A DATED SPLIT-TWIG FIGURINE FROM WESTERN COLORADO

Abstract

Horizontal- and vertical-wrapped figurines on the Colorado Plateau are generally attributed to late Archaic populations. This essay reports on a vertical-wrapped specimen from the lower Dolores River canyon in Colorado that is radiocarbon dated to 2500 ±200 B.P. (900–400 B.C.). The date falls within the range of dates attributed to post-Late Archaic and early Formative or Basketmaker II groups in southwestern Colorado and adjacent Utah. Additional split-twig figurines from the lower Dolores River region in Utah have been reported in association with maize bundles radiocarbon dated to 660 and 160 B.C. The lower Dolores River canyon region data raise questions about the longevity of split-twig figurine use and continuities with agricultural populations in the northern Southwest.