Archaeology Notebook

Transcription

1 Project Archaeology: Investigating Shelter Series No. 5 Investigating a Rock Shelter Investigating a Rock Shelter Archaeology Notebook Name of Student Archaeologist In this investigation, you will use the environment, history, and archaeology to learn about a Ute (pronounced yoot) rock shelter and the people who lived there. The site is called the Red Army Rock Shelter. You will look at drawings and read the histories they tell about their past. You will make a map of an archaeological site and classify artifacts. You will infer how the environment of the Great Basin shaped the rock shelter. You will use what you learned to plan and draw a modern or futuristic shelter that uses ideas from the rock shelter. In a final composition, you will report what you learned. 1

2 Investigating a Rock Shelter Part One: Geography Archaeology Notebook You are an archaeologist. Your question is: How can investigating a rock shelter help us understand the Ute people and their culture? Investigation Activities 1. Read a biography of Clifford Duncan Meet Clifford Duncan, a Ute Tribal Elder (page 3). 2. With the whole class, estimate the size of a rock shelter (teacher led). 3. Read Environment of the Red Army Rock shelter (pages 4-5). 4. Complete Environment of the Red Army Rock shelter: Analyzing the Data (page 6). Data Sources A biography of Clifford Duncan (page 3). The article Environment of the Rock Shelter (pages 4-5). WORD BANK ancestors: a person from whom one is descended; mother, father, grandmother, or grandfather. biography: history of a person s life as told by another person ceremony: a formal act done in honor of an event or special occasion cultural: of or related to culture culture: the customs, beliefs, laws, ways of living, and all other results of human work and thought that belong to people of the same society rock shelter: a wide, but shallow cave; a protected area created by a rock overhang; provided a natural shelter for living sacred: revered by a group of people, holy spiritual: of or related to sacred matters 2

3 Meet Clifford Duncan, a Ute tribal Elder This is Mr. Clifford Duncan, a Ute elder. Mr. Duncan is a spiritual, or sacred, leader for his tribe. They are the White River Band of the Northern Ute. He lives in Roosevelt, Utah. Ute people often ask him to conduct special ceremonies. A ceremony is a formal act done in honor of an event or special occasion. An example is a blessing. Sometimes Mr. Duncan wears the traditional clothing of the Ute people. A tradition is an idea or way of doing things that people have done for a long time. He does this as a way to honor the Ute culture. He wears this clothing for very special celebrations. Mr.Clifford Duncan performing a ceremony. Photograph courtesy of the Daily Utah Chronicle. Mr. Duncan is an artist. He used to be a director of a Museum. In 2002 he took part in the Winter Olympics. He was part of the opening ceremony in Salt Lake City. Two hundred years ago, Clifford Duncan s ancestors used rock shelters for hunting camps. They were a place for vision quest (a personal journey to find an idea or dream to guide oneself through life) sites. Rock shelters gave temporary shelter from the rain, snow and wind. Rock shelters vary in size. Some are quite small and others are very large. 3 Mr. Clifford Duncan. Photograph courtesy of Sally McBeth.

4 Environment of the Red Army Rock Shelter Before you begin, write the state name inside the boundaries of each state on the map to the right. During past times, the Northern Ute lived in what we now call Utah and Colorado. All of their food came from the land around them. The Ute relationship with the land and their love for it tied their culture closely to the earth and its abundance, says Clifford Duncan. The people who lived near the Red Army Rock Shelter hunted animals. Some were big game animals such as bison, deer, and elk. Others were smaller animals such as coyotes and rabbits. The Ute people gathered plants for food and other uses. These included juniper berries, serviceberry, yampah, silver buffaloberry, and prickly pear. They ate the berries and roots of the plants. They ate fresh berries or put them in soups. Sometimes they pounded the berries with bison or elk meat to make pemmican. The Utes ate fresh roots or cooked the roots in an earth oven. They also dried the roots or ground them into flour. They used prickly pear cactus to make glue and paint. However, they didn t use the cactus often as food. This is a drawing of a Bison. Drawing courtesy of the Bureau of Land Management The average rainfall near the rock shelter is 10 to 20 inches a year. Summers are cool. High temperatures range from 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. In the winter, temperatures drop to 10 to 20 degrees below zero. There are frequent sunny days in the winter. These would have made winter living more comfortable for the Utes. Today the Ute people live all over the United States. Many still live in northwestern Colorado. They work as teachers, lawyers, and doctors as well as in many other jobs. They honor their history by taking part in Ute cultural events. This is a drawing of a yampah plant. Drawing courtesy of the Bureau of Land Management. 4

5 Photograph of the landscape near Craig, Colorado. Photograph Courtesy of Erika Malo. Photograph of the landscape near Craig, Colorado. Photograph Courtesy of Erika Malo 5

6 Name Geographic Location of the Red Army Rock Shelter: Analyzing the Data 1. Where did the Ute live in earlier times? Do they still live in the same places today? 2. Draw a picture below that shows what the landscape of north-western Colorado looks like. Label each part of the landscape. 3. In degrees Fahrenheit, how cold can it get in the winter in this area? In degrees Fahrenheit, how hot does it get in the summer? What is the average rainfall each year? How does that compare with the average rainfall where you live? 4. What type of shelter would be needed for the hottest and coldest temperatures? What type of shelter would be needed for the rain, wind and snow? 6

7 Investigating a Rock Shelter Part Two: History Archaeology Notebook You are an archaeologist. Your question is: How can investigating a rock shelter help us understand the Ute people and their culture? Investigation Activities 1. Read the Rock Shelters in History (page 8). 2. Complete Rock Shelters in History: Analyzing the Data (page 9). 3. Examine Drawing of the Red Army Rock Shelter (page 10). 4. Complete Drawing of the Red Army Rock Shelter: Analyzing the Data (pages 11-12). 5. Brainstorm symbols (teacher led). 6. Read, Red Army Rock Art Interpretation by Clifford Duncan (page 14). 7. Read, Red Army Rock Art Analysis by Sally Cole (pages 15-16). Data Sources Articles, Rock Shelters in History by Kelly Pool and Clifford Duncan (page 8). Drawing of the Red Army Rock Shelter (page 10). Red Army Rock Art Panel (page 13). Red Army Rock Art Interpretation by Clifford Duncan (page 14). Red Army Rock Art Analysis by Sally Cole (pages 15-16). WORD BANK ochre: natural clay used for painting. It is often red, but can be yellow, green or brown. oral history: history that is passed by word of mouth within and between generations petroglyph: a design chiseled or chipped out of a rock surface pictograph: a design painted on a rock surface rock art: a general term for the pecking, incising, or painting of designs onto rock surfaces rock art panel: a group of pictograph and/or petroglyph figures symbol: something that stands for or represents something else 7

8 Rock Shelters and Archaeology By Kelly Pool, Archaeologist Kelly Pool is an archaeologist who works in northwestern Colorado. Kelly helped to excavate the Red Army Rock shelter site. Rock shelters provided dry places for people to live for a few days, months, or even for years. The rock shelters were warm in the winter or cool in the summer. People were out of the rain, sun, wind, and snow when they were inside the rock shelter. People who lived long ago also used rock shelters as a place to record important events. They drew on the walls of the shelter to tell about their lives. They used ochre or charcoal to draw on the walls. They would remember such a good shelter for generations. When people abandoned the rock shelter they left things behind. Dirt blew in and covered the artifacts. When the next group of people arrived they could not see the earlier artifacts. A layer of dirt covered the earlier artifacts. As the years passed the layers of dirt formed something like a layer cake in the rock shelter. Rock shelters are important to archaeologists. The rock shelters protect the separate layers in the shelter. When archaeologists investigate the shelter they can learn a lot about the people who lived there. Rock shelters are dry and protected from wind, rain, and snow. Rain and snow do not enter the rock shelter, so the artifacts do not decay. Rock shelters preserve the artifacts and the rock art people left behind. This makes it possible to figure out what people made and ate while they were living in the shelter. How Rock Shelters Were Used by the Ute People Oral History by Clifford Duncan In the past, the Ute people used rock shelters for protection from the elements. The rock shelter was a gift from nature, because it provided shelter from rain, snow, and storms. The relationship the Ute have with the land is an understanding or respect for nature. Some rock shelters were used overnight. Some were used longer. It all depended on the type of activities in which these people were involved at the time. So, if a hunter was in the area and it happened to be raining or the hunter needed a place to stay, they would go to these places. These people already knew about the rock shelters in their area. It is not something that they happened upon. They knew about the rock shelters since they lived there. They had been living there for thousands of years. So all of these places are landmarks or known places. 8

9 Name Ute Rock Shelter: Analyzing and Interpreting the Data 1. Explain how and why the Ute people used rock shelters. 2. After the Ute people left a camp in the rock shelter, what was left behind? 3. Why are rock shelters important to archaeologists? 9

10 Drawing of the Red Army Rock Shelter 10

11 Name Drawing of the Red Army Rock Shelter: Analyzing the Data Examine the drawing of the rock shelter and answer the following questions. Observing and Collecting Data 1. List the objects you see in the drawings. 2. What are the people doing in the drawing? 3. What time of year do you think this drawing shows? What time of day? 11

12 Analyzing and Interpreting the Data 1. Why do you think the drawing was made? 2. What does this drawing tell you about the past? What is your evidence? 3. What questions do you have about the drawing? 4. How could you get more information to answer your questions? 12

13 Red Army Rock Shelter Rock Art Panel 13

14 Red Army Rock Art Interpretation Oral History by Clifford Duncan The location of the Red Army Rock Shelter is the center of the place where the Ute people were living. They could go north, east, west, south and still congregate there. That area probably was related to some of their spring activities where they did dances. The rock art panel depicts a spring celebration and it is related to spirits and those were in the back to the far right. The men on the other side are represented by the shields. They are facing the women who are on this side. The women are the stick people, and they don t have shields. They are doing the Bear Dance, that s what it is. They are standing towards each other and that s how we do it, we still have that Bear Dance today. So they are facing each other and that is why there is a lot of them there. Women and men lined up for Bear Dance at the Uintah Reservation.in Photograph courtesy of the Colorado Historical Society. There are two animals on the lower portion of the panel. I think one of them is a bear. The bear is chasing the otter. There is an otter there on the bottom. The bear is related to that spirit animal that created the bear dance. The Utes consider the bear to be its older relative and the older relative takes care of the Ute. Symbols like the bear paw actually tells you that there were Utes there. No matter where it is, if there is a bear paw on a petroglyph it s a Ute sign. The pictographs were painted in red ochre, probably because it was available. Red ochre is a protective medicine according to how we believe. It protects people, so if I m going to a place where there are ceremonies I will put red paint on myself either by the eye or maybe under my shirt. This protects me and guides me as I m going to be moving from here into a strange land. That is how these people were protected or connected to the mother earth, with that red paint. 14

15 Red Army Rock Art Analysis by Sally Cole Sally Cole is an archaeologist who lives in Colorado and studies rock art found throughout Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona. People who lived hundreds of years ago made red paintings, white paintings, and petroglyphs at the Red Army site. They made pictures of humans, a bear, and a deer or elk. The rock art is openly displayed within the rock shelter and along the cliff on either side of the shelter. It communicated ideas and showed events, stories, and histories. Because the rock art was exposed, it was probably viewed by the public men, women, and children. It was also a backdrop for those who lived in the rock shelter. Archaeologists study rock art by observing if it was made by pecking or painting. They try to find out how old it is by looking for evidence of layering. That is when painted or pecked figures overlay one another. At the Red Army site, smaller red-painted figures overlay older petroglyphs (Pictures 1 and 2). Archaeologists group rock art by type. Examples of groups are small painted figures or large pecked figures or simple shapes such as squares and circles. Archaeologists compare these groups from different archaeological sites to learn where people were at different times and what their lives might have been like. Picture 1. White figure with arms outstretched and red painted figures. The two larger (15-20 inches tall) figures in Picture 1 and Picture 2 are thought to represent ceremonial practices, possibly vision quests. These figures are pecked and painted white. The large figure in Picture 1 has large round eyes and arms outstretched. The largest figure in Picture 2 has one upraised arm. Archaeologists think they were made more than 1000 years ago. These figures are attributed to Shoshonean peoples. The people who made the rock art were probably the ancestors of the Eastern Shoshone who live on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming today. Picture 2. Pecked figure with one arm raised and red painted figures. 15

16 The red painted figures were made about 200 years ago (A.D. 1800) by the Ute people. This rock art may be a record of an important event involving warriors or the entire group. It is designed to tell a story and involves a lot of detail and action. The pictures include rows of small, red stick-figures combined with shield-figures (4-8 inches tall). The archaeological site was named for this red army of figures. It is possible that the figures with the shields represent men while those without shields are females. Some may be children because they are shorter than others. Items that resemble bows, spears, feathered poles, and a few bent-sticklike forms that may be rifles are also shown. At least one of the stick figures wears a single-horn headdress. This person may have had a higher rank in the group. By studying the rock art, archaeologists know that people visited the Red Army Rock shelter for more than 1,000 years. The rock art is very well made and probably shows important events or ceremonies. Archaeologists think the rock art was meant to communicate a story or the history of the group. 16

17 Investigating a Rock Shelter Part Three: Archaeology Archaeology Notebook You are an archaeologist. Your question is: How can investigating a rock shelter help us understand the Ute people and their culture? Investigation Activities 1. With the whole class, discuss Footprints of Shelters (page 18). 2. Review Map of the Red Army Rock Shelter and Map of the Red Army Rock Shelter Site (pages 20-21). 3. Construct a Quadrant Map in each group, and complete Quadrant of the Red Army Rock Shelter Site: Analyzing the Data (page 22). 4. Discuss the data and your conclusions with the whole class (teacher led). 5. Review How an Archaeological Site is Formed (page 23). Data Sources Footprints of Shelters (page 18). Map of the Red Army Rock Shelter (page 20). Map of the Red Army Rock Shelter Site (page 21). How an Archaeological Site is Formed (page 23). WORD BANK archaeological site: a place where people lived and left objects behind archaeology: the scientific study of past human cultures through artifacts and sites 17

18 Footprints of Shelters Archaeological footprint of a modern house Archaeological footprint of an Earthfast house Archaeological footprint of a rock shelter Archaeological footprint of a Tipi 18

19 Footprint of a Rock Shelter The Ute people lived in northwestern Colorado 1000 years ago. Sometimes they camped in shelters called rock shelters. The remains of their campsites in rock shelters have lasted to the present. They are the footprints and artifacts of the campsites. They are archaeological sites. In this part of the investigation you will study a map of a rock shelter archaeological site. This is a real site. Scientists excavated or dug it in Colorado in This is a large site. When archaeologists studied this site, they divided it into sections. They assigned a different team to each section. Today your class is a group of archaeologists. You will study the site in teams like they did. The map of the site is divided into four parts called quadrants. Each team will investigate one part of the site. Since we have more than four teams in the classroom, several teams will study the same quadrant. 19

20 Map of the Red Army Rock Shelter 20

21 N 21

22 Name Quadrant of a Rock Shelter Site: Analyzing the Data 1. Write the quadrant location you are investigating. 2. Use the circles below to put your artifacts in groups. Give each group a name and then count the artifacts. Category 1 Category 2 Number of Artifacts Number of Artifacts Category 3 Category 4 Number of Artifacts Number of Artifacts 3. Express the information above (number 2) as a bar graph or pie chart. Use separate graph paper if necessary. 4. Based on your observations and your artifact groups, write down two or more ideas about how the rock shelter was used. 5. Observe the complete archaeological map of the rock shelter site. Do your conclusions change after seeing the entire rock shelter? Do you have different ideas about how the Ute lived? If so, write your new conclusions. (Use another page). 22

23 How an Archaeological Site is Formed When the Ute and other American Indians moved their camps, fire hearths and artifacts were typically left behind. Many years later, archaeologists find these hearths and artifacts preserved in the ground. People began using the Red Army Rock Shelter many years ago. Over the years, people used the rock shelter in many different ways. Some used it as a hunting camp. Some used it as a temporary shelter to get out of the rain. Some used it as a place to live for years at a time. Within the past 100 years, the rock shelter was not used as frequently as it was in the past. Plants grew up around the outside of the rock shelter and the wind blew soil over the hearths and artifacts. The rock art on the walls began to fade. 23

24 Investigating a Rock Shelter Part Four: Today Archaeology Notebook You are an archaeologist. Your question is: How can investigating the rock shelter help us understand the Ute people and their culture? Investigation Activities 1 Read The Rock Shelter Today by Clifford Duncan (page 25). 2. Read Preserving Rock Art Sites (page 26). Data Sources The Rock Shelter Today by Clifford Duncan (page 25). Preserving Rock Art Sites (page 26). WORD BANK preserve: to maintain intact, to protect from injury or harm 24

25 The Rock Shelter Today by Clifford Duncan Rock shelter sites are still important to the Ute people today. A small group of Ute people still make ceremonial offerings to areas that hold special meaning, like rock shelters. When I visit these special places I put an offering of either tobacco or whatever the place requires. I am still connecting to that special place, and our ceremonies are still alive because of that. No matter where the site is, if it s in a land where the Ute were many years ago we are still connected to that land and are still holding on to that. The Indian people never gave up their spiritual connection to the land. There is nothing written in treaties that says Indian people cannot visit these special places, and remember the spiritual connections. They took the land, but not the other part, the spiritual part. They forced Indians to sign treaties which they did not understand. But, the other part they understood; the spiritual part. That is why we are still connected to the land and the special places on the land like rock shelters. I am still connected to the land. When we have dances we reflect on that and say this is how we were and this is how we are going to be. 25

26 Preserving Rock Art Sites In America we are fortunate to have many fine examples of rock art. Our past, however, is threatened by people who vandalize rock art panels. Destroying rock art has several harmful results. First of all, it destroys data, the evidence of people who lived here before us. Secondly, vandalizing sites is hurtful to American Indian people. Rock art sites represent part of their spiritual and cultural legacy. To destroy these places can be the equivalent to someone vandalizing your home, church or cemetery. Finally, people who destroy rock art sites steal from all of us the opportunity to appreciate other cultures. Protecting Rock Art Sites: Things Not To Do 1. Touching rock art with your hand can harm it. 2. Making paper rubbings or tracings may crumble the rock art 3. Making latex molds of rock art should only be done by professionals if the rock art is going to be destroyed by construction or development 4. Bulding fires nearby can cause serious damage from smoke and high temperature 5. Taking it home. Some selfish people steal rock art by using rock saws and chisels. 6. Chalking is harmful to the rock art, and makes it impossible to use new methods of dating the figures. 7. Re-pecking or re-painting a difficult-to-see image. 8. Defacement. Insensitive people often paint their names over rock art, or shoot bullets at it. Defacement is a sign of disrespect for other cultures. 9. Tunnel Vision. People like rock art so much, they often forget to watch where they are walking and may trample or damage important artifacts. (Adapted from Hurst and Packak, 1989, pp ) 26

27 Investigating a Rock Shelter Assessment Archaeology Notebook You are an archaeologist. Your question is: How can investigating the rock shelter help us understand the Ute people and their culture? Assessment Activities 1. Write a final composition. 2. Complete the Bringing the Past into the Future activity by drawing a present day or futuristic house based on the rock shelter design. WORD BANK performance standard: basis for measuring your work 27

28 Final Composition After archaeologists investigate an archaeological site, they report their findings to other archaeologists or to the public. You will write an essay that answers the question: What can we learn about the Ute people from an archaeological study of the rock shelter? Introduction In the Introduction write one paragraph. State the question: What can we learn about the Ute people from an archaeological study of the rock shelter? In one or two complete sentences briefly list four things that can be learned about the Ute people through the rock shelter. If possible, choose one idea from each of the parts of the investigation (Geography, History, Archaeology, and the Rock Shelter Today). Body In the Body, write one paragraph for each of the four ideas listed in your Introduction. Include specific evidence from the investigation to support each of the ideas. Example: Archaeologists found lots of artifacts at the Red Army Rock Shelter Site. Artifacts tell what kinds of food the Ute people ate. Animal bones and teeth show that they hunted animals for food. Arrow points indicate that they probably hunted with bows and arrows. Stone scrapers show that they scraped things like hides to make clothing or bones to get all the meat off. Conclusion In the Conclusion, write one paragraph summarizing the four things that can be learned about the Ute people from studying the rock shelter. Performance Standards Introduction My introduction states the question and includes four things that can be learned about the Ute people by studying the rock shelter. Body The body of my essay contains one paragraph for each idea. The paragraph describes each idea and includes specific data or evidence. Conclusion My conclusion summarizes the four paragraphs in the body of the essay. 28

29 Bringing the Past Into the Future One way to honor history is to use ideas from the past to create useful and beautiful shelters now. For example, modern building designers use traditional American Indian symbols and functional shelter ideas to create buildings today. Drawing 1. Imagine you are going to design a present-day or a futuristic shelter using ideas from the Ute culture in your design. 2. Think back to all that you learned about the Ute people. Think about materials, shape, symbolism, and way of life. 3. Draw a modern day shelter that includes at least three ideas from the rock shelter, Ute people s beliefs, or way of life. 4. Label each idea from Ute history that you used. Performance Standards Ideas from Ute History - My drawing includes three ideas from the Ute rock shelter, Ute people s beliefs, and/or way of life. Design - My design looks like a present-day shelter or a shelter of the future. Lines and Labels - I labeled all three of my ideas. 29