essay

The scream of the butterfly: competition and conflict in the prehistoric Southwest

themes in southwest prehistory • Santa Fe, Nm. • Published In 1994 • Pages: 211-238

By: Wilcox, David R., Haas, Jonathan, Gumerman, George J..

Abstract
Wilcox and Haas review the evidence for warfare, raiding, violence, and conflict in the Southwest from Basketmaker II to the Pueblo IV period and include the Anasazi, Basketmaker, Hohokam, and Mogollon traditions. Only the data that pertain to the Early Anasazi were indexed for OCM (Outline of Cultural Materials) codes. While there have been long periods of time with no evidence of conflict or warfare this can be contrasted with periods when sites have defensive locations, skeletal remains show evidence of violence, and warfare symbols, etc. appear in art. The authors also discuss who the enemy might have been and they favor internecine conflict. Architectural data, settlement patterns such as no-mans lands, artifacts such as weapons and shields, burned sites, skeletal evidence, and rock art are all examined for evidence of warfare. Lastly they discuss how other authors have been researching conflict and competition. They believe more research should be done to understand "the role of conflict or warfare in the evolution of Southwestern cultural systems. …[as it] can have rippling effects on many different aspects of cultural systems and the archaeological record. …[A] relatively low level of conflict does not necessarily translate into low societal impact." (page 235).
Subjects
War
Settlement patterns
Military installations
Weapons
Cannibalism
Ingroup antagonisms
tradition
Early Anasazi
HRAF PubDate
2012
Region
North America
Sub Region
Southwest and Basin
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Type
Archaeologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
Analyst
Sarah Berry: 2011
Field Date
not specified
Coverage Date
3000 BP-400 BP (1000 BC-AD 1600)
Coverage Place
Arizona, Colorodo, New Mexico, and Utah, United States
Notes
David R. Wilcox and Jonathan Haas
for bibliographical references see document 91:Gummerman
LCCN
93020323
LCSH
Indians of North America--Antiquities