Southern Methodist University SMU Scholar Anthropology Theses and Dissertations Anthropology Spring 5-15-2021 Food Security in Ancestral Tewa Coalescent Communities: The Zooarchaeology of Sapa'owingeh in the Northern Rio Grande, New Mexico Rachel Burger [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_anthropology_etds Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Burger, Rachel, "Food Security in Ancestral Tewa Coalescent Communities: The Zooarchaeology of Sapa'owingeh in the Northern Rio Grande, New Mexico" (2021). Anthropology Theses and Dissertations. https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_anthropology_etds/13 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Anthropology at SMU Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Anthropology Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of SMU Scholar. For more information, please visit http://digitalrepository.smu.edu. FOOD SECURITY IN ANCESTRAL TEWA COALESCENT COMMUNITIES: THE ZOOARCHAEOLOGY OF SAPA’OWINGEH IN THE NORTHERN RIO GRANDE, NEW MEXICO Approved by: ___________________________________ B. Sunday Eiselt, Associate Professor Southern Methodist University ___________________________________ Samuel G. Duwe, Assistant Professor University of Oklahoma ___________________________________ Karen D. Lupo, Professor Southern Methodist University ___________________________________ Christopher I. Roos, Professor Southern Methodist University FOOD SECURITY IN ANCESTRAL TEWA COALESCENT COMMUNITIES: THE ZOOARCHAEOLOGY OF SAPA’OWINGEH IN THE NORTHERN RIO GRANDE, NEW MEXICO A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate Faculty of the Dedman College Southern Methodist University in Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Anthropology by Rachel M. Burger B.A. Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville M.A., Anthropology, Southern Methodist University May 15, 2021 Copyright (2021) Rachel M. Burger All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are many people to thank and acknowledge at this point, but most importantly Dr. Sunday Eiselt. Not only did she make this project possible, but also, she provided years of guidance, mentorship, and opportunity that went beyond the simple role of advisor. Thank you. I am also grateful for my SMU cohort, especially Chris Kiahtipes, Whitney Goodwin, and Michael Aiuvalasit, who were always willing sounding boards and kept me focused during difficult times. Thank you to my committee for their support, Dr. Andrew Darling, who I have always thought of as my second advisor, and my family and friends for their continued encouragement. Finally, I acknowledge and thank the descendant communities whose heritage this project examines. SMU has provided me with incredible support. This project was possible with funding from the SMU Department of Anthropology, Clements Center for Southwest Studies, Institution for the Study of Earth and Man, and Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies. Data collection was also supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF #1745219). I also extend my thanks to the UNM Maxwell Museum of Anthropology for access to the Sapa’owingeh collection and archives, the UNM Museum of Southwestern Biology for use of their comparative collection and space to work, and the Florence Hawley Ellis Museum of Anthropology at Ghost Ranch for access to artifacts on display. iv Burger, Rachel M. B.A. Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Virginia M.A., Anthropology, Southern Methodist University Food Security in Ancestral Tewa Coalescent Communities: The Zooarchaeology of Sapa’owingeh in the Northern Rio Grande, New Mexico Advisor: Professor B. Sunday Eiselt Doctor of Philosophy conferred May 15, 2021 Dissertation completed May 6, 2021 Food security, the measure of access to safe and sufficient food, is a critical global issue, not just because of its effects on health, but also because of the potentially negative consequences that moderate to severe food insecurity can have on mental and social well-being. Archaeology is uniquely situated to inform and articulate with global food security studies and can contribute more by focusing on past lived experiences of social and environmental conditions and events. The experiences of and responses to those conditions, in turn, inform present day policy and humanitarian efforts to help those initiatives align with human food security needs. This study examines how residents of Sapa’owingeh, a Classic Period (A.D. 1350-1600) Tewa pueblo in the northern Rio Grande, experienced coalescence through the impacts of rapid population increase and social reorganization on animal procurement and use. Utilizing Tewa ethnographies and the recent literature on food security, I create models of social institutions and practices and employ common zooarchaeological and mean ceramic dating methods and measures to analyze faunal remains. I estimate the timing and origins of particular Tewa institutions to determine if and how they contributed to food security and community well-being v for village residents relative to the timings of environmental changes based on dendroclimatic reconstructions and changes in momentary population. Faunal patterns reveal that Tewa practices were in effect from the beginning of occupation and peaked with population in the mid-1400s. This suggests that Tewa institutions associated with the management of animals possibly were present during the founding of the village but likely were elaborated over time as population grew. Indices reveal that food security varied and was lowest during the late period, but was, on average, moderate when the population was growing, despite highly variable precipitation that would alter resource availability. Zooarchaeological patterning also reveals that Tewa hunting rules, animal management practices, and ritual institutions were most prominent during peak occupation. As the village population declined, these institutions appear to have failed or diminished, resulting in high food insecurity despite the climatic stability that is apparent in tree- ring data during this time. This patterning indicates that favorable ecological conditions are not enough to ensure community cohesion. Social and religious mechanisms also are required to ensure equitable access to food in good times and in bad. This study shows that both zooarchaeology and ethnography are effective avenues to understand food security in the past, although with limitations. It is an example of how archaeology can contribute the long-term perspective that is needed as world nations struggle to address food insecurity within the context of climate change and environmental variability. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................................x LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... xiv CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................1 Defining and Measuring Food Security ........................................................................................2 The Important Role of Institutions in Mitigating Food Stress ......................................................9 Research Questions .....................................................................................................................10 Dissertation Organization ...........................................................................................................12 Summary .....................................................................................................................................13 CHAPTER 2 THE TEWA BASIN AND FOOD SECUIRTY ......................................................15 Introduction .................................................................................................................................15 The Tewa Basin and Lower Rio Chama Valley .........................................................................17 History of Research.....................................................................................................................22 Chama Valley Culture History, Sapa’owingeh, and Tewa Origins ............................................31 Pueblo IV Coalescence and Food Security .................................................................................48 Summary .....................................................................................................................................53 CHAPTER 3 PUEBLO ETHNOGRAPHY AND TEWA FOOD SECURITY ............................55 Introduction .................................................................................................................................55 The Relevance of Ethnographic Data .........................................................................................57 Tewa Animal Uses and Meanings ..............................................................................................59 The Tewa World and Animal Management ................................................................................67 vii Summary .....................................................................................................................................93