Finding the Thread of Transmission: An Examination of Hohokam Ceramic Production Through Regional Distribution and Production Patterns

The Hohokam culture thrived in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona from roughly 300 BCE to 1450 CE. Hohokam pottery is divided into four general types: plainware, redware, buffware, and Salado polychrome. In this study I seek to identify who would have been responsible for ceramic production and consider how the organization of production reflects the structure of Hohokam society. I argue that the continuation and evolution of ceramic designs reflects the transmission of the craft from teacher to student. Theoretically one may follow these lines of transmission by studying similarities and differences of design, and then use transmission as a proxy to trace larger social concepts, such as matrilocality or the political, social, and economic relationship between communities. Expanding on previous work in which I discussed Hohokam production sites and materials, I examine ceramic samples and ethnographic data for evidence of generational design transmission, and then utilize ceramic designs as a proxy to infer social patterns.