Pottery and Mobility: a Functional Analysis of Intermountain Brownware
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UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-2004 Pottery and mobility: A functional analysis of Intermountain Brownware Britt J Betenson University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Betenson, Britt J, "Pottery and mobility: A functional analysis of Intermountain Brownware" (2004). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 1758. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/k0rw-6ngm This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. NOTE TO USERS This reproduction is the best copy available. UMI Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. POTTERY AND MOBILITY: A FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF INTERMOUNTAIN BROWNWARE by B ritt J. Betenson Associate o f Science Cabrillo College, Aptos 1997 Bachelor o f Arts University of California, Santa Cruz 1999 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment o f the requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Anthropology Department of Anthropology College of Liberal Arts Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas M ay 2005 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1428545 Copyright 2005 by Betenson, Britt J. All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI UMI Microform 1428545 Copyright 2005 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Copyright by Britt J. Betenson 2005 A ll Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Thesis Approval The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas A p ril 11 .20 05 The Thesis prepared by B r it t J. Betenson E n titled Pottery and M obility: A Functional Analysis of Intermountain Brownware is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of ______________________ Master of Arts in Anthropology V Karen Harry, Ph.D. Examination Committee Chair Dean of the Graduate College Barbara Roth, Ph.D. Committee Member _ - Daniel Beny/shek, Examinçition Committee SpèniCer Ste Ph. Graduate College Faculty Representative 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Pottery and Mobility: A Functional Analysis of Intermountain Brownware by B ritt J. Betenson Dr. Karen Harry, Examination Committee Chair Assistant Professor o f Anthropology University o f Nevada, Las Vegas Intermountain Brownware, is a late prehistoric ceramic type made by mobile hunter- gatherers that is found throughout southern Nevada, western Utah and northern Arizona. Most hunter-gather groups around the world are not pottery producers. Through interdisciplinary analysis, I examine the physical and morphological characteristics to understand the amount o f labor invested in the construction and production of Intermountain Brownware. I then evaluate these results amongst environmental, historical, ethnological, and archaeological data to conclude that Intermountain Brownware possesses lower porosity, and is thinner and stronger than commonly reported. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) is performed to empirically characterize food residues remaining in the pores of each sherd. Seed and root residues were predominant in our archaeological samples and meat was not. This study demonstrates that Intermountain Brownware ceramics are of better quality than previously thought, that labor investment was significant, and that these vessels were prim arily constructed for cooking seed and root stews. Ill Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ v ii ACKNO WLEGEMENTS.............................................................................................. v iii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1 Scope o f Research ........................................................................................................ 3 Brownware Pottery Terminology ................................................................................. 3 Description of Intermountain Brownware .................................................................... 4 Ethnographic Analogy................................................................................................. 7 CHAPTER 2 ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS............................................................ 9 Introduction.................................................................................................................. 9 Environmental Setting ................................................................................................10 Pottery Production Resources ..................................................................................... 13 Climate and Ceramic Production ................................................................................ 16 CHAPTER 3 ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND ............................................. 20 Introduction................................................................................................................ 20 Great Basin and Colorado Plateau Hunter-Gatherer Research ................................... 21 Hunter-Gatherer Ceramic Research ............................................................................ 23 History of Intermountain Brownware Research ......................................................... 28 Archaeological Contexts of Intermountain Brownware ............................................. 30 Evidence for Intermountain Brownware Vessel Function .......................................... 34 Summary.................................................................................................................... 36 CHAPTER 4 ETHNOLOGY BACKGROUND .........................................................38 Introduction................................................................................................................ 38 Available Written Documentation .............................................................................. 40 Pottery Production and Use among the Southern Paiutes ........................................... 41 Summary o f Pottery Use among the Southern Paiutes ......................................... 47 Seasonal Resource Availability and Procurement ...................................................... 48 Written Evidence of Horticulture ................................................................................53 IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Settlement Patterns ......................................................................................................56 The Movement of Possessions.................................................................................... 60 Fuel U se ..................................................................................................................... 61 Summary.................................................................................................................... 63 CHAPTER 5 RESEARCH DESIGN ........................................................................... 67 Research Orientation .................................................................................................. 67 Research Questions .................................................................................................... 72 Methodology .............................................................................................................. 80 Significance ...............................................................................................................