Abstract

The goal of this thesis is to investigate a single textile assemblage from on site is homogeneously produced. In order to evaluate this, I looked at a sample of textiles and cordage recovered at the site of Hualcayán in the north-central highlands of Peru (ca. 1-1000 CE). Through a technical attribute analysis of metric traits I evaluate the degree of variability present in the overall sample. Making use of a "community of practice" approach, in which a group of individuals are engaged in participatory learning and share a common enterprise, I argue that homogeneous textiles represent a uniformity of practice. Indeed, it is through imitation and the passing on a non-discursive knowledge that certain community wide practices are reproduced. As a result, I hypothesize that a single community of weavers would produce relatively homogenous textiles, which would materialize in the form of a technologically uniform textile assemblage. Ultimately, I interpret such shared practices as connected to a specific type of group identity related to what it means to be a weaver in that particular setting. However, the results from Hualcayán demonstrate variability in cotton yarns, which I interpret as suggestive of interregional interaction between Hualcayán and coastal communities. Despite, this camelid yarns and overall weaving techniques are relatively uniform, which I argue points to a community of practice with regard to weaving and spinning camelid yarn.

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Anthropology

Date of Award

Spring 2014

First Advisor

Kevin J. Vaughn

Committee Member 1

Harold K. Cooper

Committee Member 2

Ian Lindsay

Download

Share

COinS