UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-1997 A comparison of roasting pit complexes in southern Nevada Connie Langford Vonsleichter University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Vonsleichter, Connie Langford, "A comparison of roasting pit complexes in southern Nevada" (1997). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 3308. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/ufha-m9k8 processed, response: 201 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]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter free, while others may be from any type of computer printer. 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 bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely afreet reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI 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. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zed) Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. A COMPARISON OF ROASTING PIT COMPLEXES IN SOUTHERN NEVADA by Connie Langford VonSIeichter A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts m Anthropology Department of Anthropology/Ethnic Studies University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 1997 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1385206 Copyright 1997 by Vonsleichter, Connie Langford All rights reserved. UMI Microform 1385206 Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. '1997 Connie Langford VonSIeichter All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The Thesis of Connie Langford VonSIeichter for the degree of Master of Arts in Anthropology is approved. Chairper^n, Margaret M. Lyneis, Ph.D. Examining Committee Member, Martha C. Knack, Ph.D. Eï^^ining Committee Member, Gary B. Palmer, Ph.D. Graduate Faculty Wesley Niles, Ph.D. Dean of the Graduate CollegeTRonald W. Smith, Ph.D University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 1997 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Roasting pits in southern Nevada are commonly thought to have functioned to process agave. This assumption is based on the presence of agave quids, the proximity of roasting pits to agave stands, and on ethnographic accounts of agave roasting. Soil samples from two roasting pit complexes confirm this contention, and suggest a secondary use of the features to singe spines off cacti. These conclusions are supported by research on Arizona Strip and Hohokam roasting pits. Ill Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT.................................................................................. iü ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......................................................... vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION................................................. 1 RESEARCH AREAS ..................................................... 2 RESEARCH LIMITATIONS........................................... 6 DEFINITIONS................................................................. 8 CHAPTER2 LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................... Il AGAVE AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN PREHISTORIC D IETS............................................... 11 PREHISTORIC CULTURES IN SOUTHERN NEVADA..................................................................... 15 PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS IN RESEARCH AREAS................................................... 27 SUMMARY ..................................................................... 30 CHAPTER 3 ENVIRONMENT................................................... 31 BIOTIC COMMUNITIES ............................................... 32 SIGNIFICANCE TO THE RESEARCH ........................ 35 CHAPTER 4 MODELS OF WILD RESOURCE PROCUREMENT................................................... 36 RESOURCE PROCUREMENT FROM DISTANCES . 36 MODELS FOR SOUTHERN NEVADA ANASAZI .... 39 CHAPTER 5 RESEARCH METHODS ...................................... 44 FIELD METHODS........................................................... 47 IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER 6 ANALYSIS OF DATA ......................................... 53 DESCRIPTION OF FEATURES AT BOOTLEG/RAINBOW SPRINGS .................... 53 EXAMINATION OF DATA ........................................... 58 DESCRIPTION OF MACROBOTANICAL REMAINS................................................. 65 CHAPTER 7 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS..................... 71 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................... 72 RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS............................. 75 REFERENCES CITED.................................................................. 77 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would especially like to thank Keith Myhrer, who convinced me that roasting pits were worth studying. Also important were the volunteers who helped with the fieldwork: Will VonSIeichter, Kayleen Langford-Evans, Sally Llull-Billings, Jeff Wedding, Laureen Perry, Vikki Allen, Janet McVicker, and Richard Stockton. Thanks to my friend, Janet McVicker, who taught me how to take and process soil samples, including the tedious task of microscopic antiiysis (she tried to warn me about what I was getting into). I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Geoff Spaulding, Janet McVicker and Dr. Wesley Niles for helping with the seed identifications. Anne DuBarton helped keep my sanity while assisting in getting my maps and figures ready. A special thanks to Will, who almost never gave up on me, and to Indre, who said, "just finish it!". VI Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Wild plant foods formed the core of subsistence for the ancient inhabitants of southern Nevada. One of these important wild foods was the agave. The roasting o f agave (and some cactus species) in roasting pits was a widespread practice of many cultures in the Southwest. This traditional method of baking agave has led to the general conclusion that the roasting pits remaining in southern Nevada were used for this purpose. Insufficient research has been done on these roasting pits to test this assumption. The central purpose of this study was to compare roasting pit sites from two different geographical locations in southern Nevada. The objective of this comparison was to discover and explain any morphological differences in the roasting pits or at roasting pit sites. The second objective was to examine soil samples from roasting pits to leam if agave was the food being processed in them. Survey, recording and mapping of the sites was also included in the research. Inferences of agave roasting in southern Nevada have been made based on the proximity of agave to roasting pit sites, and on the presence of agave quids Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2 (the by-product of chewing agave) recovered in archaeological contexts. In addition, the ethnographic evidence that is presented in Chapter 2 supports the agave-roasting theory. Ethnographic evidence is sometimes misleading, however, and roasting