Artifacts of Hide, Fur, and Feathers from Arroyo Hondo Pueblo

 

Artifacts of Hide, Fur, and Feathers from Arroyo Hondo Pueblo, Richard W. Lang, 1984, School of American Research Press, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Arroyo Hondo Archeological Series, Volume 5

     The Arroyo Hondo Pueblo excavations produced a relatively small sample of nonosteological bird and mammal remains. This sample includes hide, feather- and fur-cord textilesthe grave accoutrements of thirty-eight human burials. Burial pits produced evidence of a minimum of forty-seven hide items, twenty-five feather-cord textiles, and three fur-cord textiles, as well as a lock of human hair contained within the burial bundle of an infant. 

     Although strongly biased in content by its predominant mortuary association, the sample offers a unique look at a segment of prehistoric industry that is normally unavailable for scrutiny because of the perishability of the materials used, but that undoubtedly formed a large part of the material output of Arroyo Hondo and its Rio Grande contemporaries. These meager remains are of special interest and importance because artifacts of this type and age have rarely been found at archeological sites in the region.