Vanishing River Volume 2: Agricultural, Subsistence, and Environmental Studies: Part 3: Chapters 8-11

Chapter 8 discusses data from macrofossil and flotation samples from village, hamlet, farmstead,
and field house settings along the lower Verde River. Chapter 9 treats the pollen and phytoliths that were isolated from sediment samples
collected in a variety of agricultural features including
rock piles and alignments, terraces, and field houses, in
addition to habitation features such as hearths, living floors,
middens, and roasting pits in the LVAP area. The overall goal of
these analyses was to further understanding of prehistoric
agricultural strategies and utilization of noncultivated plant
species in the study area. Chapter 10 describes the faunal material recovered during data recovery efforts at LVAP sites and activity areas. The faunal analysis
identifies the taxa present in the project sites, identifies any
butchering or food-processing patterns, assesses environmental
correlates of the faunal assemblage, and detects
temporal changes in the use of faunal resources. If temporal
changes were found, the analysis examined whether they
were the result of cultural factors or changes in the local or
regional environment. Finally, Chapter 11 presents the results of a cross-cultural assessment of the agricultural potential of the Horseshoe Basin area. The authors discuss their selection of Native American consultants to address farming in the area, and their methods for comparing and contrasting consultant assessments. The “ideal” Native American consultant for evaluating the
prehistoric agricultural potential of a study area would: (1) be
able to claim some degree of cultural continuity with the
former occupants; (2) be conversant with techniques suggested
by the prehistoric agricultural remains; and (3) have
farming experience in the same kind of environment. In light
of the foregoing discussion, such an individual clearly does
not exist for the LVAP location.
Consequently, the authors selected representatives from several different cultural traditions in the local area; they consulted with Zuni, Apache, Pima, and Tohono O’odham farmers. Authors also used
alternative methods for comparing and contrasting the assessments
of representatives from several Native American farming
traditions in surrounding areas.