Agent of Change: The Deposition and Manipulation of Ash in the Past

Ash is an important and yet understudied aspect of ritual deposition in the archaeological record of North America. Ash has been found in a wide variety of contexts across many regions and often it is associated with rare or unusual objects or in contexts that suggest its use in the transition or transformation of houses and ritual features. Drawn from across the U.S. and Mesoamerica, the chapters in this volume explore the use, meanings, and cross-cultural patterns present in the use of ash. and highlight the importance of ash in ritual closure, social memory, and cultural transformation.

Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations Introduction: The Deposition and Manipulation of Ash in the Past E. Charles Adams and Barbara J. Roth Part I: Ash as a Transformative Agent Chapter 1. The Ritual Closing of Domestic Structures in the Mimbres Mogollon Region Barbara J. Roth Chapter 2. Complex Closure Practices Involving Ash at a Small Pueblo in Northeastern Arizona E. Charles Adams Chapter 3. Sequencing Termination Events: Preparing Hearths for the Ritual Decommissioning of Ancestral Pueblo Pit Structures in the Northern U.S. Southwest Susan C. Ryan Chapter 4. Symbolic Associations: Assessing the Co-occurrence of Turquoise and Ash in the Ancient U.S. Southwest Samantha G. Fladd, Saul L. Hedquist, E. Charles Adams, and Stewart B. Koyiyumptewa Chapter 5. Fire, Ash and Sanctuary: Pyrotechnology as Protection in the Pre-Colonial Northern Rio Grande Michael A. Adler Chapter 6. Burned Roofs and Cultural Traditions: Renewing and Closing Houses in the Ancient Villages of the Middle Fraser Canyon, British Columbia Anna Marie Prentiss, Alysha Edwards, Ashley Hampton, Ethan Ryan, Kathryn Bobolinski, and Emma Vance Chapter 7. Agentive Ash and Dispersed Power in the Cahokia Mississippian World Melissa R. Baltus and Sarah E. Baires Chapter 8. Townhouses, Hearths, Fire, Smoke, Ash, and Cherokee Towns in Western North Carolina Christopher B. Rodning Chapter 9. Ash as an Agent of Transformation in Iroquoian Society William Fox Part II: Ash and Ritual Chapter 10. Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust in Caddoan Mortuary Ritual Marvin Kay Chapter 11. Ashes for Fertility Cheryl Claassen Chapter 12. Ashes, Arrows, and Sorcerers William H. Walker and Judy Berryman Chapter 13. Divine Food and Fiery Covenants: The Significance of Ash in Ancient Maya Religion James L. Fitzsimmons Afterword Tammy Stone

About the Author :
Barbara Roth is Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her recent research has focused on changes in household and community organization that occur as groups become more sedentary and dependent on agriculture and move from pithouses to pueblos in the Mimbres Mogollon region of southwestern New Mexico.

Review :
“This volume is an outstanding contribution to North American anthropology and archaeology, and an excellent starting point for research into related topics here and elsewhere…[It] is a fantastic resource for those investigating ash and all its related processes and concepts.” • Anthropos “The combination of solid methodology and sophisticated theory places the works in this volume within the broader movement of understanding social action and meaning in archaeology and provide a path researchers can follow in other areas as research in this area continues in the future.”
 From the Afterword, Tammy Stone, University of Colorado, Denver