pueblo Architecture 137 TABLES 1. Variation in Stream Flow 12 2. Decadic Variation in Stream Flow in the Overview Unit . 15 3. Variation in Stream Flow in the Overview Unit by Season and Decade 15 4. Plant and Animal Constituents of the Major Communities of the Overview Unit 22 5. Mean Difference Between Minimum and Maximum Tree-Ring Width Values At Recording Station 24 6. Conditions When at Least One Station in the Study Area is Minus 1 Standard Normal Unit from the Mean 24 7. Commonly Used Food Plants 34 8. Nutritional Characteristics of Some Commonly Used Food Plants 35 9. Meat Yields of Associated Food Animals 35 v Page 10. Rates of Fuelwood Utilization 40 11. Low Fuelwood Utilization Rates 40 12. High Fuelwood Utilization Rates 40 13. Ceramic Croups for the Survey Area 54 14. Associated Tree-Ring Dates for Plainware Types 56 15. Associated Tree-Ring Dates for Corrugated Ceramics ... 56 16. Associated Tree-Ring Dates for Black-on-White Types ... 57 17. Associated Tree-Ring Dates for Polychrome Types 57 18. Associated Tree-Ring Dates for Black-on-Red, Yellow, and Orange Types 58 19. Chevelon Chronology 58 20. Robert's Developmental Chronology 59 21. Longacre's Developmental Chronology 59 22. Kidder's Pecos Chronology 60 23. Gladwin's Chronology 60 24. Wasley's "Highway 66" Chronology 61 25. Rinaldo's Chronology 62 26. Cumeman-Skinner Chronology 62 27. Dated Sites from the Chevelon Drainage 63 28/ Dated Sites from Hay Hollow Valley 64 29. Dated Sites from the Houck-Lupton Area 65 30. Dated Sites from the Remainder of the Overview Unit ... 65 31. Black-on-Uhite Types Present at Fifty-Year Time Intervals 67 32. Ceramic Equivalencies for the Overview Unit 80 33. Numbers of Prehistoric Site Types 164 vi PREFACE Since 1979 the Southwestern Region or the source sites. This background is brought Forest Service and the Bureau of Land together here in a series of chapters which Managment in New Mexico and Arizona have discuss the prehistoric cultures of the been producing a series of joint cultural overview area. Dr. Plog has also provided resource overviews. This is the first a discussion of the term "significance," as volume from the State of Arizona. It is applied in Historic Preservation usage, also the first published overview by a derived from his experiences in the over researcher, Dr. Fred Plog, who has had many view area but general enough to be appli years of first hand experience with the cable in other places.