Archaeologists excavating the Honanki cliff dwelling site west of Sedona have unearthed a lot of neat stuff since they began work in 1999.
And, as is the accepted practice, each item was tagged or bagged. The exact location of its discovery was recorded, as was information on what it was and who found it.
And if the items were of significant interest -- if in the estimation of the archaeologist it warranted further examination and analysis -- it would be given a field specimen number.
Honanki has proven to be a rich trove of field specimens. Peter Pilles, lead archaeologist for the Coconino National Forest, calls Honanki the most significant site for artifact retrieval in the Verde Valley.
Jewelry, tools, projectile points, baskets and pottery were unearthed, in abundance. A hoard of woven fabric, the quality and quantity of which had never been found at a site in Arizona, was also uncovered.
"Before we began excavation of Honanki, we had about 25 examples of Sinaguan fabric, most of it from Montezuma Castle. We have found over 200 examples at Honanki alone," Pilles said.
In the end, as is the case with most of the neat stuff found in the Verde Valley, the collection was boxed up and sent elsewhere. In this case, it was put in storage with the Coconino National Forest in Flagstaff.
Last week a portion of the field specimens from Honanki, along with some other neat stuff found elsewhere in the Verde, was brought back to the valley and out of the box for a second look.
But perhaps most significant, seven of the field specimens will become exceptions to the rule -- the one that says what is found here goes elsewhere -- when they go on display at Tuzigoot National Monument's currently-being-remodeled museum, sometime in April.
The seven items include three examples of ancient fabric, a basket fragment, an agave knife, a string skirt and a ceramic pendant with some of the original cord attached.
At face value, the items don't look nearly as interesting as a two-inch tall ceramic figurine of a woman or some of the turquoise jewelry, also in the Honanki collection.
But, according to Pilles, the National Park Service requested the seven items because they are significant in understanding the ancient culture that once called the valley home.
"They all have a story to tell. What most of these items tell us is that there are links between the cultures of the Verde Valley and other cultures, some of which were contemporaneous to the Sinagua and some that are still around today," Pilles said.
One of the items headed to Tuzigoot is a piece of blue, tie-dyed fabric found at Honanki. According to Pilles, it is the same kind of fabric that was used by the elite of the Aztec culture in Mesoamerica.
"When I first saw it I thought it was a piece of someone's shirt, it was so well made. It turned out to be one of just eight pieces of this Mesoamerican style, blue tie-dyed fabric, found in the Southwest," Pilles said. "You can never say for sure if it was made here or brought here, but if it was brought here it would be a significant clue of the interaction between the people of the Verde Valley and the cultures of Mexico."
The lone basket fragment also appears insignificant, until it is placed next to a modern Hopi ring basket.
"They are remarkably similar. Similar enough that that it would indicate there is a connection across time with the Hopi," Pilles said.
The volunteers sorting through the many boxes of artifacts are from the Verde Valley Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society as well as the Verde Valley Archeology Center.
They will be analyzing and cataloguing items for the Coconino National Forest for at least the next two months.
"Everyone wants to excavate, but few are around when it comes time to catalogue what is found. To me, these volunteers are a godsend. Without them, this stuff might never make it out of the box," Pilles said.
Author:
Steve Ayers | Source: Verde Independent [February 15, 2011]