USE-WEAR INSIGHT INTO THE CHIPPED STONE PLANT-PROCESSING TOOLKIT OF THE LOWER PECOS CANYONLANDS by Joy C. Tatem, B.A. A thesis submitted to the Graduate Council of Texas State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts with a Major in Anthropology August 2021 Committee Members: Stephen L. Black, Chair Elizabeth M. Erhart, Co-chair C. Britt Bousman Marilyn Shoberg COPYRIGHT by Joy C. Tatem 2021 FAIR USE AND AUTHOR’S PERMISSION STATEMENT Fair Use This work is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, section 107). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of this material for financial gain without the author’s express written permission is not allowed. Duplication Permission As the copyright holder of this work I, Joy C. Tatem, authorize duplication of this work, in whole or in part, for educational or scholarly purposes only. DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis to my late grandmother, Alma Lankhorst, and my mother, Julie Ann Tatem. You have always been my biggest supporter and confidant, mom. I could not have done this without your love and encouragement. Thank you for being there for me every step of the way. Ik hou van je! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are so many people to thank, I will fill up this whole page and not be close to acknowledging everyone who has played a part in this work, though I will still attempt it. Thank you to the Ancient Southwest Texas Project and the Center for Archaeological Studies of Texas State University for access to the archaeological collections analyzed in this study, as well as the Skiles family who protected many sites in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands and allowed me to harvest and experimentally process sotol and lechuguilla plants on their property. Thank you to my Committee Chair Dr. Stephen Black for your unending patience and guided support through this journey, and for pushing me to give it my all. Also, a big shout out of appreciation to all of my committee members for their guidance and support, as well to the many other Texas State professors who were not on my committee but nonetheless inspired and motivated me to succeed. Thank you to Ashley Eyeington, Zach Jamieson, and all of my graduate cohort (including many graduate students from years before and after). Thanks to Sarah Morris for showing me the ropes with the Leica microscope, and Marilyn Shoberg! Thanks to Chris Ringstaff and Dr. Robert Lassen for their enthusiasm in helping me create my experimental assemblage. To my friends and family: I would never be where I am today without your overwhelming support and encouragement, and I cannot ever thank you enough for standing my side. Finally, I want to acknowledge the calm, patience, and unending love of my dear partner Russell who has been my rock throughout these past few years. And to the many more people I have not mentioned: thank you so much for believing in me. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................................... xvi CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................1 Lower Pecos Canyonlands ...........................................................................2 Evergreen Rosette Plants .............................................................................6 Lithic Use-Wear Research ...........................................................................9 Research Objectives ...................................................................................10 Thesis Organization ...................................................................................12 II. REGIONAL BACKGROUND .........................................................................14 Natural Environment ..................................................................................14 Lower Pecos Canyonlands Chronology .....................................................15 Previous Site Investigations .......................................................................18 Eagle Cave (41VV167) ...................................................................18 Skiles Shelter (41VV165) ...............................................................20 Little Sotol (41VV2037) .................................................................22 Sayles Adobe (41VV2239) .............................................................23 III. ETHNOGRAPHIC ACCOUNTS OF EVERGREEN ROSETTE PLANT PROCESSING AND BAKING .................................................................24 Challenges of Ethnographic Research .......................................................25 Accounts of Tools, Food, and Fiber Production ........................................27 Myth and Ritual .........................................................................................42 vi IV. ARCHAEOLOGICAL PREVALENCE OF SOTOL AND LECHUGUILLA ......................................................................................46 Evidence from Targeted Sites ....................................................................46 Evidence from Additional Sites in the LPC ...............................................51 V. METHODOLOGY............................................................................................57 Experimental Sample .................................................................................60 Archaeological Sample ..............................................................................63 VI. LITHIC USE-WEAR ANALYSIS ..................................................................68 Macroscopic and Microscopic Analysis ....................................................68 Experimental .............................................................................68 Archaeological Assemblages ....................................................84 Eagle Cave ......................................................................84 Skiles Shelter ................................................................104 Little Sotol ....................................................................127 Sayles Adobe ................................................................146 VII. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION ..........................................................149 Results and Interpretations .......................................................................149 The Chipped Stone Tool Plant-Processing Toolkit .................................154 Summary ..................................................................................................160 Challenges of Use-Wear Analysis ...........................................................161 Conclusion and Future Research .............................................................162 REFERENCES CITED ....................................................................................................164 vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 5.1. Experimental Assemblage Descriptive Statistics and Duration of Time Used on Contact Material....................................................................................................61 5.2. Descriptive Statistics for Eagle Cave Assemblage .....................................................64 5.3. Descriptive Statistics for Skiles Shelter Assemblage .................................................65 5.4. Descriptive Statistics for Little Sotol Assemblage .....................................................66 5.5. Descriptive Statistics for Sayles Adobe Assemblage .................................................66 7.1 Use-Wear Results from Experimental and Archaeological Tools .............................150 7.2 Contact Material Use-Wear Characteristics...............................................................151 7.3 Categories of Use-Wear on Experimental and Archaeological Tools .......................151 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1.1. Approximate geographic extent of the Lower Pecos archaeological region and cultural area (Koenig 2012:12). ...............................................................................2 3.1. “Mescal harvest,” Spring 1906. Western Mescalero Apache. National Anthropological Archives, Photographer: Edward S. Curtis, NAA Neg. No. 76-4667. .................................................................................................................25 3.2. “Placing the Mescal” Spring 1906. Western Mescalero Apache. National Anthropological Archives, Photographer: Edward S. Curtis, NAA Neg. No. 76-4669. .................................................................................................................28 3.3. Mescal knives found by Grenville Goodwin near Payson, AZ in 1937. Arizona State Museum Collections, University of Arizona, Photographer: Helga Teiwes, ASM Neg. No. 64307. ....................................................................................................30 3.4. Top (left) and bottom (right) of mescal forming tray of split sotol stalks and beargrass tied with yucca strips made by Apache woman in 1932.