Village Drift and Riverine Settlement: Modeling Akimel O'odham Land Use |
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Authors: | J. ANDREW DARLING JOHN C. RAVESLOOT MICHAEL R. WATERS |
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Affiliation: | Cultural Resource Management Program, P.O. Box 2140, Gila River Indian Community, Sacaton, AZ 85247; Cultural Resource Management Program, P.O. Box 2140, Gila River Indian Community, Sacaton, AZ 85247; Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4352 |
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Abstract: | Regular unscheduled movements of rancherías within a confined area or settlement district result in the phenomenon described as "village drift," a process whereby a settlement may change its location gradually by several kilometers over a period of years. This article presents a model of village drift based on data acquired from recent archaeological and geomorphological field studies and archival research on the Akimel O'odham, the Gila River Pima of south-central Arizona. The model provides an excellent example of human ecodynamics---an emerging landscape perspective that emphasizes the coevolution of humans and their ecosystem---with implications for understanding prehistoric and historic settlement in desert riverine environments. |
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Keywords: | village drift landscape mobility O'odham Gila River |
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