Ancestral Lifeways of the Southwest (Field Semester)

This field course is an experiential immersion into the culture of ancient peoples of the present-day American Southwest.  We will explore migration patterns and creation stories of peoples in the region and the interactions amongst the cultural groups up to the time of Euro-American contact. We will explore aspects of culture including material culture, language, spirituality, and subsistence systems and their resulting lifeways.  We will visit ancient sites such as Montezuma’s Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments, as well as several unnamed sites of cultural significance to Tohon O’odham, Mogollon, Hohokam, Puebloan and several distinct Athabascan groups.  Simultaneously, we will manufacture material implements in the tradition of archaic and paleo southwestern peoples, including cordage, containers, packframes, baskets, firemaking tools, cutting edges, food procurement devices and preserved traditional foods and use these materials on field outings.