Radiocarbon Evidence Relating to Northern Great Basin Basketry Chronology
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UC Merced Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology Title Radiocarbon Evidence Relating to Northern Great Basin Basketry Chronology Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/52v4n8cf Journal Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, 20(1) ISSN 0191-3557 Authors Connolly, Thomas J Fowler, Catherine S Cannon, William J Publication Date 1998-07-01 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California REPORTS Radiocarbon Evidence Relating ity over a span of nearly 10,000 years (cf. to Northern Great Basin Cressman 1942, 1986; Connolly 1994). Stages Basketry Chronology 1 and 2 are divided at 7,000 years ago, the approximate time of the Mt. Mazama eruption THOMAS J. CONNOLLY which deposited a significant tephra chronologi Oregon State Museum of Anthropology., Univ. of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403. cal marker throughout the region. Stage 3 be CATHERINE S. FOWLER gins after 1,000 years ago,' when traits asso Dept. of Anthropology, Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV ciated with Northern Paiute basketmaking tradi 89557. tions appear (Adovasio 1986a; Fowler and Daw WILLIAM J. CANNON son 1986; Adovasio and Pedler 1995; Fowler Bureau of Land Management, Lakeview, OR 97630. 1995). During Stage 1, from 11,000 to 7,000 years Adovasio et al. (1986) described Early ago, Adovasio (1986a: 196) asserted that north Holocene basketry from the northern Great ern Great Basin basketry was limited to open Basin as "simple twined and undecorated. " Cressman (1986) reported the presence of and close simple twining with z-twist (slanting decorated basketry during the Early Holo down to the right) wefts. Fort Rock and Spiral cene, which he characterized as a "climax Weft sandals were made (see Cressman [1942] of cultural development'' in the Fort Rock for technical details of sandal types). Absent Basin in Oregon. These contrasting inter pretations are the product of relatively small were s-twist wefts (slanting up to the right) and basketry assemblages reliably dated to the decorative embellishment of any kind. Also ab Early Holocene from this area, as well as sent in this region were construction techniques the questionable recovery context of some critical specimens. We report on the direct other than simple twining; Adovasio (1986a: 196; AMS dating of a number of basketry speci also see Adovasio et al. 1976:7, 1977:21) ar mens central to this issue. Early Holocene gued that diagonal twining, coiling, and plaiting basketry from the northern Great Basin does are absent. include decorated and complex structures; however, since most of the dated specimens Basic basketry structures—dominated by open fall toward the end of the Early Holocene, and close simple twining with z-twist wefts- the evidence presented here does not provide continue during Stage 2 (7,000 to 1,000 B.P.), definitive closure to the issue. with the first appearance of s-twist wefts early in the stage, as well as decorative embellishments such as false embroidery and overlay, and struc THE most comprehensive and widely known tural elaborations, including diagonal twining. discussions of northern Great Basin basketry Fort Rock sandals were initially made but quick technology and chronology are those of Adova ly disappeared, and the initial predominance of sio (1970, 1974, 1986a; cf. Adovasio et al. Spiral Weft sandals waned in favor of the Multi 1976, 1986), who identified this area as one of ple Warp type. Coiled basketry and rigid-warp three principal Great Basin "centers" of bas twined structures with s-twist wefts appear only ketry technology. Adovasio identified three sig in Stage 3 (< 1,000 B.P.). There is little real nificant chronological stages for this locally sta disagreement regarding Adovasio's basic chro ble tradition, which exhibits remarkable continu nology, save for a number of minor published REPORTS 89 Table 1 RECENTLY DATED BASKETRY SPECIMENS RELATING TO CHRONOLOGY IN THE NORTHERN GREAT BASIN BASKETRY CENTER Acceasion/ Probable Site Name Significance Predicted Age AMS Age Lab No. Specimen No. Fiber lOOKC, 1-14707 Scirpus Fort Rock Cave false embroideiy pre-Mazama 4,430 ± 60 AA-19150 (>6.750B.P.) lOOBP, 1-5345 Scirpus Paisley Cave No. 1 overlay pre-Mazama 145 ± 50 AA-19151 lOOBP. 1-5344 Scirpus Paisley Cave No. 1 false embroideiy, pre-Mazama 6,560 ± 70 AA-19153 3-Btrand twine 404, A3-6/1-B68 Scirpus Diity Shame Rockshelter diagonal twine pre-Mazama 6,950 ± 110 AA-19154 Pe3d.259 Scirpus Guano Cave overlay, 3-strand unknown 6,795 ± 55 AA-11594 twine 60, 1-8694 Satix Roaring Springs S weft, rigid warp <500± 500 B.P. 20 ± 50 AA-19152 35LK94-15 Satix South Warner Cave rigid warp, open <500± 500 B.P. 150 ± 55 AA-6445 diagonal twine 35LK94-16 Satix South Warner Valley Cave coiling <500± 500 B.P. 80 ± 55 AA-6482 35LK94-21 Salix South Warner Valley Cave rigid waip, close <500± 500 B.P. 25 ± 95 AA-6482 diagonal twine skirmishes (e.g., Cressman 1951:308,1986:123; some of the critical specimens. Fortunately, cf. Adovasio 1986a: 196) which provide the fo some of these questions are potentially resolv cus of this discussion. able by direct radiocarbon dating. This report Adovasio's chronology posited a clearly evo discusses the results of an accelerator dating pro lutionary perspective (e.g., Adovasio et al. gram sponsored by the Bureau of Land Manage 1976), in diat the primary criteria which dis ment, Lakeview District, for a number of speci tinguish Stage 1 basketry from later materials is mens at the center of the controversy (Table 1). its structural simplicity and absence of decora It also adds data on die dating of some Stage 3 tive features. Adovasio et al. (1986:32) argued textiles, aimed at testing current assumptions diat "in ad cases, the pre-Mazama-age basketry regarding basketry chronology in the northern ... is simple twined and undecorated" (empha Great Basin. sis in original). In asserting this chronology, SIGNIFICANCE AND DATING Adovasio et al. (1986) downplayed die few sig OF SPECIMENS nificant claims, principally by Cressman (1942: 39, 1951: 308, 1986:123), for die occurrence of Questions Related to Early Holocene Basketry complex structures in purported pre-Mazama Technology contexts. Cressman (1986:122; cf. Bedwell 1973) has long characterized portions of die pre- When Cressman excavated the northern Great Mazama period as a "climax of cultural devel Basin sites in die 1930s diat produced the bulk opment" in die northern Great Basin, widi its of die materials used to characterize the North basketry exhibiting die more elaborate features ern Basin basketry center (Fig. 1), the antiquity diat Adovasio et al. (1986) assigned only to of the basketry technology was unanticipated. post-Mazama contexts. While Cressman (1942:3) quickly realized die The basis for such differing interpretations significance of die Mazama tephra layer, diought clearly derives from die relatively small basketry at die time to be at least 5,000 years old, his pri assemblages reliably attributable to a pre-Maza mary concern was in stylistic comparisons to ma age, and the questionable recovery context of discern "the relationship of the culture of the 90 JOURNAL OF CALIFORNIA AND GREAT BASIN ANTHROPOLOGY ---,-. Vi I 65 mi. I • ^ X.'. -.t ^ *-^> 'v:-.: "- '' ^ JL-^•, % i^:^ A N -'>i -^^i^:^ ^ 4^^^>i"f^/ ^ j^,'«i^i ^/ Newberry •\ ^-?rv->^' '* •••v^^'^'^--^ >"^ '-^ Jtk Volcano '-^- Cougar Mtn. Cave •'-'Fort Rock Cave ^J:--:^^.H;-^- ^-srv.;::^ ^i^- jislev Caves Roaring Springs Cave. -' "':-\''< L-v > ;> -. OREGON S. VVarner'^;';", .MX^fev/^M^-.^;l^XH-^y•....-- 4 • -;i»Guano Cave^ -.;^ Fig. 1. Location of sites mentioned; base map modified from landform map in Raisz (1957). caves of south-central Oregon in the northern Paisley Caves, but he was only able to discuss Great Basin to the widespread Basket Maker possible pre-Mazama-age decorated basketry type," from the more widely known Southwest. provided to him by another private collector. His observations regarding Early Holocene bas Excavations at Dirty Shame Rockshelter (An ketry were limited entirely to materials reported drews et al. 1986) provided the largest in situ ly found below the Mazama tephra, now known pre-Mazama-age basketry assemblage known for to have been deposited some 7,500 years ago. the area, a total of only 15 woven structures. In 1938, Cressman recovered at least 95 Paisley Cave No. 1. In correspondence to whole or fragmentary sandals from below Maza Luther Cressman at the University of Oregon, ma tephra at Fort Rock Cave, but no close- Walter Perry reported finding cultural materials, twined basketry. Collectors provided Cressman including basketry, above and below a layer of with several fragments of close-twined basketry, tephra in a series of small caves overlooking the some decorated, from purported pre-Mazama Summer Lake basin. Cressman and his crew layers at the site. Cressman also recovered made short visits to die caves in 1938 and 1939 cordage and matting from below Mazama ash at to make collections and to verify the stratigraphy REPORTS 91 reported by Perry. Cressman found cordage and matting made of sagebrush bark below the teph ra, identified as deriving from the Mt. Mazama eruption. However, two pieces of Catlow Twine basketry, one (Specimen 1-5344) decorated widi false embroidery and one (Specimen 1-5345) with overlay, were recovered by Perry when he first explored Paisley Cave No. 1 in 1937 (Ore gon State Museum of Anthropology, Accession lOOBP). Regarding these specimens, Cressman (1942:39) reported diat: Since it was only later that the importance of the stratigraphic sequence became evident, it is not absolutely certain whether the specimens came from above or below the pumice. Perry, an un usually careful observer, believes they came from below. Evidence from subsequent excava tion leads me to concur in his opinion, for at the point where the test pit had been dug most of the top deposit was a mass of white ash.