Abstract
People have long argued about the origins of agriculture in the northern U.S. Southwest. While the roles that maize and other plant foods played in early agricultural (Basketmaker II) communities have been frequently investigated, the utilization of faunal resources during this time has not been as thoroughly studied. This issue will be addressed by presenting the results of zooarchaeological analysis conducted on a sample of faunal remains from the Darkmold site, a Basketmaker II site near Durango, Colorado. Using the Artiodactyl Index, these resuls will be compared to sixteen other Basketmaker II sites and will show that the Durango Basketmakers relied more on artiodactyls (deer and their relatives) and less on lagomorphs (jackrabbits and cottontails) than did Basketmakers outside of the Durango area. This difference will be explored as it relates to the origins of the Basketmaker II peoples and farming in the region.
Recommended Citation
Reynolds, Cerisa R.
(2012)
"The Artiodactyl Index at the Origins of Agriculture in the Northern U.S. Southwest,"
Journal of Contemporary Anthropology: Vol. 3
:
Iss.
1,
Article 3.
Available at:
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jca/vol3/iss1/3