Use Technologies: An Ethnoarchaeological Study of Kalinga Pottery
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USE TECHNOLOGIES:
AN ETHNOARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDY OF KALINGA POTTERY
MEREDITH ARONSON*, JAMES M. SKIBO** AND MIRIAM STARK** *University of Arizona, Department of Materials Science, Tucson, AZ 85721 **University of Arizona, Department of Anthropology, Tucson, AZ 85721 ABSTRACT It is difficult to assess the relative importance of technical and non-technical factors in inferring modes of technological decision-making in prehistory. Examination of pottery use technology among the Kalinga using both ethnoarchaeological material and laboratory analysis demonstrates the importance of not only technical (physical properties or functional), but also behavioral or social aspects of technological choices. Kalinga consumers may select pots for functional superiority, or for reasons of village allegiance. Explaining the resulting pattern in the material record requires attention to both technical and behavioral aspects of the pottery technology. INTRODUCTION One of the questions put forth by this symposium of Material Issues in Art and Archaeology is the following: what can we hope to infer from technical studies of material culture? One of the dangers that we confront in these technical studies is a disregard for the person behind the object. An ethnoarchaeological approach provides a means for bridging the gap between object and culture by allowing the study of ceramic technology in progress. We can examine motivations for specific technological choices, since the relationships between behavior and material culture can be observed and the material culture can be collected for further technical evaluation. The relationship between ceramic technology and pottery use, or techno-function, has gained prominence in archaeological research (e.g., Braun 1983; Schiffer and Skibo 1987), especially in experimental archaeology. An approach for linking experimental technological studies to archaeological materials has been established, providing insights into interpretation of prehistoric technological decision-making. Such studies, usually grouped under the rubric of experimental archaeology, have focussed on the investigation of processes or products of technological change (Bronitsky and Hamer 1986; Skibo et al. 1989; Stimmell et al. 1982; Tankersley and Meinhart 1982). This approach is often limited to an investigation of the technical factors in technological change, as non-technical factors are less amenable to experimental research. For example, we can test the assumption that corrugation as a technological innovation increases the amount
Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 185. c1991 Materials Research Society
416
of surface evaporation, thus keeping stored water cool. A primary weakness in such studies is discerning whether such a technological change in the prehistoric record is behaviorally significant (Schiffer and Skibo 1987). By behaviorally significant, it is meant that the performance of the vessel changes (e.g., 2 degrees) enough to be noticeable by the user; and if so, will the slight technical improvement provide enough
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