Village drift and riverine settlement: Modeling Akimel O'odham land use
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abstract
Regular unscheduled movements of rancheras within a confined area or settlement district result in the phenomenon described as "village drift," a process whereby a settlement may change its location gradually by several kilometers over a period of years. This article presents a model of village drift based on data acquired from recent archaeological and geomorphological field studies and archival research on the Akimel O'odham, the Gila River Pima of south-central Arizona. The model provides an excellent example of human ecodynamics - an emerging landscape perspective that emphasizes the coevolution of humans and their ecosystem - with implications for understanding prehistoric and historic settlement in desert riverine environments.