Ritualized violence in the prehistoric American Southwest

Abstract

The disarticulated and commingled human remains of at least 13 individuals were recovered from an archaeological site during salvage operations for a natural gas pipeline project near Ram Mesa in northwestern New Mexico. The condition of the remains and the nature of their interment suggested that unusual circumstances surrounded their deposition. The skeletal remains exhibited peri‐mortem modification in the form of breaking, cutting and burning. This late Pueblo II (ca ad 900–1100) assemblage shares similarities with other mass inhumations from the American Southwest described as cannibalized. Interpretations of cannibalism have long overshadowed consideration of other reasonable alternatives. We suggest that the ritualized violence associated with the persecution and execution of witches offers a more parsimonious explanation for the bone damage patterns seen in this modified assemblage. Witchcraft is an integral part of Puebloan and Athabascan religious belief and the well documented accounts in the Southwestern literature are compelling. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Case of Historic Cannibalism in the American West: Implications for Southwestern Archaeology

“…There is already an emerging interest in the "individual as actor" in the Anasazi cannibalism debate, exemplified by a concern with reconstructing the "intentions" of the proposed individual consumer (survival cannibalism, terrorism, or even secondary burial) and distinguishing whether a particular form of postmortem treatment should be considered "respectful" or not (Dongoske et al 2000;Darling 1999;Kantner 1999aKantner , 1999bLambert et al 2000). Other researchers similarly consider the consumer's motivations, suggesting that ritual behavior or even a form of terrorism was highly relevant in structuring the Anasazi assemblages (e.g., Ogilvie and Hilton 2000;Turner and Turner 1999). These research questions cannot be confined to a discussion of behavior, but also include the cultural meaning of that behavior.…”

Salud, ambiente y cambio social en el Valle del Cauca prehispánico

“…Entre los marcadores de presión ambiental, se encuentran los defectos del esmalte (Goodman, 1993;Ubelaker y Newson, 2002) y la hiperostosis porótica asociada a anemia ferropé-nica (Stuart-Macadam, 1992). Las huellas de corte en los sitios de inserción del (desollado) y canibalismo (Ogilvie y Hilton, 2000;Tiesler y Cucina, 2007). En el -dad infantil en los primeros años de vida y la probabilidad de muerte por cohortes de edad, deducidos de la tabla de vida, son indicadores valiosos de calidad de vida (Márquez y Hernández, 2001, 2006.…”

“…Se han propuesto distintos factores que propician los momentos de aparición -cos drásticos que reducen los recursos alimenticios, exacerbando la competencia interétnicos; la aparición de nuevas tecnologías; el rapto de mujeres; la centralización del poder; la ostentación de los soberanos; la competencia por prestigio; la venganza y la expansión por conquista (Merbs, 1989;Milner, 1995;Lambert, 1997;Ogilvie y Hilton, 2000;Walker, 2001). Habitualmente, los varones son los más afectados, y las regiones facial (frente, órbitas, nariz y maxilar) y parietal son las más comprometidas (Standen y Arriaza, 2000).…”

“…En contextos violentos tendremos mayor incidencia de traumas en hombres y enfermedades de privación en mujeres; en situaciones de canibalismo se registrarán huellas de corte huellas de corte para decapitación, descuartizamiento o desollamiento (Ogilvie y Hilton, 2000;Tiesler y Cucina, 2007).…”

‘It was maendeleo that removed them’: disturbing burials and reciprocal knowledge production in a context of collaborative archaeology

“…Hilton's participation in the project was prompted by previous positive experiences gained from working with tribal representatives, particularly the Hopi Tribe and the Pueblo of Zuni, in association with archaeological projects involving human remains from the Prehispanic American Southwest (e.g. Ogilive & Hilton ; ). These experiences, gained since 1982, initially as an undergraduate student, then later as an analyst and a museum curatorial assistant of human skeletal remains, occurred during a period when anthropological studies in this area underwent dramatic transformations resulting from the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act of 1990 and members of academic and Native American communities sought to reconceptualize new and more inclusive approaches to research.…”