The Point Community: Life in a Chacoan Small House Community

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The Point Community Life in a Chacoan Small
House Community

• By Kathy Roler Durand
• Eastern New Mexico University
• and
• Linda Wheelbarger
• San Juan College

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Middle San Juan Communities

• Animas Community
• Fort Site, 50 to 100 rooms
• Gallegos Community
• Jaquez, 75 to 100 rooms
• Point Community
• Point Site
• Stewart Community
• Sterling Site

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Study Samples

• Tommy Site (AD 850 to 1150)
• Pueblo I/II
• 106 burials containing 118 individuals
• Mine Canyon Site (AD 1150 to 1300)
• Pueblo III
• 39 burials containing 44 individuals

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MSJROP Analyses

• Paleodemography Fuhrman
• Paleopathology (TS) Cline
• Paleopathology (MC) Adams
• Craniometrics Greene
• DNA Snow, Durand, Smith
• Bone Chemistry DeBoer Tykot
• Faunal Remains Enright
• Discussant Akins

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Gender Hierarchies (Neitzel 2000)
Time Period Great Houses Small Houses
Red Mesa (AD 900-1050) Male dominated Female dominated
Gallup (AD 1030-1150) ? (no male burials) Female dominated
McElmo (AD 1100-1175) Female dominated Female dominated
Mesa Verde (AD 1175-1300) No data No hierarchy
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Burials with Associated Ceramics
Tommy Site Mine Canyon
Burials with Ceramics 45 (42) 17 (44)
Burials without Ceramics 61 (58) 22 (56)
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Ceramic Grave Goods
Tommy Site Mine Canyon
Female Mean 2.4 1.7
Range 1 to 5 1 to 2
Male Mean 1.3 2.3
Range 1 to 2 2 to 3
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No Change Through Time

• Stable Isotope Analysis no changes in amount of
  maize or meat consumption
• Cranial Morphology very few differences in
  cranial measures over time

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Changes Through Time

• DNA shows two different populations represented
• Paleodemography life expectancy increases over
  time, fertility decreases more females in early
  assemblage, more males in later assemblage
• Paleopathology activity indicators are similar
  in frequency for males and females early, females
  show more activity later

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Discrete Dental Traits Used

• Shoveling of Upper Central Incisors
• Upper Canine Distal Accessory Ridge
• Cusp 5 of Upper First Molars
• Carabellis Cusp of Upper First Molars
• Protostylid of Lower First Molars
• Cusp 6 of Lower First Molars
• Cusp 7 of Lower First Molars

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Conclusions

• Our results indicate it is extremely likely the
  sites were occupied by two different groups of
  people. The later Mine Canyon Site may have been
  established by immigrants from the north.
• Discrete dental traits appear to better reflect
  the genetic relationships of the samples than do
  the craniometric data.

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Many Thanks to . . .

• Tommy Bolack for permission to analyze the
  skeletons and funding MSJROP
• San Juan College for logistical assistance
• Stephen Durand for maps, photographs, and
  statistical assistance
• David Batten for help in the field and
  constructive criticism
• Nancy Akins for agreeing to be our discussant!