Marginalized by Choice—Kayenta Pueblo Communities in the Southwest (AD 800–1500)
Document Type
Book Section
Publication Date
2-18-2019
Publication Title
Bioarchaeology of Marginilized People
Publisher
Elsevier Science & Technology
Publisher Location
New York, NY
First page number:
115
Last page number:
132
Abstract
Remote and environmentally marginal, the Kayenta region in northeastern Arizona was originally referred to as a provincial backwater when compared to the more architecturally grand ceremonial and political centers that surrounded it. Archeologists suggest that Kayenta was marginalized from these centers because they do not show any of the trappings of exotic trade items, social stratification, or cultural innovations. However, those features that distinguish Kayenta from their contemporaries in other regions may have saved them from nutritional and bacterial diseases, trauma, and warfare. The bioarchaeological data show a generally robust, high-fertility population that was well-adapted and long-lived in the region. By intentionally embracing their marginalized status and inward-focused (but not insular) identity, they were healthier and free from warfare unlike their neighbors.
Keywords
Ancestral pueblo; Diet; Flexibility; Health; Kayenta
Disciplines
Social and Cultural Anthropology
Language
English
Repository Citation
Martin, D. L.
(2019).
Marginalized by Choice—Kayenta Pueblo Communities in the Southwest (AD 800–1500).
Bioarchaeology of Marginilized People
115-132.
New York, NY: Elsevier Science & Technology.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815224-9.00006-3