The Hohokam"Collapse"

The concept of societal collapse looms large in an archaeological context and yet, a singular variable as a means of causation remains elusive. Numerous models have been developed and applied to collapse. However, they are devoid of a conclusive causation. Collapse is not a product of a singular action or condition, but must be attributed to multiple variables. When they are applied in conjunction create a situation ripe for social instability. Rebecca M. Dean goes beyond the traditional ecological models of Hohokam collapse and analysis the role of hunting intensification prior to abandonment in the region of Southern Arizona by the middle of the 15^th century. In her paper Hunting intensification and the Hohokam “collapse”, she attempts to demonstrate that population decline is a product of economic intensification and poorer nutrition brought about by a shrinking resource base.

There have been numerous explanations for the decline of the Hohokam population by A.D. 1450. However, they tend to be firmly and solely rooted in ecological explanations: “catastrophic climate deterioration, the failure of crops due to draught, flood, climate change or salinization of fields” (Dean 2007:110). Even warfare as a possible cause of decline has its basis on the competition for a limited resource base due to environmental constraints. Dean views the gradual population decline of the Hohokam people as a product of demographic stressors in conjunction with ecological stressors on settlements and the landscape, which is visible in the archaeological record. The resulting economic intensification and poorer nutrition due to a lack of sustainable resources led to a decrease in fertility and a rise mortality that would eventually bring about the demise of the Hohokam people.

In order to maintain population and cultural stability within a group context, resource sustainability must be maintained. When evidence of resource stress and hunting intensification becomes apparent in faunal assemblages, there is an apparent degradation in the resource base. Rebecca Dean uses this as the foundation for her analysis of how hunting intensification and an investment in to diverse hunting strategies is a key indicator of resource instability, which directly leads to the “collapse” of the Hohokam populations.

The author bases her assertions on a database of 85 faunal assemblages from the entire Hohokam cultural region, which span the Early Agricultural through the Classic periods. In order to provide an adequate sample size, assemblages were required to contain at least 100 identifiable species in a village context and at least 50 in a logistical camp or farmstead site. All samples were located below 800 m in elevations to limit a disproportionate number of particular game species. Even excluding higher elevation, the author contends that the sample retains adequate environmental diversity. The fauna database was also limited to specimens that could be collected through ¼ in. screen. Dean notes that fish and bird specimens may not be recovered from the standard ¼ in. screen. Dean attests that fish remains were not common at Hohokam sites and that species of raptors were used as ritual burials, which greatly inflate their presence in the archaeological record. Rodent species also tend to be problematic, therefore only the larger species were used in the analysis.

The intent in not to analyze the quantity of small or large game in the assemblages, but rather determine diversification in hunting strategies through time. The assumption is that the greater the observed diversity, the greater the populations need to implore additional resources to sustain the group. Dean attests that a society would not undertake an investment in diverse hunting strategies unless there was a specific need for the community. She then divides the Hohokam hunting strategies into five categories, not by faunal type but rather, the strategic methods for hunting them. Prey species are also then divided into five categories based on the strategic methods for hunting them. The distribution of faunal remains within these groups is subjected to a diversity index of evenness. The higher the index value the greater the shift in the traditional hunting strategy of hunting lagomorphs (rabbits).

Based on the resulting indices created from the 85 faunal assemblages a clear pattern of diversification emerges through time. Dean’s interpretation of the index analysis is that by the Classis period tradition hunting strategies were no longer providing adequate food and that diverse hunting strategies had to be implored to provide subsistence for the population. It is noted however, that by the Classic period the population “may have been sufficiently aggregated to allow an additional strategy of resource intensification: the allocation of specialized labor to long-distance artiodactyl hunting” (Dean 2007:124). Areas of highest population density also sought out higher degrees of diversity in hunting strategies. These diverse strategies included an increased willingness to hunt small game, birds, aquatic animals, and artiodactyls in conjunction with traditional diet staples. The underlying nature of hunting diversification demonstrates a society on the brink. When ecological or social factors such as warfare come into play, societal collapse is only hastened.

Rebecca Dean’s article makes significant forays into understanding the greater complexity of societal collapse. By acknowledging that collapse is the result of numerous factors intertwining to produce a singular effect over an extended temporal period rather than an overreaching variable during a single generation, she lays the foundation for a deeper understanding of “collapse”. Unfortunately, the model she developed may be to generalized to retain validity under securitization. Dean acknowledges the flaws in her analysis, but asserts that because it has fewer assumptions to violate and relies less heavily on specific data it is more applicable on a regional scale. This may be true, but the lack of specificity creates broad generalization that may not be implicit in all cases. Therefore, the analyses Dean provides retains important implications on understand resource stresses and the effect on population densities and eventually societal collapse. However, Dean should acknowledge that generalizations may not provide enough to substantiate an irrefutable analysis on the Hohokam “collapse”.

By: Lucas Hoedl

References Cited

Dean, Rebecca M.

2007. Hunting intensification and the Hohokam “collapse”. Journal of Anthropological

Archaeology 26: 109-132.