Artifacts

Grade 8A.Koresh

Navajo, Casa Grande Ruins, and Poverty Point

What is an Artifact?

According to Merriam Webster an artifact is something created by humans usually for a practical purpose, especially an object from a particular period such as Navajo, Casa Grande, and Poverty Point.

A pot from Casa Grande

Navajo is located in Arizona

Casa Grande Ruins is located in Arizona

Poverty Point is located in Northern Louisiana

Navajo People

•Called themselves “Dine” or “The people”•Lived in the area for 400 year•Spanish explores called them “Apache de Navajo” which means “Apache of the Cultivated Fields”•Today about 165,000 people live there•Nation governed by an elected tribal council chairman•Council made up of representatives by the various districts•Community divided up by chapters•In heavily populated areas people have meetings/activities in houses•Have always been democratic with no leader

Window Rock, Arizona•Capital of Navajo nation•Today people enjoy drawing or taking pictures of the land•Years ago that would not have been tolerated•Today people ask permission•If no permission is asked the person drawing or taking the picture is fined

Navajo Art•Extraordinary artists•Women wove beautiful blankets that expressed warmth, earth colors, and unique designs•Designs depicted earth like patterns or spiritual figure•Traditionally made•Jewelry should exhibit natural metal and stones•Pottery designs should display proportion and balance•Weaving should reflect quality, balance, and design•Baskets should be woven with natural material

Navajo Art

rugsand art drawing

jewelry

Navajo Art Continued

blanket

jewelry

rug

People of Casa Grande•Called the Sonoran People•Descended from an early hunting/gathering “Archaic” culture in 5,500 BP•Stop hunting and gathering and introduced corn and other agriculture•Took time to adapt to dry climate•By 300 present the people developed “red-on-buff” potter•Brought water from farther distances with the use of canals Red-on-buff pottery

Plants Sonoran People Domesticated

•Corn•Squash•Beans•Cactus Fruit•Pods•Buds•Agave Hearts•Mesquite Beans•Medicinal Creosale Bush

Cactus Fruit

Local Game At Casa Grande•Birds•Squirrels•Rabbits•Snakes•Lizards•Fish•Clams•Mule•Big Horn Sheep Big Horn Sheep

Items Traded to Sororan People •Turquoise

•Pottery•Pinyon Nuts•Volcanic Glass•Sea Shells•Copper Bells•Iron Pyrite Mirrors• Parrots

Pinyon Nuts

Items Sororan People Traded to Other Communities

•Crops•Shell Jewelry•Pottery•Irrigation System

Shell Jewelry

Sororan History•Invented a ball game with courts and rubber balls•First used pit houses•Then found a concrete like mixture and made rectangular houses called caliche•By 1100 present platforms mounds were built•Villages were organized•Caliches were built in compounds and that is what Casa Grande looks like today•Casa Grande was built in 1300•Well organized building, required lots of material, and corroboration

Population Downfall in Casa Grande

•Drought•Flood•Disease•Invasion•Earthquakes•Internal Strife•Salty Farmland

Modern Day Casa Grande

Casa Grande Art

Caliche-flat house

compound

Pot

Necklace

Poverty Point•Located in lower Mississippi Valley of Louisiana•Near Gulf Coast and the convergence of six rivers•Large and influential•Was the example for many other places•Earth moving to shape the land began around 1500 B.P.•Structure built and enlarged for several years•Finally done at 1,000 B.C.•Aisle like areas served as living areas•Mound A is the largest and measures to 70 feet•Mound A is shaped similar to a bird

Mound A

Poverty Point Artifacts•Chipped Stone Projectiles•Tools•Stone Plummets•Gorgets•Vessels•Shell and Stone Beads•Hand Molded Clay Figurines•Cooking Balls

•Ornaments•Thick Walled Pottery•Spear Points•Adzes•Hoes•Drills•Perforators•Animal Figurines

Beads and Animal Figurines

Projectiles, Spear Points, and Beads

Imported Minerals and Rocks•Cherts•Soapstone•Hermantite•Magnetite•Slate•Galena•Copper•Many Others

Chert