Sinagua
The Sinagua were a
Since fully developed Sinagua sites emerged in central Arizona around 650 CE, it is believed they migrated from east-central Arizona, possibly emerging from the Mogollon culture.[3]
Name
The name Sinagua was coined in 1939 by
Cultural phases
Colton also distinguished between two different Sinagua cultures. The Northern Sinagua were loosely centered in the highlands around Flagstaff, with
North Sinagua | Dates | Southern Sinagua | Dates |
---|---|---|---|
Cinder Park | 650–750 CE | Hackberry | 650–800 CE |
Sunset | 700–900 | Cloverleaf | 800–900 |
Rio de Flag | 900–1066 | Camp Verde | 900–1150 |
Angell-Winona | 1066–1100 | ||
Padre | 1100–1150 | 1100–1150 | |
Elden Pueblo | 1150–1250 | Honanki | 1150–1300 |
Turkey Hill site | 1250–1300 | ||
Clear Creek | 1300–1400 | Tuzigoot |
1300–1400[3] |
Subsistence
The Sinagua economy was based on a combination of hunter-gatherer foraging and subsistence agriculture. They hunted a variety of game from antelope, bear, rabbit, to turtles and ducks.[4]
They used
Sinagua farmers cultivated maize beginning in the eighth century. They learned irrigation techniques from their southern Hohokam neighbors and added beans and squash to their crops.[4] The 1064 and 1066 eruptions of Sunset Crater covered the area in ash, which greatly enriched the soil for farming.[1][5]
Around 700 CE, they became active in the region's long-distance trade which reached the Gulf of California and Mesoamerica. They traded their baskets and woven cotton cloth for copper, macaws, marine shells, salt, and rare pigments.[2][4]
Settlements
Early Sinagua sites consist mostly of large
Besides ceremonial
The last known evidence of Sinagua occupation for any site comes from
Art and material culture
Known as Alameda Brown Ware, their plain pottery was built using the paddle-and-anvil method. Their clay was grey or brown, tempered with crushed potsherds, and painted with buff, brown, and red slips.[1]
They carved with imported red argillate.[2]
Migration and cultural shifts
Sinagua peoples left the Verde Valley by the early 15th century.
Descendants
Several contemporary
Melanie O'Brien, acting manager of the National
Evidence demonstrating continuity between the people of the Verde Valley during A.D. 1125–1425 and the Hopi Tribe includes archaeological, anthropological, linguistic, folkloric, and oral traditions. Ceramic vessels made only on the Hopi mesas are found at the sites and are similar to items made by historic and modern Hopi people. Additionally, plain woven and painted textiles, coiled basketry, and woven matting are similar to items made and used by modern Hopi people. Living Hopi clan members also have ancestral names and traditional stories about specific events and people at each site.[6]
Cliff dwellings of the Sinaguas
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Montezuma Well is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, reference #66000082.
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Cliff dwellings of the Sinagua people.
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Close up view of the cliff dwellings of the Sinagua people.
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Diorama showing how the pre-Columbian Sinagua people may have lived in Montezuma Castle,
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Sinaguapithouse, from 1050 CE. Two largest holes in the dirt floor held the timber roof supports. The holes around the edge reveal the outline of the structure.
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Ruins of a Sinagua house.
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Historic view of the Sinagua cliff dwelling at Montezuma Castle National Monument, 1887
Notes
- ^ a b c d e "Sinagua". Logan Museum of Anthropology. Beloit College.
- ^ a b c d "The Sinagua". Anthropology Laboratories of Northern Arizona University. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ a b c d Gibbon 770
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Linoff, Lindsay (1998). "The Sinagua People of Montezuma Castle". Mesa Community College. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ Gibbon 771
- ^ a b O'Brien, Melanie (1 April 2015). "Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Camp Verde, AZ". Federal Register. 80 (62). National NAGPRA: 17, 477–17, 479. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
References
- Gibbon, Guy, ed. (1998). Archaeology of Prehistoric Native America: An Encyclopedia. New York: Taylor & Francis. p. 770. ISBN 978-0815307259.
See also
- Desert farming, present-day applications of non-irrigated farming by Native Americans of the southwestern United States
- Ancient Pueblo peoples
- Hohokam
- Mogollon
- Oasisamerica