Analysis of Walnut Canyon and Wupatki National Monument Archeological Animal Bones

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During the Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 semesters, approximately 6,500 individual zooarchaeological (animal bone) specimens excavated from Walnut Canyon and Wupatki National Monuments and stored at the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA) in Flagstaff will be analyzed by a Northern Arizona University (NAU) zooarchaeology professor and three (3) college students at NAU, Department of Anthropology, Faunal Analysis Laboratory. These animal bones were collected from various archeological sites at Walnut Canyon and Wupatki by archeologists during excavation and testing projects beginning in the 1930s and up until 2000. Although limited segments of this collection have been analyzed over time (most notably bird bones), there has been no systematic analysis of the collection as a whole. This has resulted in a situation where monument staff and visitors have an incomplete picture of which animals were present and utilized at the monuments in the late 1100s. In addition, past analysis efforts did not consider cut marks found on bones. The zooarchaeology professor will train three (3) students to analyze the bones and record such data as taxonomic identification, element, element portion, symmetry, bone modifications, and evidence for age and sex. In addition to the analysis, the professor and students will write a professional report and a layperson summary that the FLAG ATR will link to the Wupatki website. The FLAG ATR, who is also the FLAG Museum Curator in charge of these collections, will supply the bones for analysis and their corresponding catalog records. The FLAG ATR will also organize and lead a field trip for the professor and three (3) students to the sites where the zooarchaeological specimens were excavated. This research and teaching project provides an unprecedented opportunity for youth, monument staff, and the public to better understand animal exploitation strategies at Walnut Canyon and Wupatki during the late 1100s. The three (3) students will create professional posters pertaining to which animals were present in the 1100s at Walnut Canyon and Wupatki and how they were utilized. These posters will be displayed at the Walnut Canyon and/or Wupatki Visitor Centers and at a poster session at a professional archeological conference. The professor and students will also present a Powerpoint on their findings to monument staff. The training of three (3) students in zooarcheological analysis and reporting, and making collections information more accessible to monument staff, their peers, and the public fulfills the public purpose of this project. Click here to enter the project abstract.

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