Faculty Mentors: Alexandra Greenwald (Department of Anthropology, University of Utah)

This project seeks to address the understudied presence of Gambel Oak acorns in the archaeological record of the Great Basin, Colorado Plateau, and Southwest regions. While ethnographic data and historical records suggest that Native peoples in this area consumed some Gambel Oak acorns, their recognition in archaeological contexts has been limited. This study aims to assess the viability of methodologies for identifying macro-botanical acorn remains, shedding light on their use across different time scales, especially as fallback crops during resource shortages, such as climate shifts. Experimental methods like burning and parching help determine how these food processing methods impact the preservation and identifiability of acorns in the archeological record. Preliminary results indicate that burned acorns remain identifiable and intact up to 400 degrees Celsius at which point they begin to ash. However, these results do not account for other taphonomic processes that burned acorns are subject to during deposition, and post depositional changes. This research holds significance for our understanding of past human responses to climate change and the ongoing struggle for Indigenous food sovereignty, providing valuable insights into sustainable food sources for the future.

Bibliography

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Castetter, E.F. & Underhill, R.M. (1935). “The ethnobiology of the Papago Indians.” University of New Mexico biological series, v. 4, no. 3, University of New Mexico bulletin, no. 275, Ethnobiological studies in the American Southwest, 2 4, 3 (1935). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/unm_bulletin/25

Kievman, H., Burns, G., & Greenwald, A. (2023) Re-evaluating the significance of Gambel Oak acorns (Quercus gambelii) in the Great Basin, Colorado Plateau, and Southwest: Evidence from experimental foraging and direct bomb calorimetry

Maudrie, T. L., Colón-Ramos, U., Harper, K. M., Jock, B. W., & Gittelsohn, J. (2021). A Scoping Review of the Use of Indigenous Food Sovereignty Principles for Intervention and Future Directions. Current Developments in Nutrition, 5(7), nzab093. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzab093

Simms, S. R. (1984). Aboriginal Great Basin Foraging Strategies: An EvAnalysis (Order No. 8426859). Available from Dissertations & Theses @ Univeolutionary rsity of Utah; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (303307339). https://login.ezproxy.lib.utah.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.lib.utah.edu/dissertations-theses/aboriginal-great-basin-foraging-strategies/docview/303307339/se-2

Steward, J. H. (1997). Basin-plateau Aboriginal Sociopolitical Groups. University of Utah Press.

Tushingham, S., & Bettinger, R. (2013). Why foragers choose acorns before salmon: Storage, mobility, and risk in aboriginal California. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 32, 527–537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaa.2013.09.003