New Trails for Old Shoes: Sandals, Textiles, and Baskets in Basketmaker Culture

Abstract

New research on Anasazi origins is augmented with data from sandals, baskets, and textiles collected at the time when Basketmaker culture was first defined by archaeologists. Relationships among decorative style, technology, and social processes are examined. We discuss (1) the distribution of technological and stylistic features of baskets and textiles to address the question of Anasazi origins, and (2) ways archaeologists can approach an understanding of the artistic expression of social identities by contrasting Basketmaker II and Basketmaker III baskets, textiles, and sandals.