Basketmaker culture

Basketmaker culture
Name	Basketmaker culture
Period	Late Archaic to Pueblo III Period
Dates	c. 1000 BCE – 750 CE
Typesite	Basketmaker III sites in the Four Corners
Major sites	Turkey Pen Ruin, Kinboko Canyon, Sand Dune Cave
Precededby	Southwestern Archaic traditions
Followedby	Puebloan cultures

Basketmaker culture. This prehistoric Ancestral Puebloan tradition represents a foundational era in the Southwestern United States, particularly within the Colorado Plateau. It is distinguished by a shift from nomadic foraging to the adoption of maize agriculture and the development of sophisticated fiber technology. The culture is named for its exceptionally well-preserved and intricate basketry, found in the arid caves of the Four Corners region.

Overview and Origins

The Basketmaker culture emerged from earlier Archaic hunter-gatherer groups who inhabited the Great Basin and the broader Southwest. The critical transition began with the introduction and gradual adoption of maize agriculture, a practice that likely diffused north from Mesoamerica via cultural exchanges. This period saw populations become increasingly sedentary, establishing the foundational social and economic patterns for later Puebloan peoples. Key research into this era was pioneered by archaeologists like Alfred V. Kidder and Earl H. Morris, who defined its characteristics through excavations in areas such as Canyon de Chelly.

Archaeological Phases

Archaeologists typically divide the culture into three sequential phases based on technological and social developments. Basketmaker II (c. 500 BCE – 500 CE) marks the early agricultural phase, where people lived in seasonal camps and used atlatls for hunting. Basketmaker III (c. 500–750 CE) represents a period of significant change, with the introduction of pottery, the construction of permanent pit-houses, and the use of the bow and arrow. The phase known as Pueblo I (c. 750–900 CE) is often considered a transitional period where above-ground masonry structures began to appear, leading directly into the later Pueblo II Period.

Material Culture and Technology

The material culture is renowned for its exceptional perishable artifacts preserved in dry caves like Sand Dune Cave and White Dog Cave. This includes finely woven sandals, intricate baskets, and bags made from yucca and other fibers. While early phases lacked ceramics, Basketmaker III saw the production of simple, grayware pottery. Tools included finely crafted projectile points, manos and metates for grinding maize, and the distinctive atlatl. Personal adornment featured ornaments made from shell beads traded from the Gulf of California and turquoise from sources like Cerrillos, New Mexico.

Subsistence and Settlement Patterns

Subsistence combined cultivated crops with wild resources. Primary agriculture focused on maize, supplemented later by beans and squash. Hunting of mule deer, bighorn sheep, and cottontail rabbits remained important, as did the gathering of wild plants like pinyon pine nuts and Indian ricegrass. Early settlements were often seasonal camps near fields, but by Basketmaker III, people built more permanent villages consisting of clusters of pit-houses, often located on mesa tops or in canyon alcoves for protection, as seen at sites like Turkey Pen Ruin.

Social Organization and Ritual

Social organization was likely based on small, egalitarian kin groups, with leadership emerging around successful farming and hunting. Ritual life is evidenced by the construction of large, subterranean ceremonial structures known as great kivas, which began in the Basketmaker III period. Rock art, such as petroglyphs depicting shamanic figures and hunting scenes, is common at sites like the San Juan River drainage. Some burials included grave goods like baskets and tools, suggesting beliefs in an afterlife.

Transition to Puebloan Period

The transition from the Basketmaker culture to the classic Puebloan period was marked by several key innovations. The most significant was the shift from semi-subterranean pit-houses to contiguous, above-ground masonry dwellings, beginning in the Pueblo I Period. This was accompanied by population growth, increased social complexity, and more intensive agriculture, often employing irrigation techniques. This evolution culminated in the development of large villages and cliff dwellings during the subsequent Pueblo II and Pueblo III Periods, such as those found at Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon.

Category:Archaeological cultures of North America Category:Ancestral Puebloan peoples Category:Pre-Columbian cultures