Changing Patterns in Papago Subsistence Strategies: Archaeology and Ethnohistory Compared

Abstract

ABSTRACTTwenty-eight historic Papago archaeological sites were examined in an attempt to evaluate the utility of the ethnographic record as a predictor of archaeological manifestations. Relatively large sites, believed to be the remains of saguaro harvest base camps, were specifically analyzed. In general, it was found that the behavior described in the ethnographies could be discerned archaeologically, although several discrepancies were noted. In addition, when the historic sites were contrasted with prehistoric sites in the same area, it was observed that saguaro camps were proportionately much more numerous in the historic record. Several propositions were examined in an attempt to “explain” this difference. The most tenable alternative involved a brief examination of Papago culture history from the time of first Spanish contact to the present. It was suggested that saguaro procurement activities by the Papago are not actually greater than they were prehistorically. Instead, it was proposed that while...