The MAPL project produced a diverse assemblage of carbonized textile and basketry artifacts from a number of burned pitstructures. Forty-eight samples of textiles and basketry were collected from four project area sites: 5MT5458 (Basketmaker III), 5LP379 (Pueblo I), the Pueblo I component of LA27092, and 5MT5498 (Pueblo II). Artifacts include examples of coiled and plaited basketry; matting; plaited, twined, and wicker sandals; a looped bag; yucca cordage; feather-wrapped cordage; a pine needle broom; a stem tie; and yucca fiber. Table 1 provides a list of these items by site and PD/Bag number. Table 2 shows their site distribution.

With the exception of the feather cordage with its evidence of feather quills, all of these objects are composed entirely of plant materials. All are carbonized except for one unburned bast stem. The carbonized artifacts are fragmentary and in very poor condition. One basketry fragment was consolidated in the field with PVA in acetone. The remaining objects are untreated.

The MAPL assemblage is important for broadening our understanding of textiles and basketry during the Pueblo I and Pueblo II periods, a time for which relatively little is known about changes in perishable technologies. Our understanding of prehistoric Pueblo textiles and basketry is almost entirely based on materials from dry caves (e.g., Adovasio and Gunn 1986; Fewkes 1909; Guernsey and Kidder 1921; Hays-Gilpin et al. 1998; Kent 1983; Kidder and Guernsey 1919; Magers 1986; Morris 1980; Morris and Burgh 1941; Nordenskiöld 1990 [1893]; Osborne 1980; Rohn 1971, 1977). Most of these materials date to the Basketmaker III and Pueblo III periods, when people occupied rock overhangs and cliff dwellings on a semi-permanent or permanent basis. Since people rarely occupied caves to any extent during Pueblo I and Pueblo II (Antelope House, with limited quantities of Pueblo II deposits, is a major exception), few textile and basketry materials have survived. It is only recently, with the excavation of burned pitstructures for large-scale pipeline and irrigation mitigation projects, that information has begun to emerge about the use of these materials at open sites (e.g., Webster 1994, 1996, 1999a, 1999b).

Perishables survive at open sites only under a narrow range of conditions. Most are recovered from burned subterranean structures, such as pithouses and kivas. As these pitstructures burned, their roofs collapsed, smothering the organic materials still inside. During this process, cellulose is converted to carbon (i.e., carbonized) and vegetal materials are preserved. Animal hair and fibers, in contrast, usually melt away under such conditions and rarely survive, except as charred or melted residues. Such is the case with the feather cordage recovered from two MAPL sites, with residues of melted feathers coating the surface of carbonized yucca cordage. The absence of animal fiber artifacts from these sites does not necessarily mean that such materials were not present when the structures burned. Burned subterranean structures give us, at best, an incomplete picture of the perishable inventories used by site inhabitants, but they provide vastly more information than burned and unburned surface features.

Analysis was performed by examining each object with a hand lens, and when necessary, a stereo microscope (30X) or illuminated compound microscope (100X). Dental picks and a linen tester were used to examine specimens and measure fabric densities. Artifacts were not cleaned or chemically treated during analysis. Fabric terminology used here follows Emery (1966), and basketry terminology, Adovasio (1977). Access to in-situ photographs greatly enhanced my interpretation of these poorly preserved artifacts by showing the arrangement of the objects in the ground prior to excavation.

Coiled Basketry

The carbonized remains of coiled basketry, representing at least 13 different baskets, were identified in 17 of the project samples (Table 3). Six of these baskets date to the Pueblo I period and seven to Pueblo II. All are incomplete, and most are in extremely poor condition. Three have intact center finishes (two normal centers, one oval center), and none have intact rims. Twelve of the 13 baskets are close coiled with bunched, two-rod-and-bundle foundations and non-interlocking stitches (Figure 1), the most common type of coiled basketry made by ancestral Pueblo peoples. The remaining basket is close coiled with a stacked, two-rod-and-bundle foundation and non-interlocking stitches (Figure 2). In all cases, the rods and stitches are probably sumac (Rhus trilobata), and the bundles, yucca (Yucca sp). Measurements range from 4-7 stitches and 1-3 coils per cm. The Pueblo I baskets, with 4-6 stitches per cm, are coarser than the Pueblo II baskets, with 6-7 stitches per cm. Attributes of individual basketry specimens are shown in Table 3.

The Pueblo I pithouse at 5LP379 yielded two samples, PD/Bags 24.55 and 50.1. These are part of the same basket, probably a tray. Now almost completely dissociated, the fragments, when found, formed a 10 x 25 cm arc on the floor (Figure 3).

Both Pueblo I pithouses at LA27092 yielded coiled basketry fragments, representing the remains of five baskets. These are tentatively identified as two carrying baskets, an upright basket, a tray or upright basket, and a basket of unknown form. Structure 5 produced the remains of four baskets, and Structure 6 yielded one. PD/Bag 221.28 from Structure 5 is probably the remains of a large carrying basket or globular basket at least 28 cm (70 coils) high and 35 cm wide. The basket was found beneath a fallen beam on the floor of Structure 5 (Figures 4 and 5).

PD/Bag 221.32 from Structure 5 consists of numerous small fragments that lay in an 8 by 20 cm arc on the floor (Figure 6). PD/Bag 221.35, found nearby, probably contains additional small fragments of the same basket. These may be pieces of a tray or the base of an upright basket. PD/Bag 233.2 contains small fragments of a basket of unknown form. PD/Bag 249.4, from the floor fill of the same pithouse, is the remains of a large coiled basket with an oval base and steep, slightly flaring sides, possibly a carrying basket similar to that illustrated by Morris and Burgh (1941:Figs 28i-n). The basket originally had at least 60 coils and was at least 24 cm tall (Figure 7). The oval center (Figure 8) was originally at least 8 cm long (estimated from in-situ photograph).

 

Structure 6 at LA27092 produced one example of basketry, PD/Bag 340.1, from the pithouse floor. This relatively large (16 x 11 cm) fragment is probably part of the wall of an upright basket (Figure 9).

Both burned kivas at the Pueblo II site of 5MT5498 produced the remains of coiled basketry. The nine samples represent at least seven baskets, one from Structure 6 and the remainder from Structure 7 at 5MT5498. One is a small bowl, two may be conical baskets, two appear to be either bowls or conical baskets, and two are too fragmentary to identify. Two of these baskets have intact normal centers.

The basket from Structure 6, PD/Bag 227.10, consists of fragments and impressions of what may be half of a conical basket, still in its matrix of soil. Little survives of the original basket.

The most unusual basket in the MAPL sample is PD/Bag 170.1, a small bowl recovered from the floor of Structure 7. When uncovered in the field, PD/Bag 170.1 was a nearly complete basketry bowl, roughly 14 cm in diameter (Figure 10). The in-situ photograph shows the remains of four intact coils representing approximately one-eighth of the circumference, and broken rods extending nearly all of the way around.

 

Like the other coiled basketry from the site, PD/Bag 170.1 has close coiled, non-interlocking stitches and a two-rod-and-bundle foundation. But unlike the other examples, the foundation is stacked, rather than bunched. In this foundation type, the rods and bundles are stacked one on top of the other (Figure 2), rather than grouped in a triangular arrangement (Figure 1). Each coil of PD/Bag 170.1 is a full centimeter high, lending the basket a coarse appearance and a somewhat open texture (Figure 11). Another unusual feature of this basket is that the bundles in the foundation are tightly Z-twisted (Figure 12), in contrast to most rod-and-bundle basketry in which the bundles lie flat against the rods. Morris and Burgh (1941:13, Fig. 4a) identify stacked, two-rod-and-bundle foundation basketry as a Pueblo III type, and were aware of only one example, from Sandal House in Mancos Canyon (see also Weltfish 1932:19, Fig. 13). As far as I know, the 5MT5498 specimen is the only other example reported.

Several other examples of coiled basketry came from Structure 7. PD/Bag 113.9 is probably the remains of a deep conical basket similar to Pueblo III examples from Mesa Verde illustrated by Morris and Burgh (1941:Fig. 29a, c). Fragments include a portion of the steep sidewall and approximately one-third of the circular base, including a normal center with part of the initial yucca-leaf-bundle coil (Figures 13 and 14).

PD/Bags 192.1 and 192.24, both from the recess surface of Structure 7, contain the circular bases from two separate baskets. PD/Bag 192.1 is a complete circular base with an intact normal center (Figure 15). PD/Bag 192.24, roughly one-third complete, lacks the initial interior coils.

Other coiled basketry from Structure 7 includes PD/Bags 180.10, two fine fragments of a basketry wall, and PD/Bags 170.52, 170.60, and 171.5, which could be the remains of a single basket or two different baskets. The latter three items were recovered from the western section of Structure 7, on or just above the floor surface. The weave of 171.5 is particularly fine and even (Figure 16).

Plaited Ring Basket

Carbonized fragments of a plaited ring basket were recovered from the floor of kiva Structure 7 at the Pueblo II site of 5MT5498 (see PD/Bags 170.52, 170.54, 170.60, and 170.62). A narrow yucca-leaf braid (170.58), found 20 cm away from 170.52, may be an ornamental rim braid from this basket. The braid is described in greater detail below. The fragments were distributed over a 110 cm long area between the hearth and south wall of the kiva, where they had been crushed by burned beams and adobe from the roof. In the opinion of excavator Peter Rohman, all of these remains, including the yucca braid, probably originally were part of the same basket.

The basket fragments include three pieces of the ring with yucca leaf elements folded over to make a 180º self selvage (PD/Bag 170.54), additional bits of the ring (PD/Bags 170.52 and 170.60), one small section of intact plaiting woven in 2/2(?) diagonal twill interlacing (PD/Bag 170.54), and numerous pieces of dissociated yucca leaf elements (PD/Bags 170.52, 170.54, 170.60, and 170.62) (Figure 17). The weaving elements are narrowleaf yucca (Yucca angustissima), and the wooden ring either willow (Salix sp.) or sumac (Rhus sp.). Originally, the180º self selvage was secured (probably twined) with cordage or yucca-leaf binding elements, now missing.

Figure 17. From 5MT5498--PD/Bag 170.54; fragments of plaited ring basket: left, three rim fragments with 180º self selvage; upper right, two loose plaiting elements; lower right, intact fragment of twill plaiting. Click on photo to enlarge.

Only a small section of the twill weave has survived, and its condition is extremely poor (Figures 18 and 19). In this fragment, no one element passes over or under more than two elements; however, some elements appear to be missing so the present weave structure is probably incomplete. This basket could have been woven in a 2/2 or 3/3 diagonal twill or any one of the more elaborate twill weaves used to produce these items in the past (Morris and Burgh 1941:Figs. 10e-m, 35-38).

PD/Bag170.58, the braid found near the plaited basket fragments, is a short section of a narrow, 5-strand, yucca-leaf braid (Figures 20 and 21). Most of the epidermis has worn away, exposing the constituent fibers. The braid is worked in 2/2 oblique-twill interlacing with 4 elements per cm, and measures 4.2 cm long and 1.5 cm wide.

The association between this yucca braid and the plaited basket is important because, heretofore, ornamental rim braids have been considered a late Pueblo III phenomenon (Morris and Burgh 1941:23). Over two dozen examples of plaited ring baskets with ornamental rim braids are reported from Pueblo III contexts at Mesa Verde (Morris and Burgh 1941:Fig. 22), including Spruce Tree House (Nordenskiöld 1990 [1893]:Pl. XLIV, 1 and 2), Long House (Osborne 1980:338, Fig. 17), and Mug House (Rohn 1971:193-194, Figs. 224, 225). Unfortunately, relatively little is known about ring baskets during the preceding periods. Although some ring baskets have come from Basketmaker III cave sites, examples from Pueblo I and Pueblo II site are rare (Morris and Burgh 1941:19-20, Fig. 22). Ancestral Pueblo people did not occupy cave sites and cliff dwellings to any extent during these periods, thus few examples have survived. The Antelope House assemblage from Canyon del Muerto does contain some examples of Pueblo II plaited ring baskets, but none of these exhibit the ornamental rim braid (Adovasio and Gunn 1986:391). This style seems to be particular to the Mesa Verde region.

Ornamental rim braids were fashioned separately from the ring basket and then attached to the binding yarns of the basket's selvage (Adovasio 1977:117, Fig. 140a-b; Morris and Burgh 1941:23, Fig. 8c-d). The braid found in association with the plaited ring basket at 5MT5498--if indeed it is associated and not a separate braided artifact--probably was similar to that illustrated in Figure 22. If it is associated, then the 5MT5498 specimen represents the earliest reported example of this decorative style.

Willow Mat

The carbonized remains of a willow mat constructed of willow sticks laced with 2s-Z yucca cordage was found on the floor of kiva Structure 7 at the Pueblo II site of 5MT5498. Portions of the mat are contained in six samples: PD/Bags 170.18 (sticks only), 170.28 (cordage only), 170.29 (sticks and cordage), 170.30 (sticks and cordage), 170.31 (cordage only), and 170.32 (sticks and cordage, including five sticks laced with cordage, as shown in Figure 23). The sticks, now broken into many small pieces, are round to flat in cross-section, and many are split in half lengthwise. The sticks are probably willow (Salix sp.) and the cordage, yucca (Yucca sp.).

The mat was found on the kiva floor, where it overlay the skeletal remains of a young dog (Figure 24). While still in the ground, it consisted of a series of long, parallel sticks interspersed with fragments of cordage, and covered an area at least 1 m long and 0.5 m wide (estimated from field photo). Based on comparisons with better preserved examples from other sites, the original mat was probably even larger.

Mats of this type are known from a number of Pueblo III sites at Mesa Verde, including Step House (Nordenskiöld 1990 [1893]:39, 102, Pls. XIX, 2, XLVIII,1), Long House (Osborne 1980:354, Fig. 439), Spruce Tree House (Fewkes 1909:42, Fig. 15), and Mug House and Adobe Cave (Rohn 1971:232-232, Figs 270, 271). Rohn describes this as the most common form of matting at Mug House, where it was found as burial wrappings as well as in the fill of rooms and kivas. At Step House, it was used as burial wrappings, whereas the mat from Long House was found in kiva fill.

The Mesa Verde mats are constructed from long, narrow sticks pierced with holes at 7.5 to 14 cm intervals and strung together with yucca cords, knotted at each end. Nordenskiöld illustrates one remarkably well preserved, complete example 1.78 m long and 1.08 m wide (see his Plate XLVIII,1). Compared to examples from cliff dwellings, the mat from 5MT5498 is in extremely poor condition, but the presence of the five fragments laced with cordage (Figure 23) is sufficient to show that this mat was made by the same technique as the Mesa Verde mats. Like the ornamental rim braid on plaited basketry, this type of matting is another form of material culture previously known only from Pueblo III contexts, making its presence in a Pueblo II kiva at 5MT5498 highly significant.

Plaited Sandals

Carbonized remains of plaited sandals are present in seven samples, six from pithouse Structure 2 at 5LP379 (PD/Bags 22.1, 23.6, 23.17, 24.2, 24.6, 30.4) and one from pithouse Structure 5 at LA27092 (PD/Bag 221.1). Several of the 5LP379 fragments are probably pieces of the same object. All are made of unprocessed narrowleaf yucca leaves (Yucca angustissima) woven in 2/2 twill interlacing, or plaiting (Figure 25). Fabric density ranges from 3-4 elements per cm. Three of the sandals have 90º self selvages, two contain the probable remains of sandal ties, and one has remnants of a side loop knot. All are Pueblo I in age.

The best preserved example is PD/Bag 24.6, recovered from the floor of Pithouse 2 at 5LP379 (Figure 26). This represents approximately 75% of a plaited sandal with two intact side selvages and a slightly cupped heel finish (Figure 27). The toe is missing, and there is a large hole at the heel. The fragment is 15.7 cm long and 9.0 cm wide, and 2.0 cm thick at the heel end. No sandal ties are present, but PD/Bag 24.2, a fragment of 2/2 plaiting found nearby, may be part of this same sandal, and it has a strand of 2s-Z yucca cordage fused to one surface. When complete, the sandal probably resembled the type illustrated by Deegan (1998:Fig. 4.17; see also Morris 1980:Fig. 79b). This style made its appearance in Basketmaker III and grew in popularity thereafter.

PD/Bags 22.1, 23.6, and 23.17 were found on or just above the west bench (Feature 100) of Structure 2 at 5LP379 and may be fragments of the same plaited sandal. PD/Bag 22.1 contains a small sandal fragment with an intact selvage, 23.6 is a fairly well preserved, plaited fragment lacking selvages (Figure 28), and 23.17 contains small fragments of plaiting. Although it is conceivable that the latter two samples are examples of 2/2-twill matting rather than sandals, their thread counts are comparable to that of PD/Bag 22.1, suggesting that all were part of the same object.

The other sample from 5LP379, PD/Bag 30.4, contains four strands of coarse 2(2z-S)Z yucca cordage and a tiny piece of 2/2 plaiting. The plaiting may be the remains of a sandal, and the cordage, sandal ties.

Finally, three fragments of a plaited sandal (PD/Bag 221.1) were recovered from the floor of Structure 5 at LA27092 (Figure 29). Two have selvages and one bears the faint remains of a side loop knot. With four interlacing elements per cm, this sandal exhibits the finest weave in the plaited sandal assemblage.

Twined Sandals

Two carbonized weft-twined sandals were found during the project: PD/Bag 25.9 from Basketmaker III site 5MT5458, and PD/Bag 24.37 from Pueblo I site 5LP379. Both sandals are incomplete. The sandals are made with coarse yucca warps (3z-S) and fine yucca wefts (2z-S). PD/Bag 24.37 has a partially intact round toe finish. Neither has an intact heel finish, but both have raised geometric patterning on the underside of the sole. PD/Bag 24.37 contains the remnants of sandal ties.

PD/Bag 25.9 from 5MT5458 contains three fragments from the toe, midsole, and heel regions (Figure30). Thread counts are 3 warps and 24 wefts per cm. Although the toe and heel finishes are missing, certain construction techniques (discussed below) suggest that this sandal originally had a scalloped toe and either a square or puckered heel. The largest fragment, from the heel zone, is 6.5 x 2.0 cm.

PD/Bag 24.37 from 5LP379 is part of a twined sandal with a rounded toe (Figure 31). Fragments include a large piece of the midsection, the tip of the rounded toe, an intact side selvage from the heel zone with raised designs on the underside, and two fragments of sandal ties. Thread counts are 3 warps and 20 wefts per cm. The sandal is approximately 50% complete. The largest piece is 11 cm long and 8.5 cm wide; the complete sandal was probably about 23 x 8.5 cm.

Twined sandals are extremely complex fabrics that incorporate a series of conventionalized weave structures into their toe, midsole, and heel sections. These labor- intensive objects required considerable skill and specialized knowledge to produce. They have a ubiquitous presence at Basketmaker cave sites in the Four Corners region (Hays-Gilpin et al. 1998), and are also known from some burned Pueblo I sites where perishables were preserved (Webster 1999b). A recent monograph by Hays-Gilpin et al. (1998) explores a variety of issues related to their production and use (see also Webster and Hays-Gilpin 1994).

Twined sandal construction has been studied by Baldwin (1938, 1939), Deegan (1998), Kidder (1926), and Ann and Earl Morris (Hays-Gilpin et al. 1998), among others. Much of our knowledge derives from the early work of A.V. Kidder and Earl and Ann Morris, who painstakingly dissected entire sandals, charting the paths of the yarns row by row, a degree of destructive analysis no longer permissible today. Twined sandals are difficult to analyze due to the tightness of their weave, and this difficulty is further compounded when the sandals are burned, like those from the MAPL project. Carbonization makes it impossible to see any multicolored patterning that may have once existed, and it also results in the fusing of elements and loss of structural integrity. As a result, some of the structural complexity of these objects may be unrecorded here.

Twined sandals are usually described in terms of their toe and heel silhouettes and the weave structures used in three main zones: the toe or forward zone, the midsole, and the heel or rear zone:

Toe zone. Only one sandal, PD/Bag 24.37 from 5LP379, contains evidence of a toe finish, a portion of a rounded toe (shown at left in Figure 31). In this finish, rows of compact, two-strand, S-twist twining are inserted in wedges over single warps, in the manner shown in Figure 32 (see Deegan 1998:69, 70). The toe zone of PD/Bag 25.9 from 5MT5458 exhibits compact, two-strand, S-twist, 2/2-twill twining over paired warps (Figure 33). The presence of the paired warps indicates that this sandal originally had a scalloped toe.

Midsole. Both sandals contain portions of the midsole. The weave structure in this section combines sequences of 1/1 twining and weft wrap over single warps (Figures 34 and 35), and produces a series of lengthwise ridges on the sandal's upper surface. A weaver was able to create colored geometric designs on a sandal's upper surface by wrapping the wefts around each other and around the warps at intervals (see Deegan 1998:63; Fig. 5.6b; Kidder 1926:626-627, Figs. 4a, f, g, 5, 7, 8). No colored designs are discernible in the MAPL specimens due to their blackened condition, but the presence of twining twists between the warps in PD/Bag 25.9 indicates that different colored yarns were being exchanged between the upper and lower surfaces. Colored designs were probably present on PD/Bag 24.37 as well.

Figure 34. Two-strand, S-twist, 1/1 twining over single warps. Click on photo to enlarge.

 

Heel zone. Both sandals contains portions of the heel zone, although the heel finishes themselves are missing. Both have raised geometric patterning on the underside of the sole (Figures 36 and 37). These patterns were produced by repeating a sequence of three paired rows (Figure 38): (1) a "knot bearer" row that combined 1/1 twining with "interwarp wraps" in which the twining wefts made one or more full turns around each other between warps, (2) a row of simple 1/1 twining, and (3) two rows of plain weave (see Deegan 1998:56, Figs. 5.8a, 5.9a, 5.10 and Kidder 1926:628, Fig. 8 for additional illustrations of this technique). Rows 2 and 3 acted to separate the "knot bearer" rows and set them off in relief.

Methods of attachment. Neither sandal retains any evidence of side or toe loops on the sandal body, so the methods of attachment cannot be determined. Both toe and side loops were used on round- and scalloped-toe sandals (Deegan 1998:Figs 5.22, 5.29, 5.30). PD/Bag 24.37 contains two loose pieces of yucca cordage that may be the remains of sandal ties, one with a configuration of 3[2(2z-S)Z]S and the other, 2(2z-S)Z. This latter fragment is tied in an overhand knot, and may be the detached remains of a toe or side loop.

Wicker Sandal

A carbonized, oversized, two-warp wicker sandal (PD/Bag 192.2) with a rounded toe and squarish heel was recovered from the recess surface of kiva Structure 7 at 5MT5498 (Figure 39). The sandal is fabricated from whole, unprocessed yucca leaves, now completely shredded, and worked in 1/1 plain weave over two warps. The weft appears to be narrowleaf yucca (Yucca angustissima) and the warp, broadleaf yucca (Yucca baccata). Only vestiges of the warp remain. The warp averages 1.7 cm in diameter, and the wefts are grouped into bundles 2.0 cm in diameter. The coarse fabric has a thread count of 0.2 warps and 0.5 wefts per cm. The leaves are folded up and secured at the heel. Although the toe finish is not evident, it probably consisted of knotted warp ends, as found in other examples of this type (see Kidder and Guernsey 1919:103, Type 1b, Fig. 37, Pl. 38c). There is no evidence of side loops or sandal ties.

The sandal is 33 cm long, 14cm wide, and 2 cm thick. Its large size identifies it as a "winter sandal" (Deegan 1998:50) Oversized sandals such as this one were intended to be worn over other sandals or be stuffed with bark, leaves, or husks for warmth (see Deegan 1998: Fig. 4.19 or Morris 1980:Fig. 78c). They were usually attached to the foot by means of lacing cords.

Two-warp wicker sandals are rare in the Mesa Verde region. They are not reported by Fewkes (1909), Nordenskiöld (1990 [1893]), Osborne (1980), or Rohn (1971, 1977). They are, however, known from a number of cliff dwelling sites in the Southwest including Ruin 7 or Olla House (Kidder and Guernsey 1919:213, Appendix 1) and Antelope House (Magers 1986:259), both in the Kayenta region, and Red Bow Cliff Dwelling farther south in the Point of Pines region (Gifford 1980:84, Fig. 67c).

Looped Bag

Two batches of carbonized looped yucca fabric were recovered from Pueblo I pithouse Structure 5 at LA27092. PD/Bag 249.1 came from the floor fill, and PD/Bag 221.69 (Figure 40) was recovered from the vessel fill of a Rosa Gray wide-mouth jar (PD/Bag 221.14). These probably are pieces of the same looped bag. The fabric is worked in a simple looping structure (Figure 41) with 2s-Z yucca yarn, and has a fabric density of 3.5 stitches and 3.5-4 rows per cm. In PD/Bag 221.69, two layers of the cloth are fused together, and a 3 cm long section of the mouth opening is present, worked in a simple looped finish.

According to excavators Paul Stirniman and Deb Silverman, the material in the jar was probably roof fall. They suggest that the looped bag was hanging from the rafters when the pithouse burned, and that pieces of the bag fell into the vessel and onto the floor when the roof collapsed. Bone gaming pieces found in the floor fill in this same area were probably associated with this bag.

Plain Cordage

Four samples of carbonized yucca cordage were collected from the two Pueblo I pithouses at LA27092. All are coarse 2s-Z cords, 3.0-4.0 mm in diameter, except for 221.23, a finer yucca cord (1.0 mm diameter) still strung through stone beads (Figure 42).

 

Feather Cordage

Two masses of carbonized feather cordage were collected from Pueblo I pithouse contexts: PD/Bag 23.40 from Structure 2 at 5LP379 and PD/Bag 275.1 from Structure 5 at LA27092. In both cases, the cordage is a mass of 2s-Z yarns coated with a burnt organic substance that is probably the remains of melted turkey feather quills. Several fragments of PD/Bag 275.1 display the well-preserved remains of quill wrappings (Figures 43 and 44). One strand of PD/Bag 23.40 appears to have been enclosed by a pair of fine twining yarns twisted S-wise, suggesting that this is the remains of a twined turkey feather blanket. No twined elements were found in sample PD/Bag 275.1.

Pine Needle Broom

A carbonized bundle of pine needles wrapped with yucca cordage (PD/Bag 23.49) came from the west bench of pithouse Structure 2 at the Pueblo I site of 5LP379 (Figures 45 and 46). The needles, probably ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), are wrapped with approximately 10 turns of 2s-Z yucca fiber cordage, with the ends tied in a square knot. The object, which probably functioned as a small broom, is 10.0 cm in length and roughly 3.5 cm in diameter. Elizabeth Ann Morris (1980:124, Fig. 82b) illustrates a similar ponderosa pine needle broom from an unidentified Basketmaker III site in the Prayer Rock District. In addition, Fewkes (1909:47, Fig. 30), Nordenskiöld (1980 [1893]: XLVII), and Osborne (1980:321, Fig. 388) illustrate several small yucca brushes or brooms from later Mesa Verde cliff dwellings.

Tie

From Activity Area 2 of the Eastern Roomblock of 5MT5498 came the handle of a Black-on-white jar with a stem inserted through the lug, PD/Bag 138.14 (Figure 47). The unburned stem was wedged through the handle, and the hard, woody portion had been cut flush with the lug, leaving the fibrous bark for use as a hanger or tie. A strip of the fibrous bark extended 5 cm beyond the handle. The stem was microscropically identified as Apocynum cannabinum (Indian hemp), an important bast-fiber plant. The bark shows no evidence of having been plied or otherwise worked and was probably used in its natural state.

Yucca Fiber

A small sample of carbonized yucca fiber came from the floor fill of kiva Structure 7 at 5MT5498. The blackened fiber, resembling coarse hair, was intermixed with fragments of wood and may be the remains of deteriorated cordage. The yucca was identified microscopically.

A diverse array of textile and basketry materials was recovered during MAPL excavations. Four sites, spanning the Basketmaker III through Pueblo II periods, yielded textile and basketry remains. The MAPL project is significant for extending our knowledge of textiles and basketry from open archaeological sites, particularly for the little understood Pueblo I and II periods. Information about textiles and basketry during Pueblo II is especially rare. New data from 5MT5498 demonstrate that certain artifact types, including sewn willow matting, stacked two-rod-and-bundle-foundation basketry, and plaited ring baskets with ornamental rim braids, have their origins in Pueblo II rather than mid-to-late Pueblo III, as previously supposed.

Only one Basketmaker III perishable artifact was recovered, a twined sandal from 5MT5458. Although the toe and heel finishes are missing, certain construction details indicate that this sandal had a scalloped toe and probably a cupped heel. Scalloped toes are the most common sandal form during mid-to-late Basketmaker III, and the sandal from 5MT5458 fits well with contemporaneous sandal traditions from the Montezuma Valley, Mesa Verde and the Prayer Rock District.

The Pueblo I site of 5LP379 yielded a complement of textile and basketry remains typical of Basketmaker III and Pueblo I perishable material culture. The coiled basketry, plaited sandals, round-toe twined sandal, yucca cordage, feather cordage or blanket, and pine needle broom are all items reported from Basketmaker III sites in the Prayer Rock District, demonstrating technological continuity well into the Pueblo I period. The presence of the round-toe sandal confirms that this style maintained its popularity after A.D. 700 (see Hays-Gilpin et al. 1998:36).

No perishables survived from the Archaic component of LA27092, but a considerable amount of Pueblo I material was preserved at the site. Like5LP379, this site produced examples of coiled baskets, plaited sandals, yucca cordage, and feather-wrapped cordage. LA27092 also contained the remains of a looped bag probably used for the storage of bone gaming pieces. Again, these materials show continuity with other earlier Basketmaker collections and extend our knowledge of Pueblo I material culture.

Probably the most important assemblage of perishable materials recovered during the course of the project is the collection from the late Pueblo II site of 5MT5498. The site is noteworthy for its wide range of materials--especially coiled basketry, including a rare form with a stacked, two-rod-and-bundle foundation, the plaited ring basket with its probable ornamental rim braid, a winter wicker sandal, and the willow matting. Not only is the wicker sandal unusual for the region, but the stacked-foundation basketry, plaited basketry with ornamental rim braid, and willow matting are all items heretofore reported only from later Pueblo III cliff dwelling sites at Mesa Verde. I have yet to discover any comparable collections of Pueblo II perishables from the region, and 5MT5498 may emerge as the "type site" for basketry and textile objects for this period. The 5MT5498 assemblage indicates that many perishable artifacts previously associated with the "fluorescence" of Pueblo III were established by late Pueblo II.

The MAPL assemblage substantiates not only the emergence of new forms of perishable technologies in late Pueblo II, but also an underlying continuity in perishable material culture spanning the 400 year period from Basketmaker III to late Pueblo II, a continuity exemplified by the persistence of plaited ring baskets, two-rod-and-bundle basketry (bunched), and plaited sandals. With the MAPL project data, we approach a broader understanding of what life was like in open-site communities for ancestral Pueblo peoples.

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