Publication Date
Summer 2026
Abstract
This dissertation describes the close interactions of Ancestral Pueblo potters following ca. AD 1100 migrations from the Mesa Verde region to Chaco Canyon, thus demonstrating how people’s lives and identities adjusted in response to a new social situation. Based on a study of ceramics dating to the period of migration, in particular the Chaco-McElmo Black-on-white ceramic type, Chaco-area potters from different potting traditions interacted directly and indirectly, altering community of practice membership and community of identity affiliation. Data on habitual potting practices and decoration indicates that potters held onto their most conservative techniques but were otherwise flexible: immigrant potters adapted recipes to fit the environment, and local potters adorned pots with a new set of shared painted designs. These changes to practice and identity may have promoted a sense of community membership in a time of social and demographic turmoil. Human population movement, thus, prompts renegotiations of communities of practice and communities of identity.
Keywords
Chaco Canyon, pottery, Ancestral Pueblo, community of practice, identity
Document Type
Dissertation
Language
English
Degree Name
Anthropology
Level of Degree
Doctoral
Department Name
Anthropology
First Committee Member (Chair)
Patricia Crown
Second Committee Member
Wirt Wills
Third Committee Member
Hannah Mattson
Fourth Committee Member
Clarence Cruz
Fifth Committee Member
Suzanne Eckert
Recommended Citation
Woodhead, Genevieve. "Chaco-McElmo Black-on-white and the Effect of Local–Newcomer Interactions on Potting Practices in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, ca. AD 1100." (2026). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/anth_etds/265
Comments
Patricia Crown and W. H. Wills are co-chairs.