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Anasazi Community

The Anasazi were an 'egalitarian' culture, meaning that everyone in the tribe had equal status and equal rights. The village ( or residents of a particular cliff dwelling ) was divided into clans which are groups of families related through the female line. This societal structure is termed MATRILINEAL. Fields for farming were allocated to each clan, who then separated this into plots for each household. The men therefore, farmed land that belonged to his wife's clan. Sections of the cliff dwelling were also segregated according to these clans. Thus, the houses belonged to the women, and most of the maintenance and decorating of the houses was their responsibility. Although each clan had a separate section of the dwelling, villagers shared many features of the cliff dwelling, including the open courtyards, roads, refuse heaps and ceremonial kivas.

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Marriage

Marriage within a clan (or kin group) was strictly taboo and any marriage had to be approved by the elders of each clan. To begin the negotiations of a marriage, the boy's family had to take a gift to the desired matches family. If the marriage was agreed upon by each clan, the following morning the girl had to undertake a series of tests.

For four continuous days, the girl must grind corn in front of the boys mother, in order to prove that she could complete this important task. If the amount of cornmeal produced in those four days was sufficient, then the marriage could proceed. Otherwise, the arrangement was called off.

If successful, the girls family was then required to build a house (simply an extension from her family's room) in which the new couple could live. During this time, the boy would usually leave on a trading mission to secure some gifts for his future wife.

After the wedding, the boy became a member of his wife's clan and took instruction from his father-in-law or one of his uncles, rather than members of his family clan.

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Trade

Mesa Verde's economy was more complex than might appear at first glance. Even within a small agricultural community, there undoubtedly were persons more skilled than others at weaving or leather-working or making pottery, arrowpoints, jewelry, baskets, sandals, or other specialized articles. Their efficiency gave them a surplus, which they shared or bartered with neighbors. This exchange went on between communities too. Seashells from the coast, turquoise, pottery, and cotton from the south were some of the items that found their way to Mesa Verde, passed along from village to village or carried by traders on foot over a far-flung network of trails.

Text downloaded from: http://www.mesaverde.org/mvnp/info/p7.html

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Work


Grinding bins

Each season had a particular meaning and specific duties that had to be carried out. Spring was "the season of new life" and the major work carried out during this time was the repair and redecoration of the houses. This was usually carried out by the women, who would also supervise all of the tasks.

Houses were generally decorated with a this layer of clay mud ( yellow, red, grey, brown or white) which was spread onto the walls with their hands. Decorations generally consisted of hand prints, animals or geometric designs, and this task was done by the women. See Rock Art for more information on the artistic endeavours of the Anasazi.

Summer was the season of 'growth and development.' This was an easy time for the Anasazi, with little season specific work to be carried out. The main concern of the summer was the water supply, with the community having to conserve water in case a drought followed. Therefore, pottery was seldom made at this time, because the water for this task cannot be spared. The men had to continually watch the crops, to save them from being scavenged by wild animals. Usually in mid summer, (July on Colorado) the seasonal rains fell. The crops also had to be tended carefully at this time to minimise the damage done by the downfall.

Autumn , 'season of ripening and harvest' was a busy time for the Anasazi, with the crops being harvested and spread on the roofs of the dwellings for drying. Most of this was stored in the storage rooms, located in the back of the dwelling. These stores were carefully conserved, and were usually plentiful enough for the village to survive for three years should there be a drought and failing crops. Wild grasses and plants were also collected and stored this way.

After the harvest, the men would go out in hunting parties for wild game. These were then skinned, the meat stored away for winter and the skin and fur used for clothing. Feather blankets were also woven in preparation for winter.

Winter brought with it 'sorrow and death' for the Anasazi. There was much less activity in this season, although hunting continued. Many died during this time from the weather. The men would spend most of their time in the Kivas, that were decidedly warmer than the living space.

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Tools

The Anasazi were a stone-age people, without metal of any kind. They skillfully shaped stone, bone, and wood into a variety of tools for grinding, cutting, pounding, chopping, perforating, scraping, polishing, and weaving. They used the digging stick for farming, the stone axe for clearing land, the bow and arrow for hunting, and sharp-edged stones for cutting. They ground corn with the metate and mano and made wooden spindle whorls for weaving. From bone they fashioned awls for sewing and scrapers for working hides. They usually made their stone tools from stream cobbles rather than the soft sandstone of the cliffs.

Text downloaded from http://www.mesaverde.org/mvnp/info/p5.html

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Food

The three main staples of the Anasazi diet (in the Pueblo III stage) were corn, beans and squash, which they FARMED on the Mesa tops. They also hunted - using traps, snares and bow and arrow - small game animals such as chipmunks, squirrels, rats, deer and mountain sheep. Turkeys also became domesticated for their feathers, thus turkey meat was also common place. The men did most of the hunting and farming, while the women collected the wild plants; saltbush, wild onions, juniper berries and such, and prepared the meals. The Anasazi had two basic meals a day (similar to a late breakfast and an early dinner) and this generally consisted of cornbread and a stew.

Before eating a meal, a selection of food was thrown into the fire (by the man of the household) as an offering to the gods.

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Basketry

The finest Anasazi baskets were produced at an early stage of their culture before they learned how to make pottery. Using the spiral twilled technique, they wove handsomely decorated baskets of many sizes and shapes and used them for carrying water, storing grain, and even cooking. They waterproofed their baskets by lining them with pitch and cooked in them by dropping heated stones into the water. The most common coiling material was split willow but some times rabbitbrush or skunkbush was used. After the introduction of pottery about A.D. 550, basketry declined. The few baskets found here from the classic period are of inferior workmanship.

Text downloaded from: http://www.mesaverde.org/mvnp/info/p8.html

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