ASM Occasional Electronic Papers No. 1: Homol'ovi IV

Chapter Six:
Chronology, cont.

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Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction

Reconstruction of the environment around Homol'ovi IV is based on fieldwork by Kolbe (1991) that has been augmented by Van West (1996) and Lange (1998). Their work informs on the most promising periods during which Homol'ovi IV could most profitably be occupied. It is important to note that Homol'ovi IV rests on the edge of the floodplain of the Little Colorado River along a portion of the river that did not have a permanent flow, unlike upstream. This has been discussed in chapter 2. Therefore, for farming purposes, Homol'ovi IV would need to be positioned to take advantage of high enough stream flows to water fields, because no diversion of water could be assured from average flows, but not severe stream flows that could damage or destroy fields. During wet periods, Little Colorado River stream flow can be substantial, as demonstrated by the frequent floods recording historically (Adams 2002; Adams and Hedberg 2002). It would be to the disadvantage of Homol'ovi IV occupants to settle along a river that flooded frequently and severely.

Fortunately, Kolbe and Van West were able to retrodict stream flow by using a method developed by Graybill (1989) and Graybill and Funkhouser based on tree-rings compared to historic stream flows in the Salt, Tonto, and Verde Rivers. Kolbe (1991) complemented Graybill's work by taking tree-ring samples from cottonwoods in the Homol'ovi area and comparing them to the excellent stream flow record recorded for the Little Colorado River from 1889 through 1986. Using these data, Kolbe was able to retrodict stream flows along the Little Colorado River based on the historic record by using the tree-ring record from the basin to predict stream flow for the Homol'ovi area between 1260 and 1400. He was able to find three broad patterns: 1) the period 1260-1300 was dry, averaging 18% below average stream flow; 2) the period 1301-1337 was wet, averaging 20% above average stream flow; 3) 1338-1400 was variable with two very wet interludes between 1357-1359 and 1380-1384.

Van West, utilizing Graybill and Funk-houser's and Kolbe's data, reconstructed the stream flow and agricultural potential along the Little Colorado River from the period A.D. 572 to 1985. These data informed Van West as to whether or not it was favorable to farm in the floodplain. Her findings complement and expand on Kolbe's. Van West's (1996:tables 2.2 and 2.3) data indicate that the floodplain should have been avoided for farming between 1228-1249 and 1300-1334 and was especially attractive between 1276-1299. These two studies emphasize the attractiveness of the floodplain for farming in general between 1250-1300, which corresponds exactly to the widest range of dates for Homol'ovi IV occupation based on tree-ring dated pottery. Lyons (2001:156) looked at Van West's data on a decadal basis and determined that three decades in the late 1200s, 1250-1259, 1280-1289, and 1290-1299, were among the five driest between 1230 and 1400. Likewise, the decades from 1240-1249 and 1300-1309 were two of the five wettest. Lyons's research underscores the fact that Homol'ovi IV was occupied during the latter half of the 13th century and that a principal reason for establishing the village was to take advantage of favorable farming conditions along the Little Colorado River. Adams (2002) further develops a model that argues Homol'ovi IV was established by groups from the Hopi Mesas not only to take advantage of favorable farming conditions along the river, but also to keep other migrant groups from doing the same thing.

Summary

As noted in the discussion on the environment in chapter 2 and the above discussion of stream flow, an enormous amount of research has been conducted in conjunction with the Homol'ovi Research Program to create a strong sense of the history of the Little Colorado River valley in terms of when the floodplain would be most and least favorable to farming. Most importantly, the stream flow retrodictions allow archaeologists to compare, independently, their reconstructions of occupation of the river basin based on ceramic, tree-ring, and other chronologies. The record of occupation of the Homol'ovi area as developed by Lange (1998) and Van West (1996) strongly indicates that it was settled and occupied only during periods of below average precipitation and below average stream flow. The period 1250-1300 is consistently determined to be the longest and most favorable period during the occupation of the Homol'ovi villages for settlement and aggregation (Van West 1996:29-31). The tree-ring dated ceramics strongly point to this same period for occupation of Homol'ovi IV. The correlation between the occupation and a probably reason for occupation are singularly striking.

In the discussion on ceramics, it was suggested that occupation likely did not extend to 1300. This is based on the tree-ring dated ceramics found at Homol'ovi IV, but is amplified by what is not found at Homol'ovi IV. Detailed analysis of ceramics and the chronology of Homol'ovi III indicate that the village was founded between 1280 and 1290 (Adams 2001: table 7.9). Ceramics from this Founder Phase at Homol'ovi III are dominated (80.5%) by locally produced decorated and utility ware ceramics, especially the slipped series of Winslow Orange Ware, which accounts for nearly 40% of the Winslow Orange Ware and Homolovi Polychrome, which is 6% (Adams 2001; Lyons and Hays 2001). In contrast at Homol'ovi IV, slipped varieties of Winslow Orange Ware are only 1.05% and Homolovi Polychrome is only 0.30% of Winslow Orange Ware. Similarly, Homol'ovi Gray and Orange wares account for 52.44% of ceramics in the founder phase at Homol'ovi III whereas only 2.81% of ceramics at Homol'ovi IV are either of these wares (Adams 2002: table 7.1; Lyons and Hays 2001: Tables 8.1 and 8.2). Given that Homol'ovi III is only 1 km from Homol'ovi IV, it is unlikely that types produced at Homol'ovi III in abundance would appear in such low numbers at Homol'ovi IV, if it were contemporary with Homol'ovi III. Homol'-ovi I and Chevelon Ruin, contemporaries of Homol'ovi III, also have high frequencies of Winslow and Homolovi wares, indicating it is a temporal trend not an ethnic difference between the villages. This indicates that Homol'ovi IV was abandoned just before or at the founding of Homol'ovi III, or between 1280 and 1290. Therefore, it is probable that Homol'ovi IV was first settled in the 1250s and abandoned in the 1280s for an occupation span of about 30 years.

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