Landscapes of Violence

Taphonomy and Cremation of Human Remains from San Francisco de Borja

Anderson, Cheryl P. et al. — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:28:25 PDT

San Francisco de Borja is a cave-shelter burial site located in Chihuahua, Mexico, that was excavated in the 1950s by Richard and Sheilagh Brooks and is now curated at UNLV. Human remains collected from this cave site include male, female and juvenile individuals dating from the late prehistoric period. This project documents and analyzes the wide range of taphonomic processes that have affected these remains. These processes include perimortem chop marks, surface bleaching and burning. Based on these observations, violence and partial cremation of some individuals is suggested.

Book Review: Warfare, Violence and Slavery in Prehistory

Crandall, John J. — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:24:43 PDT

Here, a book review of Warfare, Violence and Slavery in Prehistory (2005) is presented. The volume, containing 19 case studies, is considered in the context of the growing body of work examining violence and inequality in the archaeological record. Each case study is summarized and the overall tone, impact and relevance of the volume is discussed.

Violence, taphonomy and cannibalism in Chaco Canyon: Discerning taphonomic changes from human action in the archaeological record

Marden, Kerriann — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:24:41 PDT

The claim of cannibalism in the Southwest has sparked much controversy, and Chaco Canyon plays a central role in the hypothesis of widespread Southwestern anthropophagy. Although logical weaknesses in the argument for cannibalism in Chaco have been addressed in detail elsewhere, the actual taphonomic evidence that underpins these assertions has not received similar attention. This presentation revisits the data and weighs the validity and reliability of the taphonomic criteria upon which claims of cannibalism in the Southwest have been based.

Taphonomy and Warfare in the Mesa Verde Region

Kuckelman, Kristin A. et al. — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:24:39 PDT

Taphonomy and Warfare in the Mesa Verde Region

Kristin A. Kuckelman and Debra L. Martin

Abstract

The periodic eruption of warfare among the Ancestral Pueblo Indians who farmed the Mesa Verde region of southwestern Colorado is evidenced, on the remains of many individuals, by perimortem depression fractures of the cranium and other trauma characteristic of violence. Taphonomic study of the remains of those who died in warfare events reveals weathering, carnivore damage, and nonformal disposition of remains as well as evidence of trophy-taking and anthropophagy. Thoughtful analysis and interpretation of the taphonomic evidence has led to a richer and more nuanced understanding of Ancestral Pueblo warfare events and the societal contexts in which they occurred.

Evidence of Child Sacrifice at La Cueva de los Muertos Chiquitos (660-1430 AD)

Crandall, John J. et al. — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:24:37 PDT

The La Cueva de los Muertos Chiquitos site (AD 660-1430) is located just north of Durango, Mexico. A reanalysis of the human remains from this site, excavated in the 1950s by Sheilagh and Richard Brooks, has yielded important new information. This cave site contains at least 25 burials of infants and children (n=21 being 0-3 years of age) and at least three adult burials all associated with the Gabriel San Loma Cultural Phase. Using long bone lengths and radiographic analysis of dental development, age approximations for the subadults were obtained. All of the complete juvenile burials exhibit active cases of non-specific periosteal reactions on the cranium. Sixty percent of these burials also exhibit periosteal reactions on the long bones. In addition, porotic hyperostosis (n=7) and cribra orbitalia (n=5) are present. A number of cases of possible juvenile scurvy (n>5) were also identified.

Taphonomic indicators of the mortuary context revealed evidence of burning and sequenced internment involving matting, burial fabric, and intentional placement of burials provide evidence of ritualized burial treatment. Results from the analysis of coprolites and quids found in the cave (Reinhard, et al. 1988) provide additional information on diet and health. Large quantities of food and extralocal jewelry was also a part of the ritual offering. Vegetative data noting the presence of botanicals used for drug production at the site (Foster 1984), suggests that an unusual occurrence such as ritual sacrifice likely precipitated the deaths of up to 25 infants and children.

Violence and Postmortem Signaling in Early Farming Communities of the Sonoran Desert: An Expanded Taphonomic Approach

Watson, James T. et al. — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:24:35 PDT

Bioarchaeological analyses of violence largely fail to consider the bio-cultural complexity that result from hostility. Here, we utilize an expanded definition of burial taphonomy to test if individuals exhibiting evidence for violence differed in other identifiable ways in early farming communities from the Sonoran Desert, circa 2,000-4,000 ybp. A variable matrix is constructed to conduct a more inclusive analysis considering demographic variables, decomposition, taphonomy, health status, and mortuary treatment. We postulate that although numerous community members experienced violence during a time of known subsistence intensification, specific individuals were selected for differential treatment as a form of postmortem signaling.

Evidence of Violent Conflict in Males from Pot Creek Pueblo

Whitley, Catrina B. — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:24:33 PDT

Skeletal evidence of violence in the American Southwest is well known and both healed and peri-mortem trauma has been reported at many sites, including high rates of cranial injury supporting evidence of warfare. The present study examines the peri-mortem skeletal injuries in three young males from Pot Creek Pueblo (AD 1260-1320) located in the Taos Valley. Of the individuals analyzed from the Taos Valley, peri-mortem trauma only occurred in these three males, although healed ante-mortem injuries were present in several other individuals. CT scans of the skulls provided an additional method of analysis of the injuries and data necessary to differentiate peri-mortem trauma from post-mortem damage in one case. The pattern of peri-mortem blunt force and chopping force trauma to the skulls and post-cranial remains suggests hand-to hand combat occurred and these individuals died from chopping trauma to the skull, potentially from warfare related activities. Additionally, comparisons of the trauma patterns to rock art dating to the period suggests the type of weapon depicted may have been utilized to inflict the trauma to the skulls.

Personal Taphonomy at Sacred Ridge: Burial 196

Osterholtz, Anna et al. — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:24:32 PDT

The fragmentary remains of a female aged 45 to 50 years were recovered from floor fill in the ventilator shaft of a Pueblo I pit house at Sacred Ridge (5LP245). Taphonomic evidence indicates facial destruction, scalping, decapitation, dismemberment, and perhaps hand or foot removal. Human hemoglobin and myoglobin residue on associated artifacts suggest that processing took place in this structure. This study addresses the significance of this feature in regard to the remains of 33 other processed individuals in another pit structure at Sacred Ridge, and the implications of these features for interpretations of Pueblo I pit structure burials.

Violence against People, Bodies, or Bones: Lessons from La Plata, New Mexico

Toll, H. Wolcott Ph.D. et al. — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:24:30 PDT

Situated betweenChacoCanyonand the Mesa Verde, the Totah region has an equally long and complex history. Human remains were recovered from excavations at 17 sites in theLa PlataValleydating from Basketmaker through Pueblo III. Trauma to skeletal remains ranges from violence survived by women, to perimortem violence, to disturbance of the dead, to random pieces of burned and broken bone. This presentation will provide a close look at the contexts of these situations, with an emphasis on chronology and relationships to surrounding regions.

Postmortem violence? Identifying and interpreting postmortem disturbance in Mongolia.

Littleton, Judith H. et al. — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:24:29 PDT

Deliberate violence to remains can be inflicted post-mortem but archaeologically distinguishing the source of disturbance is hard enough while interpreting motive may be impossible. We present the results of excavation of 37 Bronze Age mounds, northernMongolia. Based on detailed analysis of burial structure, patterns of articulation, damage to elements and movement of bones within and outside the burial space, we argue there is evidence of human activity distinguishable from that of animals. Alternative hypotheses of disturbance incidental to robbery versus intentional post-mortem violence are evaluated in the context of the graves themselves, the archaeological context and ethnographic studies.

The Blessing and the Curse of Taphonomic Processes: A Bioarchaeological Analysis of a Shaft Tomb from La Florida, Mexico

Bauer-Clapp, Heidi et al. — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:24:27 PDT

The discovery of an unlooted shaft tomb in Southern Zacatecas, Mexico, offered an undisturbed example of this mortuary tradition common in West Mexico during the Formative and Early Classic eras (300 B.C. to A.D. 400). However, 2000 years of taphonomic processes took their toll on the tomb’s contents. This paper reviews archaeological and ethnographic resources for understanding these taphonomic processes and the excavation techniques that preserved as much data as possible. We focus on four skeletons from the tomb: two individuals joined by a shell belt and the two adjacent individuals who held atlatls in their hands.

Taphonomy After the Fact: Violence and Ritual in Room 33 at Chaco and Room 178 at Aztec

Harrod, Ryan P. et al. — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:24:25 PDT

Chaco Canyon‘s Room 33 (excavated by George Pepper) and Aztec Ruins room 178 (excavated by Earl Morris) are recognized for their rich taphonomic context. These two mortuary features reveal a great deal of information about ritualized behavior. Researchers such as Akins and Palkovich have provided partial analyses of the Chaco skeletal material in the 1980s. The reanalysis of those remains considers the Chaco burials in relation to those at Aztec and analyzes their meaning through a thorough analysis of the grave goods, archaeological records, and ethnohistorical documents to provide a better understanding of these elaborate and unique mortuary rooms. Specifically, this study focuses on signatures of identity, biological, cultural, and socioeconomic. Biological identity markers include age, sex, and stature. Cultural identity includes mortuary context, graves goods, and site layout. Socioeconomic identity, which is the hardest to reconstruct is evidenced by the frequency and distribution of trauma related to exposure to violence, changes to anatomy related to unequal amounts of labor, and susceptibility to diseases over time. The result of looking at all these factors is that it is possible to reconstruct identity, such as Burial 3672 in Room 33. This male is especially intriguing because the burial shows evidence of extensive perimortem fractures on the cranium suggesting a violent death, and yet this is a very high status individual based on the stature and isotopic analysis as well as the grave offerings he was interred with. These kinds of taphonomic and mortuary features are explored.

Contextualizing Death and Trauma at Canyon del Muerto

Stone, Pamela K. — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:24:24 PDT

This poster explores how human taphonomy offers insight to understanding the structural violence that impacted the discovery, recovery, and analysis of human remains from sites within Canyon del Muerto, (400-1300AD). Also included in this analysis is a discussion of the temporal relationship of these sites juxtaposed with the rise and fall of the Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon complexes focusing on the role of interpersonal violence, discussed through the analysis of death-related forces. These ideas are then presented within an examination of indirect forms of structural violence, which often mitigated the physical violence endured by this population.

The Taphonomy of a Sacrifice: Burial 6 of the Patio Hundido at el Teul

Perez, Ventura R. et al. — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:24:22 PDT

El Teul’s eighteen centuries of continuous occupation, from ca. 200 b. c. e. till the Spanish conquest in 1531 offers a unique opportunity to understand aspects of ancient society in Southern Zacatecas. This poster focuses on a ritually-sacrificed male whose body was deposited as an offering in one of the main architectural complexes of the site during the early to mid-Classic (ca. 200 d.C. – 400/450 d.C.). Ritual landscape models currently applied to larger sites such as Teotihuacán using Huichol cosmology suggest the possible correspondence of this building with ritual sacrifice related to winter solstice with Venus playing an active role.

From the Editor: Special Poster Presentation Issue

Perez, Ventura R. — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:24:19 PDT

Taphonomic and Skeletal Indicators of Captivity and Violence in the Southwest (AD 1000-1300)

Martin, Debra L. — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:19:13 PDT

Violence against women especially as a result from raiding and abduction of women was a common and world-wide phenomenon that has been part of human history for a very long time. Its persistence into today’s globalized commodity market, where women are used as sex and domestic slaves against their will, demonstrates how institutionalized this form of violence is. Gendered violence is found in many different contexts, but it is most sustained in groups that practice raiding and abduction of women (and often children). Raiding, as part of endemic warfare strategies, is cyclical and part of a long-term strategy with economic and political implications for both males and females. How can these kinds of practices be empirically supported by the bioarchaeological record and what are the effects of these practices? The taphonomic and mortuary component of human remains is crucial in answering these questions. The bioarchaeological signature of forced captivity includes healed head wounds, healed broken bones, and a variety of trauma-related musculo-skeletal changes. Women in unusual mortuary configurations with healed fractures, inflamed muscles, infections, and other signs of abuse reveal the biological costs of this form violence.

Violence as Communication: The Revolt of La Ascensión, Chihuahua (1892)

Hernandez, Jose Angel PhD — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:05:51 PST

When examining “The Revolt of La Ascensión, 1892” past historiographical interpretations serve as examples of the theoretical traps that are succumbed to when employing modes of analysis that are inappropriate for studying this particular repatriate colony. The trope that is read throughout these historiographical examples is evident because they share the notion that this event can be termed pre-political and primitive. It will become patently clear that terms such as “pre-political,” “primitive,” and “unorganized” are outdated and require alternative methods of postcolonial analysis. As way to contradict and compliment this scant literature, the following examines the revolt of La Ascensión in 1892 by analyzing heretofore unexamined regional and federal archives that discuss this event in some detail. After glossing over the details of this event and the brutal killing of three government officials in this repatriate colony, I proceed to examine the state’s efforts at quelling this rebellion and their attempt to capture and extradite those rebels that migrated back to the US with the argument that they were not Mexican citizens, but American citizens that earlier migrated to the colony after an election riot twenty years earlier. Research in regional archives, more importantly, provide for a closer reading of the material, particularly coroner’s reports that detail the various ways in which the victims were tortured and executed. Given the historical background that led to these events, I suggest that the violent events of this particular revolt can be read as expressions of frustration, anger, and therefore constitute a form of communication.

“A Reflection of Our National Character”: Structurally and Culturally Violent Federal Policies and the Elusive Quest for Federal Acknowledgment

Brown-Perez, Kathleen A. — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:05:50 PST

On March 3, 1839, the Brothertown Indian Nation became the first American Indian tribe whose members had U.S. citizenship. One hundred and forty years later, the tribe learned that it no longer had a government-to-government relationship with the U.S. government. It soon entered the new administrative federal acknowledgment process, where it would remain for three decades. In August 2009, the Office of Federal Acknowledgment issued a Proposed Finding against federally acknowledging the Brothertown. This decision was based in part on the 1839 Act, which OFA determined was a congressional act of tribal termination. Having worked toward tribal survival since its inception in 1785, the Brothertown Indian Nation is once again a victim of the structural and cultural violence present in federal Indian policies, policies that make the government sole judge, juror, and executioner regarding federal acknowledgment. The Brothertown are not the only victims of these policies, but they are in the unique position of either continuing with the status quo or finally (and openly) acknowledging the illegitimacy of the federal government’s assertion that it, and it alone, controls tribal sovereignty.

On Resolution | Intellectual Property and Indigenous Knowledge Disputes | Prologue

Anderson, Jane E. — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:05:49 PST

@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }@font-face { font-family: "Garamond"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoEndnoteText, li.MsoEndnoteText, div.MsoEndnoteText { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }span.EndnoteTextChar { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }span.EndnoteTextChar1 { }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }

The issue of indigenous interests in intellectual property law is difficult precisely because of the historical, political, cultural dimensions that inform the subject notion of ‘property’ and the historical delineation, exclusion and current inclusion of populations now referred to as ‘indigenous’, ‘traditional’ or ‘local’. The current conditions of colonialism also mean that there are legitimate questions about the extent that the legal ordering of indigenous knowledge issues through an intellectual property paradigm works to privilege certain modes of inquiry and investigation over others. This paper offers initial musings upon the idea of resolution. It necessarily begins with a theoretical exploration of the problems that exist within this field as well as practical suggestions for modifying and appropriating aspects of the intellectual property apparatus in ways that are meaningful and respond to Indigenous interests in knowledge control and circulation. Its structure mirrors the fracturing of the discourse itself.

Colonial Violence and the Gendering of Post-War Terrain in Southern New England: Native Women and Rights to Reservation Land in Eighteenth-Century Connecticut

Den Ouden, Amy E. — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:05:48 PST

This essay examines the significance of reservations in southern New England as indigenous places-in-the-making in the aftermath of King Philip’s War. It highlights crucial moments in the early eighteenth-century history of reservation communities in Connecticut that were engaged in struggles to defend their lands against the imposition of private property and the violence of dispossession that targeted Native women, who were purveyors of communal land rights. These post-war histories reveal that reservations were not localities of “pacified Indians”, but rather sites of new conflicts over the rights and futures of Native peoples within which gendered forms of dissent confronted the gendered violence of colonial law.