Archaeology Southwest, Vol. 16, No. 3

The site of Casa Malpais, resting on a basalt bench overlooking the Little Colorado River. Photograph © Adriel Heisey.

The site of Casa Malpais, resting on a basalt bench overlooking the Little Colorado River. Photograph © Adriel Heisey.Summer 2002

The Upper Little Colorado River Region
Andrew Duff, Washington State University

From its headwaters high in the White Mountains and along the slopes of the Mogollon Rim and the Continental Divide, the Little Colorado River and its major tributaries weave through lush valleys to join the Colorado River near the Grand Canyon – the place of Hopi and Zuni emergence.

The upper Little Colorado River region possesses a rich archaeological heritage that documents the arrival and departure of thousands of Pueblo people. Zuni and Hopi oral histories relate connections to many of the region’s latest prehistoric sites. Archaeologist Frank Hamilton Cushing sought to establish this affiliation through excavation, exploring the links beaten Zuni oral history and ancestral sites. His pioneering research inspired many archaeologists to investigate similar issues and to ask new questions of the region’s archaeological record.

Researchers have long noted the broadly shared material traits among sites in the Little Colorado River watershed, but what is intriguing is the variability in the material culture assemblages over relatively short distances. In part, the region’s topography and environment constrained settlement and corridors of interaction, creating both insular groups of integrated communities and points of departure for connections with neighboring populations. An understanding of the connections forged among this diverse cast of residents in prehistory provides critical insights into how the Hopi and Zuni became the two enduring, distinct social groups in the Western Pueblo area. Although we bring contemporary concerns and tools to our research, Cushing’s fundamental questions about connections across time and space still weigh on the minds of contributors to this issue of Archaeology Southwest.

The upper Little Colorado River watershed continues to bring together people with different backgrounds. Some families have been in the area for generations. An influx of vacationers, retirees, and those seeking a different pace has increased the population in the region, accompanied by extensive subdivision of former ranch lands and shifts in local economies. These trends present both challenges and opportunities for native communities, archaeologists and preservation organizations. The region’s prehistoric resources remain vitally important to descendant Puebloan communities. Key locations are periodically revisited and traditional histories maintain the significance of ancestral homes and the locations of important past events. Finally, several archaeologists, institutions, tribes, and other entities are devoted to working together to ensure the long-term protection of the region’s heritage and to provide opportunities for people to learn about and experience the region’s past.

Issue Editor: Paul F. Reed

Articles Include:

  • History of Research in the Upper Little Colorado River Region – Keith Kintigh and Andrew Duff
  • Irrigation Canals – Patrick Lyons
  • Late Prehistoric Settlement in the Upper Little Colorado Region – Andrew Duff
  • Regional Opportunities and Local Partnerships – William H. Doelle
  • Paul Sidney Martin and Field Museum Excavations in Northern Arizona - Stephen E. Nash
  • Summer Research in the Little Colorado River Region – William A. Longacre
  • Images in Stone – Polly Schaafsma
  • Western Pueblo History and Land Use in the Upper Little Colorado River - T.J. Ferguson