Graduate Studies, UNL

 

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

First Advisor

Carrie Heitman

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Committee Members

Heather Richards-Rissetto, Phil Geib, Wayne Babchuk

Department

Anthropology

Date of this Version

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Citation

A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Graduate College of the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Major: Anthropology

Under the supervision of Professor

Lincoln, Nebraska, December 2025

Comments

Copyright 2025, the author. Used by permission

Abstract

This dissertation presents an innovative archaeoethnodemographic (AED) analysis of Navajo population dynamics during the Middle Period (AD 1720−1745) of the Gobernador Phase in the Dinétah, the ancestral Navajo homeland in northwest New Mexico. During this critical quarter-century, intensified Ute and Comanche slave-raiding and Spanish military expeditions forced the Diné to abandon traditional dispersed settlement patterns in favor of defensive aggregation around fortified pueblitos—small masonry defensive structures built on boulder-tops and mesa-rims throughout the region.

The study employs an AED framework that systematically integrates archaeological site analysis, ethnographic household organization data, historical documentation, and demographic modeling to reconstruct population dynamics during this transformative period. This multi-source approach addresses three fundamental challenges that have limited previous demographic studies: determining site contemporaneity, establishing culturally appropriate household sizes, and reconciling conflicting evidence from archaeological and historical sources.

Archaeological analysis documents 64 pueblito sites (47 Interpueblito community sites and 17 non-community sites) and 183 associated hogans across eight Interpueblito communities, representing the largest concentration of defensive construction during the Gobernador Phase. Using ethnographically-derived household sizes of 4.0−5.5 individuals per dwelling—adjusted for crisis-period demographic conditions—the analysis yields population estimates of 800−1,200 individuals during peak occupation periods.

These estimates receive validation through triangulated approaches: depopulation projections from documented 1865 census data (793 individuals) and 1785 Spanish colonial records (773−966 individuals) converge remarkably with archaeological evidence. The study critically evaluates Naroll's Constant, demonstrating its limitations when applied to circular structures like Navajo hogans, and establishes ethnographic analogies as more reliable demographic indicators.

The findings reveal hierarchical community organization rather than egalitarian settlement distribution, with demographic concentrations varying from 16−22 individuals in smaller communities to 244−336 individuals in major centers like San Rafael Canyon. This research provides essential demographic baselines for understanding Navajo cultural transformation during defensive aggregation and territorial consolidation. At the same time, the AED framework offers a replicable methodological approach for population reconstruction in other contact-period contexts where multiple data sources intersect.

Advisor: Carrie Heitman

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