Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Investigation of Environmental, Social, and Demographic Transformations at Woodrow Ruin, Grant County, New Mexico

University Of Colorado At Boulder, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

Under the direction of Dr. Catherine Cameron, Jakob Sedig will conduct research at Woodrow Ruin to examine the demographic, social, and environmental changes that occurred in the upper Gila region of New Mexico during the prehistoric Late Pithouse (AD 550-1000) and Classic (AD 1000-1130) periods. Mr. Sedig's research will be conducted under the framework of resilience theory, which archaeologists have recently employed in their research. Archaeologists have long studied how environmental fluctuations have affected ancient populations. However, for the most part, such examinations have been limited to a regional context and have not been set in a broader theoretical framework. If successful, Mr. Sedig's research will demonstrate that resilience theory can help identify broader patterns, suggest specific research questions, and create testable hypotheses that are relevant to understanding transformation in linked systems of people and nature. The archaeological research to be conducted at Woodrow Ruin during the summer of 2012 will serve two primary purposes: 1) illuminate the social, demographic, and environmental changes that occurred between the Late Pithouse and Classic periods, and 2) test and refine resilience theory. Archaeologists have identified dramatic transformations that occurred between the Late Pithouse and Classic periods in southwest New Mexico. During the Late Pithouse period people lived in subsurface pithouses that were grouped around a courtyard. Communal ceremonies and rituals were held in large, rectangular subterranean structures. Significant changes occurred by the Classic period. Instead of pithouses, people lived in above ground, apartment-like pueblos constructed from river cobbles. Communal ceremonies and rituals were held in large plazas. Mr. Sedig proposes that the transformations that occurred at Woodrow Ruin between the two periods were the result of how people reacted to environmental changes, both natural and human-induced. This hypothesis will be examined through geophysical survey, together with the analysis of floral, faunal, and other data from the site. Mr. Sedig's investigation will be conducted under the theoretical framework of resilience theory. Originally developed for the field of ecology, resilience theory has recently been used by archaeologists to better understand demographic, social, and environmental shifts in a given area. Mr. Sedig's research will examine how the Late Pithouse-Classic transition at Woodrow Ruin is consistent or inconsistent with the expectations of resilience theory. The research conducted at Woodrow Ruin will be the central part of Mr. Sedig's dissertation. It will also have broader impacts for a wide variety of groups. Mr. Sedig will interact with the public by allowing local avocational archaeology groups to experience excavations first-hand; volunteers will be used in the screening of excavated fill, and site tours will be given to visitors whenever possible. Presentations to the general public and at academic conferences will demonstrate the importance of archaeology in human-environmental studies. Several graduate students will have the opportunity to develop their archaeological skills by working at Woodrow Ruin. Artifacts from the site will be used to train undergraduates in archaeological analysis. Finally, data from Mr. Sedig's research will be uploaded to online databases, making it accessible to researchers across the globe.