Plant Foods and Firewood from the North American Southwest
Christine Hastorf, Professor
Anthropology
Closed. This professor is continuing with Fall 2023 apprentices on this project; no new apprentices needed for Spring 2024.
This URAP project involves first-hand research experience with archaeological plant remains in the McCown Archaeobotany Laboratory with Dr. Christine Hastorf and PhD student Elizabeth Dresser-Kluchman. The student will assist with the analysis of carbonized plant remains from the Gallina area in Northern New Mexico. This area was occupied between 1000 and 1300 by a group of Ancestral Puebloan people whose lifeways and architecture diverged dramatically from their neighbors while they fed themselves and built their communities along forested, hilly areas. Understanding the plants that these people engaged with will allow for an understanding of the culinary traditions in this area. Understanding the trees and plant foods that were important on this landscape will allow us to consider how people managed successfully in this sometimes marginal Southwestern environment. The student will analyze plant samples from home structures that were excavated over the course of the 2019 and 2021 field seasons.
Role: The URAP student will analyze archaeological flotation samples using a microscope, and may also participate in SEM (scanning electron microscope) analysis of firewood samples from the site. This will involve sorting of the samples along with identification and quantification of plant species. Preference will be for students who may be available and interested in continuing the work in subsequent semesters, as a full year commitment is ideal for training in archaeobotany.
Qualifications: An interest in botany, archaeology, foodways, and/or the American Southwest, and the ability to work independently.
Hours: 6-8 hrs
Social Sciences Mathematical and Physical Sciences