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MINIATURE IN EVERYTHING BUT MEANING: A CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF MINIATURE VESSELS AT HOMOL'OVI I

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 December 2018

Samantha G. Fladd  and
Claire S. Barker
Samantha G. Fladd*
Affiliation:
School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, P.O. Box 210030, Tucson, AZ 85721-0030, USA; Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, 23390 Road K, Cortez, CO 81321, USA
Claire S. Barker
Affiliation:
Arizona State Museum, Room 217, P.O. Box 210026, Tucson, AZ 85721-0026, USA
*
(sgfladd@email.arizona.edu, corresponding author)
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Abstract

The most common explanations for the appearance of miniatures in the archaeological record are drawn from practice theory. Two alternatives stem from learning theories, while a third is based in ritual practice and performance. First, miniatures may represent early attempts at craft production by children or novice adults. Second, they could serve as children's toys used for enculturation purposes. Third, miniatures may be produced for use in rituals or as offerings. These explanations are not mutually exclusive; all may be part of the life history of a single artifact. Previous archaeological and ethnographic work on miniature ceramic vessels in the Southwest has variously supported all three prominent explanations. In this article, we examine the miniature vessel assemblage from Homol'ovi I, a prehispanic pueblo in northern Arizona, through a synthetic analysis of craft mastery, use, and deposition. While various life history trajectories are indicated, the miniature vessels at this ancestral Hopi village appear in similar depositional contexts. Specifically, these objects serve as important components in the preparation or closure practices of ritual spaces throughout the pueblo.

Las explicaciones más comunes para la presencia de miniaturas en el registro arqueológico se originan en la teoría de la práctica. Dos alternativas vienen de las teorías del aprendizaje, mientras la tercera se basa en la práctica ritual y la performance. En primer lugar, las miniaturas podrían representar intentos tempranos de la producción artesanal por niños o por novatos adultos. En segundo lugar, ellas podrían funcionar como juguetes de niños usados en prácticas enculturativas. En tercer lugar, las miniaturas podrían haber sido hecho para el uso ritual o como ofrendas. Estas explicaciones no son mutuamente excluyentes; todos podrían formar parte de la biografía de un solo artefacto. Estudios arqueológicos y etnográficos en las vasijas cerámicas miniaturas del suroeste de los estados unidos han apoyado las tres diferentes explicaciones prominentes. En este trabajo, nosotras examinamos la colección de vasijas miniaturas de Homol'ovi I, un pueblo prehispánico (de los ancestros de los hopis) en el norte de Arizona, a través de un análisis sintético de la maestría artesanal, el uso, y la deposición. Mientras se indican varias trayectorias biográficas, todas las vasijas miniaturas en este pueblo fueron depositados en contextos similares. Específicamente, estos objetos funcionan como componentes importantes en la preparación o la clausura de los espacios rituales a través del pueblo.

Type
Articles
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 84 , Issue 1 , January 2019 , pp. 107 - 126
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 by the Society for American Archaeology 

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