Recommendations on Southwest Native American Warfare

By Karl Gaarsoe

First, mention Keeley, "War Before Civilization"; (Oxford, 1996). Please note he teaches at UI (University of Illinois)/Chicago Circle, which is kind of a jumped up Junior College, not the University of Chicago. Not to denigrate the man, IMHO it is one of the most important works in the field. Most of the Academic literature since then has been in some way influenced by his book, even those who set out to refute his theory ("The Pacified Past") end up citing him.

The best single source is Steven A. LeBlanc, "Prehistoric Warfare in the American Southwest". (university of Utah Press, 1999). Helpful information for understanding the book: It is really a discussion of three distinct cultural groups, the Anasazi, Hohokam, and Mogollon. The "Anasazi" are the (presumed) prehistoric pueblo peoples. LeBlanc is really a specialist in the Hohokam. Only one really useful illustration, repeated on the cover, taken from Pottery Mound (Anasazi).

LeBlanc has another book, but I have not read it yet. "Deadly Landscapes" or some such.

A local "surface find" -- Polly Schaafsma, "Warrior Shield and Star: Imagery and Ideology of Pueblo Warfare" Western Edge Press, Santa Fe, NM, 2000. I didn't understand the text, but LOTS of photographs of local pictographs. Even a selection of color plates. I think the "Star" imagery discussed is concentrated in the "Fremont Culture," (her statistics), another group in Southern Colorado, distinct from the Anasazi. When Falcon brings back it's custom figure program, I'll be sending a copy of with my commission.

There is a "School of American Research" (SAR) (another Santa Fe Organization) conference on "War in the Tribal Zone." The published papers are available under that title, not sure who the editor was.

Also worth a look, "Ancient Warfare" edited by John Carman and Anthony Harding. Sutton, 1999. Includes an article by Jonathan Haas with references on the subject. A very interesting book, (Always meant to review it for Slingshot), I think it started as an anti-Keeley conference. There were cheap copies available from a remainder house for a while.

As for David E. Stuart's Anasazi America (Univ. of New Mexico, July 2000), you have got to be kidding. He teaches a course on the Anthropology of Warfare, but that book entirely ignores the issue. "Peaceful Native Farmers whose lifestyle was disrupted by the Spanish" propaganda. Unfortunately, I don't know him well enough to call him on it.

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