A Prehistoric Community in Eastern Arizona

Abstract

THERE HAVE BEEN, IN RECENT YEARS, a number of promising contributions related to the elucidation of prehistoric sociocultural systems. Most of these are concerned with settlement patterns, ceremonial structures, mortuary practices, social status, and craft specialization (Sears 1961). Several other contributions are also notable (Longacre 1963, 1964; Freeman and Brown 1964; Deetz, 1960, 1965). There is a growing feeling, represented especially by the above kinds of study, that there is much to be gained by attempting to describe (and perhaps explain) or whole sociocultural systems-much as it is done by ethnologists. How complete these descriptions can be is a matter of justifiable concern, but it is evident that at least some headway is being made in this direction. This article presents an outline of a case study which may be of value to those interested in the so-called systems or structural approach to the interpretation of archaeological data. It should provide some fodder usable in evaluating this kind of concern; and, at the very least, it is an example of certain ways in which prehistoric material can be interpreted. The explicit purposes of the study were two-fold: (a) to describe as much of the internal structure and social organization of a prehistoric society as was possible to discover, and (b) to attempt to develop an hypothesis pertinent to explaining adaptive changes in this organization. The focus of the analysis was on Broken K Pueblo, located eleven miles east of Snowflake, Arizona (excavated by the Chicago Natural History Museum, with National Science Foundation support). This archaeological site is a rectangular, ninety-five room,2 single-storied, surface masonry pueblo, dating from about A.D.