American Indians and Fajada Butte: Ethnographic Overview and Assessment for Fajada Butte and Traditional (Ethnobotanical) Use Study for Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico Item Type Report Authors Stoffle, Richard W.; Evans, Michael; Zedeño, M. Nieves; Stoffle, Brent W.; Kesel, Cindy Publisher Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology, University of Arizona Download date 30/09/2021 18:03:28 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/272152 American Indians And Fajada Butte BARA University of Arizona Tucson, 1994 American Indians and Fajada Butte Ethnographic Overview and Assessment for Fajada Butte and Traditional (Ethnobotanical) Use Study for Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico Final Report (Grant No. CA- 7029 -1 -0009) Prepared By Richard W. Stoffle Michael J. Evans M. Nieves Zedeño Brent W. Stoffle Cindy J. Kesel Bureau of Applied Research In Anthropology University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona With The Assistance of Emory Sekaquaptewa Prepared For Office of Cultural Affairs Historic Preservation Division State of New Mexico Santa Fe, New Mexico and Regional Ethnographer Southwestern Regional Office National Park Service Santa Fe, New Mexico February 28, 1994 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi CHAPTER ONE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 Purpose of the Research 4 Cultural Significance of Fajada Butte 5 Traditional Plants 5 Tribal -Park Consultation 5 Findings 7 Traditionally Associated Tribes 7 Types of Park Associations 7 Concerns For Traditional Plants 7 Concerns For Park Consultation 8 CHAPTER TWO METHODOLOGY AND CHRONOLOGY 9 Tribal and Pueblo Participation 10 Initial Tribal Contact 11 On -Site Visits 13 Tribal Review 14 Formal Interactions 14 Chronology of Major Interactions 16 CHAPTER THREE CULTURAL AFFILIATION 20 Overview 20 Prehistoric and Historic Background 21 Puebloan Ancestry 23 Fajada Butte 25 Navajo Ancestry 26 American Indian Assessment 27 Pueblo 27 Navajo 29 Summary 32 i CHAPTER FOUR AMERICAN INDIAN PERSPECTIVES ON THE FAJADA BUTTE AREA 34 Occupational Complex Model 34 Sources of Knowledge 35 Fajada Butte 37 The Components of Fajada Butte 37 Prayer Shrine 39 Contemporary Ceremonial Area 39 Eagle's Nest 39 Sun Dagger 41 Astronomers' Rooms 41 Calendars and Symbols Near Roofs 41 Minerals 41 Hogan on Flank of Fajada Butte 45 Petroglyph Panel 45 Family Living Quarters 45 Plants Used by American Indians 45 Where is Fajada Butte 45 CHAPTER FIVE ETHNOBOTANY 49 Vegetation and Flora of Chaco Canyon 49 The Wash 49 The Floodplain 52 Methods 52 Overview of the Findings 52 Plant By Plant Uses 68 Agropyron cristatum (Crested Wheatgrass) 68 Artemisia tridentata (Sagebrush) 68 Atriplex canescens (Saltbush) 68 Atriplex confertifolia (Shadscale) 68 Brickellia californica (Bricklebush) 69 Mirabilis multiflora (Colorado Four o'clock) 69 Chrysothamnus nauseosus (Rabbitbrush) 69 Cirsium calcareum (Blue Thistle) 69 Delphinium scaposum (Larkspur) 70 Echinocerus triglochidiatus (Hedgehog) 70 Ephedra torreyana (Indian tea) 70 Foresteria neomexicana (New Mexican Olive /Ironwood) 70 Gutierrezia sarothrae (Snakeweed) 71 Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) 71 Hilaria jamesii (Galleta Grass) 72 Ipomoris aggregata (Sky rocket) 72 ll Juniperus osteosperma (Juniper /Cedar) 72 Lesquerrella fendleri (Bladder Pod) 73 Lycium pallidum (Wolfberry) 73 Opuntia phaeacantha (Cactus Prickly -pear) 73 Oryzopsis hymenoides (Ricegrass or Indian Millet) 73 Populus fremontii (Cottonwood) 74 Rhus trilobata (Squawbush/Sumac) 74 Rumex hymenosepalus (crispus) (Curly -leaf dock) 75 Salix exigua (Coyote Willow) 75 Sarcobatus vermiculatus (Greasewood) 75 Senecio multibatus (douglasii) (Groundsel) 76 Sphaeralcea coccinea (Globe -mallow) 76 Stanleya pinnata (Desert plume) 76 Yucca angustissima (Soapweed) 77 Plant Recommendations 77 Preservation Concerns 77 Access to Plant Collection Areas 78 CHAPTER SIX SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 79 Fajada Butte 79 Ceremonial Access 79 Plant Collection 80 General Park -Tribe Consultation 81 General Tribal Consultation Recommendations 82 Committee Rules 82 American Indian Information Base 84 Public Awareness and Education 86 Conclusions 86 References Cited 87 Selected Annotations 94 APPENDIX A SCOPE OF WORK 99 APPENDIX B FAJADA CLOSURE 113 APPENDIX C NAGPRA SCOPING STUDY 118 iii LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1Formal Interactions by Organization and Type of Interaction 15 Table 5.1Plants Identified by the Tribal Representatives 53 Table 5.2Plant List by Scientific Name, Tribe, and Indian Name 55 Table 5.3Acoma Plant List 58 Table 5.4Hopi Plant List 60 Table 5.5Navajo Plant List 62 Table 5.6Santa Ana Plant List 64 Table 5.7Zia Plant List 66 iv LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 1.1 Hopi representative Mr. Val Jean Joshevama, Sr. examines the spiral petroglyph at Cly's Canyon 2 Fig. 1.2 One of the local Navajo couples who narrated the traditional story about Fajada Butte 2 Fig. 1.3 Chaco Culture National Historical Park 6 Fig. 2.1 Navajo field interviewer and translator Mrs. LaBerta Dempsey and her family 12 Fig. 2.2 Hopi representatives take photographs of the sun dagger for their tribal records 12 Fig. 4.1 Zia representatives and the research team at work on the top of Fajada Butte 40 Fig. 4.2 Zuni representatives near the top of Fajada Butte 40 Fig. 4.3 Acoma representatives studying the sun dagger 42 Fig. 4.4 The spiral petroglyph of the sun dagger 42 Fig. 4.5 A survey of the rooms where the astronomers lived 43 Fig. 4.6 Pueblo clan symbols carved near the roofs of the astronomers' rooms 43 Fig. 4.7 Representation of an origin being carved near the roofs of the astronomers' rooms 44 Fig. 4.8 Representation of ancestral being carved near the roofs of the astronomers'rooms 44 Fig. 4.9 Petroglyph panel near the base of Fajada Butte 46 Fig. 4.10 The astronomers living quarters: rubble mounds on the north side of Fajada Butte 47 Fig. 4.11 Groundstone artifacts lying on the surface of the rubble mounds 47 Fig. 5.1 Vegetation zones of Chaco Culture NHP 50 Fig. 5.2 Vegetation communities at the base of Fajada Butte 51 Fig. 5.3 Vegetation communities at Cly's Canyon 51 Fig. 5.4 Acoma representatives identify plants at the Base of Fajada Butte 59 Fig. 5.5 Hopi representatives examine the Sun Dagger 61 Fig. 5.6 One of the local Navajo couples who narrated the traditional story about Fajada Butte 63 Fig. 5.7 Santa Ana representatives visit the ruins of Chaco Canyon NHP 65 Fig. 5.8 Zia representatives during the ethnobotany interview at the base of Fajada Butte 67 At ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A great variety of people have assisted in the production of this report. Dr. Lynne Sebastian has supervised the research for the State of New Mexico's State Historic Preservation Division. She is Deputy Director of the Historic Preservation Division and a Chaco expert, so her essential guidance was both administrative and substantive. She critically read the report and provided guidance regarding the difficult task of interpreting Chacoan archaeology. Significant administrative assistance was also given by Thomas Merlan the Director of the Historic Preservation Division for the State of New Mexico. The funds for this project were provided by the Southwestern Regional Office of the National Park Service. Most funds came from the Office of Indian Programs which was headed by Mr. Edward Natay. Mr. Natay has worked for years to build relationships (partnerships) between the region's parks and American Indian tribes having traditional ties to these parks. This project represents another important step in this series of Ed Natay efforts. The conceptualization of the Fajada Butte study design was largely the work of Dr. George Esber. Dr. Esber was the Ethnographer of the Southwest Regional Office of American Indian Programs, NPS, during the study and so he directly participated in most aspects of this research. As the regional ethnographer, Dr. Esber was responsible for assuring that perspectives of living Indian people were clearly represented in this and other park -affiliation studies. Permission to conduct the research was granted by two National Park Service superintendents of Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Initially the study was approved by Mr. Lawrence Belli. Under his leadership the initial American Indian Consultation Committee was formed and operated for three years before this study. Without his foresight in establishing this committee and initiating interactions with traditionally associated tribes this project would have involved Indian people with much less knowledge about the park and its resources. Without the years of experience with this park -tribe consultation committee, the tribal recommendations at the end of this report would be much less detailed. Superintendent Belli facilitated the research by opening the video-letter to the tribes announcing the study. Many tribal representatives said that when they saw and heard the park superintendent express his commitment to the study they realized that their participation could have an effect on park policy. Superintendent Belli left during the study to take a position at another park. He was replaced by Acting Superintendent Steven Hickman. After being fully briefed about the project, Mr. Hickman provided his full support for the continuation of the study. vi Guidance for conducting the study at Chaco and help with the day -to -day field problems were provided by many National Park Service employees working at Chaco Culture NHP. Ms. Dabney Ford is the Chief Archaeologist for the Chaco Culture NHP and was appointed as the park's point -of- contact for the duration of the study. Like Lynne Sebastian, Dabney Ford provided both essential insights in the production of the research and assistance required to conduct the research. Ms. Ford participated in the video-letter to the tribal governments by pointing out and discussing cultural features located on Fajada Butte. Her technical reviews of this report have been critical in clarifying key points of Chaco archaeology and park policy. Ms. Matilda Arviso is the current coordinator for the American Indian Consultation Committee. In this capacity over the past few years she has helped contact Indian tribes, organize the committee meetings, and prepared the notes from the meeting.