Basketmaker

The earliest of two major chronological periods of the Anasazi tradition, the more recent being Pueblo. The whole period is characterized by transition from Late Archaic life-styles to sedentary agriculture with characteristics such as pottery, pit houses, cist storage and grinding tools becoming increasingly apparent as time progresses. Three Basketmaker stages were recognized at the 1927 Pecos Conference of Southwestemists (see Kidder). Basketmaker I is purely hypothetical and was based on the supposition that evidence of an early Anasazi stage would eventually come to light; so far it has not. The typical settlement pattern for Basketmaker II (ad 1-450) was a large base camp and widely scattered seasonal camps, where the preferred container was the basket (hence the name). Limited maize and squash cultivation and the rare occurrence of crude pottery also indicate a largely Archaic lifestyle. Basketmaker III (450-700/750) saw a shift in settlement patterns. Small villages of pit houses became increasingly common and the preferred locus was the well-watered valley bottom. Specialized structures such as wattle-and-daub storage bins and large rooms for communal activity (possibly early kivas) also began to occur more frequently.