J.T.A.H. is pleased to announce TWO new articles have been published and are available to read or download from our website.  Please see their abstracts, below, with links to read and/or download:

ETHNOHISTORIC RECORDS OF HUNTER-GATHERER DIET OF THE TEXAS/MEXICO BORDERLANDS: IMPLICATIONS FOR STAPLE FOODS OF THE LOWER PECOS CANYONLANDS DURING THE HOLOCENE

Tim Riley, Utah State University Eastern Prehistoric Museum, Price, UT 84501 (tim.riley@usu.edu)

Abstract

Hinds Cave (41VV456) and other rockshelters excavated in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands have yielded thousands of coprolites spanning the Holocene. To date, several hundred specimens have been analyzed, providing a detailed record of meals consumed by hunter-gatherers who called this landscape home. This article compares the paleodietary records derived from these specimens with the foodways documented in the ethnohistoric records available for the Lower Pecos Canyonlands and adjacent landscapes. This comparison confirms the deep temporal roots of the foodways recorded in the earliest written records of the Texas/Mexico borderlands. Coprolite data corroborate the strong dependence on the seasonal staples of lechuguilla (Agave lechuguilla), nopales (Opuntia sp.), and tunas (Opuntia sp.) observed in the ethnohistoric literature. The temporal endurance of this subsistence strategy suggests that there may be some components of this dietary pattern that could inform on many of the diet-related health issues observed among modern Native American and other populations.

Click HERE for link to the article.

FORGOTTEN SOLDIERS:  BURIALS ON THE TEXAS FRONTIER AND SHIFTING PERCEPTIONS OF MILITARY INTERMENT

Anthony Schienschang
Williamsburg, VA 23185 (anthony.schienschang@gmail.com)

Abstract

This research examines the interrelation between civilian and military burials on the Texas frontier in the 1850s with further discussion about the drivers for changing military burial practices. A soldier’s life on the Texas frontier is briefly outlined along with some of the difficulties facing service members living in border forts. Special focus is placed on examining the socio-economic differences between officers and enlisted personnel, as well as the recording of deaths on the frontier. As a case study, the condition of the proposed location of the Fort Gates cemetery is explored and brief analysis of data gathered from the site is presented. The condition of the Fort Gates location is then compared to the nearby Sheridan Family Cemetery. The paper concludes by exploring how the American Civil War shifted civilian perceptions about military dead, leading to increased care for the remains of these deceased soldiers. Primary field research was conducted in Coryell County, Texas around the former site of Fort Gates, on the Fort Hood military installation, and in Gatesville, Texas.

Click HERE for link to the full article.