Climate challenges, vulnerabilities, and food security

This paper identifies rare climate challenges in the long-term history of seven areas, three in the subpolar North Atlantic Islands and four in the arid-to-semiarid deserts of the US Southwest. For each case, the vulnerability to food shortage before the climate challenge is quantified based on eight variables encompassing both environmental and social domains. These data are used to evaluate the relationship between the “weight” of vulnerability before a climate challenge and the nature of social change and food security following a challenge. The outcome of this work is directly applicable to debates about disaster management policy

Style as a social strategy: Dimensions of ceramic stylistic variation in the ninth century northern Southwest.

The role of material culture style in cultural systems, particularly small-scale agricultural societies, is investigated. The research goal is to understand how style is used in social relations and thus to understand patterns of variation in prehistoric ceramic design style. Style is defined as an aspect of form determined by consistent choice. A model of the role of style in small-scale sedentary agricultural societies is developed. Style is viewed as a strategy for defining social units, exchanging information with socially distant persons, and symbolizing ritual contexts. Thus style should have a particularly important role in areas with aggregated settlements and high population density, and in ritual activities. Style is examined in terms of two dimensions of variation: structure and difference. Analyses involve black-on-white ceramic designs from the ninth century A.D. in the American Southwest. The Kayenta and Mesa Verde regions, including Black Mesa and Dolores, are compared. Only the Mesa Verde region had aggregated settlements and large-scale ritual facilities, and it had a greater population density. At Dolores the scale of social organization may have increased between A.D. 840 and 880. Style as structure is analyzed on whole and fragmentary vessels. A method is developed to determine to what extent the designs are rigidly structured or rule-bound. Designs on Kana'a B/W, a Kayenta ceramic type, are more rigidly structured than designs on Piedra B/W, a Mesa Verde type. Analysis of difference involves study of design attributes on sherds and vessels. Similarity between and diversity within assemblages are examined. Design diversity was greater in the Mesa Verde region than the Kayenta region. During the period of increased organization scale at Dolores, design diversity decreased. The greater diversity and greater structural flexibility observed in Mesa Verde region designs suggests a more active social role for style. The more standardized, less diverse designs in the Kayenta region are interpreted as isochrestic variation. The decrease in diversity associated with an increase in organizational scale at Dolores suggests that stylistic definition of small social units was de-emphasized when larger-scale integration developed.Ph.D.ArchaeologyNative American studiesSocial SciencesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/128519/2/9023561.pd

Occasional Papers of the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center No. 1: The Architecture of Social Integration in Prehistoric Pueblos

Included here are three chapters authored or co-authored by William D. Lipe as part of the Architecture of Social Integration in Prehistoric Pueblos. The introduction to this volume notes: “For over 100 years, archaeologists working in the American Southwest have looked to architecture in their studies of social integration in the prehistoric pueblos….Kivas in particular have been singled out for their role in integration, from the very earliest attempts to interpret prehistoric pueblos up to today. Following this tradition, not only kivas but also protokivas (Morris 1939), Great Kivas (Plog 1974; Vivian and Reiter 1960), tri-walled structures (Vivian 1959), plazas (Adams, this volume), shrines (Rohn 1977:109-115) and other structures and features have been interpreted as important for ritual and other integrative activities. Debate over identifying and interpreting these structures-"When is a kiva?" (Smith 1952), "How are kivas used?" (Lekson 1988), "What is the function of tri-walled structures?" (Vivian 1959)has also become an established tradition in Pueblo archaeology. In this volume we continue in both traditions. The papers offer new perspectives and data on the roles that architectural features and facilities played in prehistoric pueblo integration.

Occasional Papers of the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center No. 1: The Architecture of Social Integration in Prehistoric Pueblos

Included here are three chapters authored or co-authored by William D. Lipe as part of the Architecture of Social Integration in Prehistoric Pueblos. The introduction to this volume notes: “For over 100 years, archaeologists working in the American Southwest have looked to architecture in their studies of social integration in the prehistoric pueblos….Kivas in particular have been singled out for their role in integration, from the very earliest attempts to interpret prehistoric pueblos up to today. Following this tradition, not only kivas but also protokivas (Morris 1939), Great Kivas (Plog 1974; Vivian and Reiter 1960), tri-walled structures (Vivian 1959), plazas (Adams, this volume), shrines (Rohn 1977:109-115) and other structures and features have been interpreted as important for ritual and other integrative activities. Debate over identifying and interpreting these structures-"When is a kiva?" (Smith 1952), "How are kivas used?" (Lekson 1988), "What is the function of tri-walled structures?" (Vivian 1959)has also become an established tradition in Pueblo archaeology. In this volume we continue in both traditions. The papers offer new perspectives and data on the roles that architectural features and facilities played in prehistoric pueblo integration."Hegmon, Michelle and William D. Lipe, eds. (1989.) The Architecture of Social Integration in Prehistoric Pueblos. Occasional Paper No. 1, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, Cortez, CO