Thesis (M.A.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Anthropology, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 151-158).

The Fremont, a Formative culture located in the Eastern Great Basin and Colorado Plateau, have been primarily studied from an ecological perspective. This research addresses issues that are not ecological, the organization of production and exchange of ceramic vessels. Following criteria suggested by Brown et al. (1990), I argue that the following need to be addressed prior to a useful discussion of intergroup trade: the source of the raw materials of the exchanged objects, the associated pattern of distribution, the relative value of the objects, and their context of manufacture, use, and consumption. I specifically address three of these issues regarding the Snake Valley pottery series, asking what is the source of Snake Valley Black-on-gray pottery, what is the distribution of Snake Valley Gray, Snake Valley Black-on-gray, and Snake Valley Corrugated, and in what context was Snake Valley Black-on-gray manufactured? These questions are approached via two data sets -- a chemical assay and a distributional analysis. I argue that Snake Valley pottery was probably produced in a restricted area, the Parowan Valley, and that production was organized as community craft specialization, though I acknowledge that more research on this topic is ultimately required.

The faunal remains of large game such as mule deer, pronghorn, and mountain sheep are abundant at Fremont sites, as are jackrabbits and cottontails. The proportions of these species in Fremont faunal assemblages fluctuate through time. Explanations for these variations range from resource depression to communal activities. This thesis provides the results of the faunal analysis from three previously unreported sites. Paragonah (42IN43), Summit (42IN40), and Parowan (42IN100) are large Fremont sites in the Parowan Valley located 20 miles north of Cedar City in Utah. The purpose of this thesis is to determine if the variations in the faunal assemblage provide evidence for resource depression or feasting. I identify patterns or variation among the assemblages and determine that there is no evidence for resource depression. Evidence for feasting is present, indicating at least two possible feasting events occurred at the Paragonah site.

Thesis (M.A.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Anthropology, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 118-136).

Thesis (M.A.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Anthropology, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 118-136).

The Fremont tradition developed on the northern Colorado Plateau and eastern Great Basin between A.D. 1 and A.D. 1350 (Talbot 2000a). Research on exotics in the Fremont area, specifically turquoise and Olivella shell, has been sporadic until recently (Hughes and Bennyhoff 1986; McDonald 1994; Janetski 2002). In this thesis, I present new data on Olivella and turquoise artifacts found throughout the Fremont region, including the Parowan Valley sites, Nephi Mounds, and Kay's Cabin, as well as a spatial distribution of Olivella and turquoise in the Fremont area. I performed microprobe analysis on blue-green artifacts from Kay's Cabin and found most are turquoise, although other minerals including variscite, azurite, malachite, and possibly chrysocolla are also present. Also, various experimental methods were used to chemically characterize a turquoise artifact from Parowan Valley (see Appendix A). I analyzed over 350 Olivella artifacts (see Appendix B) and examined modern Olivella shells; therefore, I provide a discussion of the details and differences between the O. biplicata and O. dama species. Through testing Janetski's (2002) trade fair model, I readdress the question of whether or not Olivella and turquoise were distributed across the Fremont region via directional or down-the-line exchange. My research supports Janetski's model and shows that Fremont exotic exchange moved directionally, with Olivella and turquoise artifacts concentrated at central sites on the Fremont landscape. I also explore the possibility that the exchange of Olivella and turquoise to the Fremont area was conducted through different networks. It appears, based on high numbers of turquoise at certain sites and high frequencies of Olivella artifacts at other sites, that these ornaments were not traded together. I examine whether exotic artifacts were differentially distributed among sites in Parowan Valley and within the specific sites and I observed that Olivella and turquoise are most often associated with living areas.

This thesis primarily addresses the implications of Fremont gaming pieces in the Parowan Valley. First, I review ethnographic gaming pieces and compare them to the Fremont worked bone pieces in order to support the idea that they were used by the Fremont in games similar to the ones recorded ethnographically. Then, I analyze a collection of Fremont gaming pieces from excavations at three Parowan Valley sites. I note drastic differences in the characteristics found on pieces inside the Parowan Valley and those form outside the Parowan Valley. It is also clear that gaming pieces are being produced in the Parowan Valley and used more frequently there when compared to outside of it. I suggest that this means large aggregations are taking place in the Parowan Valley in the late Fremont period.

This thesis primarily addresses the quantities and distributions of Fremont projectile points in the Parowan Valley. First, I review previous research performed in Parowan Valley and outline currently accepted projectile point analysis and typology methods. I also review ethnographic data surrounding the function and value of projectile points. Then, I provide the results of an analysis of all projectile points in the Parowan Valley Archaeological Project collection. I note the large amount of projectile points in this collection and compare it to projectile point counts from other large Fremont sites.I also note chronological patterns in Parowan Valley using projectile points as relative temporal markers. With this data and the data provided by other theses on Parowan Valley, I argue that sites in Parowan Valley served as centers for aggregation and other socio-economic practices in the Late Formative Period.

Defining the Fremont archaeological culture has challenged archaeologists for decades. There is still considerable debate about the origins of the Fremont, their eventual demise, their genetic relationship to modern Native American tribes, and myriad other issues. In nearly a century of Fremont research, socio-political, economic, and religious complexity remain elusive subjects. Examining technological style, the manifestation of socially influenced choices during each step of production as a means of passive communication, is one useful avenue to examine Fremont material culture to uncover the social patterns they may, or may not contain. I examine whether or not technological style in Fremont Snake Valley corrugated pottery hold traces of social identity produced by Fremont potters living in the Parowan Valley, Utah.