The Consequences of Social Processes: Aggregate Populations, Projectile Point Accumulation, and Subsistence Patterns in the American Southwest

• DOI: 10.7183/0002-7316.78.1.147
• Publication Date: 2013-02-01T02:04:15Z
• Authors: Fumiyasu Arakawa; Christopher Nicho...; Jeff Rasic
• Keywords: 2. Zero hunger; 15. Life on land; 01 natural sciences; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

AbstractTracking broad-scale behavioral patterns using both lithics and faunal remains offers one line of evidence for investigating both prehistoric subsistence activities and the consequences of aggregation and increases in population size. Accumulation research, which examines the ratio of projectile points to cooking pottery sherds from the same context, shows a higher ratio of projectile points in areas with lower population densities. This pattern holds true when examining faunal assemblages and large-game procurement practices from A.D. 900 to 1300 in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah. This research demonstrates that social processes such as aggregation and increases in population density influence human hunting strategies as much as changes in natural environment, which lead to changes in a group’s dietary regime.