Aqnipis: an Archaeological Approach to Identifying Basket Production Locales in South Central California
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CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE Contextualizing ‘Aqnipis: An Archaeological Approach to Identifying Basket Production Locales in South Central California A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Arts in Anthropology, Public Archaeology By Allison Hill August 2017 The thesis of Allison Hill is approved: ___________________________________________ ___________ Dr. David W. Robinson Date ___________________________________________ ___________ Dr. Cathy L. Costin Date ___________________________________________ ___________ Dr. Matthew R.E. Des Lauriers, Chair Date California State University, Northridge ii Acknowledgements If I were to share the depths my gratitude for everyone that helped me along the way to completing this project, the length of my acknowledgments would rival that of my thesis. For the readers’ sake, I will (try to) be brief. I would like to start by thanking my committee chair, Dr. Mathew Des Lauriers. Your knowledge of California archaeology and mastery of lithic analysis has served as a standard to which I work to achieve and our discussions about archaeology always left me feeling inspired. Dr. Cathy Costin, your guidance on this project has meant so much to me. Thank you for encouraging me to explore the wide world of craft production, providing detailed and thoughtful feedback, and challenging me to improve as a writer and a researcher. I am forever grateful. Dr. David Robinson, being a member of your field crew these past few years has been the highlight of my graduate school experience. I have learned so much from you and have had a blast along the way. Thank you for the opportunity to work with assemblages from the sites to which you have dedicated so much. I would also like to thank Julie Bernard for her permission to analyze the lithic assemblage from Tashlipun, for her help with gathering additional information for my project, and for being an all-around awesome individual to work with. Daniel McCarthy, thank you for teaching me so many things and for sharing with me your knowledge of California plants and their traditional uses. Dan Reeves (Pops!!), thank you for introducing me to the work going on at the Wind Wolves Preserve and inspiring what has become an ongoing love affair with rocks. I would also like to thank John Johnson and Tacy Kennedy at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural history for their knowledge and assistance with the lithic assemblages. To my amazing cohort, in particular, Monica Corpuz, Karleen Ronsairo, Brittany Bankston, Meagan iii Szromba, and Gail Bellenger, thank you for all the laughs, motivation, and great conversation. Dustin Merrick, Alec Stevenson, Travis Samonas, Megan Black, and Karleen Ronsairo, thank you for your help with the experimental usewear program. Without your efforts, I might still be sitting alone in a room knocking sticks and stones together. Additionally, thank you Joanne Minerbi for help with digitizing notes and sketches from my analysis. I would also like to state, all too briefly, my admiration and adoration for everyone I have had a chance to work with on the excavations at Wind Wolves Preserve, including Clare Bedford, Gloria Brown, Diana Anzures, Dan McArthur, James Ward, Devlin Gandy, Josh Roth, and Michelle Wienhold. Jairo Avila, have I ever told you you’re my hero? I am eternally grateful for all the ways you have helped me reach the finish line with this thesis, thank you. Finally, I would like to say thank you to my family and friends who have gone through this thing with me. To my grandparents, parents, Dane and Terri Hill, my sister Kim, and brother Chris, thank you for all the love, patience, help, support, and good humor. I am so fortunate to have family like you. iv Dedication For my parents, Dane and Terri Hill. Thank you for showing me the value of hard work and the importance of following through on any endeavor I undertake. I promise to stop talking about my thesis now. v Table of Contents Signature Page ………………………………………………………………………...… ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iii Dedication ............................................................................................................................v List of Figures .................................................................................................................... ix List of Tables .................................................................................................................... xii Abstract ............................................................................................................................ xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................1 CHAPTER 2: ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND ......................8 Environmental Setting ..................................................................................................... 8 Cultural Setting ............................................................................................................. 11 Chumash Culture ........................................................................................................13 Chumash Social, Political, and Economic Organization ............................................15 Chumash Daily Life....................................................................................................16 Interior Chumash Background ...................................................................................... 19 Emigdiano Chumash Background ................................................................................. 21 Summary ....................................................................................................................... 24 CHAPTER 3: CALIFORNIA BASKET PRODUCTION .................................................26 Previous Archaeological Investigations of California Basket Production .................... 28 Ethnographic Information on Basket Weavers ............................................................. 33 Stages of Basket Production .......................................................................................... 35 Basketry Plant Materials ............................................................................................... 36 Harvesting and Processing Basketry Plants .................................................................. 40 Basketry Plant Management .......................................................................................41 Juncus Harvesting and Processing ..............................................................................43 Sumac and Willow Harvesting and Processing ..........................................................49 Deer Grass Harvesting and Processing .......................................................................53 Weaving a Basket .......................................................................................................... 55 Coiled Basketry ..........................................................................................................55 Twined Basketry .........................................................................................................59 Where Women Made Baskets ....................................................................................... 61 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 64 CHAPTER 4: APPROACHES TO IDENTIFYING THE ORGANIZATION OF BASKET PRODUCTION .................................................................................................67 The Study of Craft Production in the Archaeological Record ...................................... 69 Craft Production Systems ...........................................................................................70 Hunter-Gatherer Mobility and Settlement Patterns ....................................................... 74 Landscape Archaeology ................................................................................................ 78 Taskscapes: Craft Production in Mobile Hunter-Gatherer Society ............................... 79 Organization of Hunter-Gatherer Craft Production ...................................................... 82 Modeling Emigdiano Basket Production Location Distribution ................................... 86 Interior Chumash Site Type Use and Seasonal Settlement Patterns ..........................86 Proposed Harvesting Locales .....................................................................................91 Proposed Processing Locales......................................................................................94 Proposed Storage Locales ...........................................................................................96 vi Proposed Weaving and Finishing Locales..................................................................97 Summary ....................................................................................................................... 98 CHAPTER 5: METHODS ...............................................................................................100 General Lithic Analysis ............................................................................................... 102 Microwear Analysis .................................................................................................... 105 Low Power