Archaeological Trails And Ethnographic Trails: Can They Meet?


Turtle Mountain

Publication: SCA Proceedings, Vol. 24

Author: Ruth Arlene Musser-Lopez & Steve Miller

Date of Publication: 2010

PDF File: Musser-Lopez-and-Miller-2010-ARCHAEOLOGICAL-TRAILS-AND-ETHNOGRAPHIC-TRAILS-CAN.pdf

Description


Compliance archaeology has tended to focus on specific locations of sites, while the broader landscape of traditional use areas, travel corridors, and places named in tradition is often overlooked. An opportunity for landscape-level analysis presented itself in a proposed large Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) open area adjacent to the Colorado River. While a continuous Salt Song Trail may not be physically manifest, researchers found evidence of a corridor including trail segments, stacked rock features (“prayer shrines”), and short-term camps. When taken into consideration with prehistoric events and places named in ethnographies and current traditional practices, these fragmented segments may be components of the Salt Song Trail.