Methodical and detailed excavation of room and feature fill at Homol'ovi I pueblo has allowed for the study of structure and feature closure and dedication practices. At least six reoccurring ash closure deposit types have been identified, and several can be tied to the renewal and re-use of features, structures, and pueblo space. Other ritual closure deposits serve to cover and seal off space, and based on the various colors of sediment, ash, and objects used in the creation of elaborately layered structure and feature fill, the deposits are suggestive of conservation efforts that are connected to traditional Hopi cosmology, color symbolism, and religious ideology. Still other ash closure deposits may have been an element of ritual purification. A large number of plants have prominent roles in traditional Hopi ritual practices. This study specifically explores the plant taxa that are present within the six reoccurring ash closure deposit types, and Hopi ethnography and recent collaborative efforts are used to draw inferences between past and the present plant uses. The closure deposits are compared amongst each other, as well as against non-ritual deposits in an attempt to define patterns of plant use and ritual behavior.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/613525 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Miljour, Heather J. |
| Contributors | Adams, E. Charles, Ferguson, T. J., Adams, Karen R. |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Electronic Thesis |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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