Prehistoric Indians of the SouthwestWormington, H. M. (Hannah Marie)
History
Prehistoric Indians of the Southwest
Wormington, H. M. (Hannah Marie)
Indians of North America -- Southwest, New -- Antiquities; Southwest, New -- Antiquities
To the east of the Largo country and on the other side of the
continental divide are found similar sites which represent the same
culture. This phase has been called the Gallina.[63] Both phases are
often considered together and referred to as the _Largo-Gallina_.
In the Gallina country there is the same combination of pit houses and
surface structures as in the Largo sites. Most sites are in good
defensive positions, but this is not true of all of them. Sites usually
consist of three or four house units grouped together, although single
houses also have been found. Most of these dwellings are towerlike
structures, square in outline but with rounded corners. They range from
eighteen to twenty feet in diameter and have walls still standing to a
height of from twelve to seventeen feet. These walls were
extraordinarily massive, being in some cases as much as six feet thick.
House interiors were characterized by flagstone floors and the wide use
of storage bins with sandstone covers. The bins were usually on the
south side. In most houses, there was an adobe bench encircling the
northern part of the room. Fine murals had been painted above the bench
in one house. On the whole, these structures resemble square kivas to
which bins have been added, although they were used as homes and not as
ceremonial chambers. Roofs consisted of a pole and adobe foundation with
flagstones providing a shingled effect. Entrance appears to have been
through the roof which, due to the great height of the buildings, must
have been reached by ladders or platforms. In addition to the towerlike
buildings there are also pit houses which are found in conjunction with
them.
Anasazi traits include twilled yucca sandals, coiled basketry,
feather-cloth, twined-bags, and black-on-white pottery. Axes,
shaft-smoothers, and pipes, resemble those found in Largo sites and the
cooking pots with the pointed bottoms are the same. Chisel-like objects
made of deer and elk antler and unusual stone knives were also found.
The latter were leaf-shaped blades with notches in the sides close to
the center. One end was pointed and the other somewhat blunted. It is
the latter end which seems to have been used while the pointed end was
hafted.
In general, the Largo-Gallina seems to be a Pueblo phase, probably
derived from the Rosa phase[41] of the Governador area, which was
subjected to foreign influences, probably from the north. Similarities
between Largo-Gallina and Navajo utility vessels may indicate some
relationship.
Athapaskan People
We may next consider the problem of the Navajos and Apaches who figured
so prominently in Southwestern history. They are relative newcomers in
the area and it is only within recent years that they have stirred the
interest of many archaeologists, although the Navajos have been
literally haunted by ethnologists for a long time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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