Definition: In the archaeological sense, Numic speakers are the Native American ancestors of the Ute, Paiute and Shoshone, who are thought to have moved into the Great Basin of the United States from California about AD 1000. This particular migration is of interest (although all are interesting, of course) in part because it is thought to have been the reason for the development of high altitude occupations within the Great Basin, supported by recent mtDNA research. Researchers into this include archaeologist Robert Bettinger and biologists Frederika A. Kaestle and David Glenn Smith.
Bettinger, Robert L. and Martin A. Baumhoff 1982 The Numic spread: Great Basin cultures in competition. American Antiquity 47(3):485-503.
Carroll, Alex K., M. N. Zedeno, and Richard W. Stoffle 2004 Landscapes of the Ghost Dance: A cartography of Numic ritual. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 11(2):127-155.
Matheny, Ray T., Thomas S. Smith, and Deanne G. Matheny 1997 Animal ethology reflected in the rock art of Nine Mile Canyon, UT. Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology 19(1):70-103.
Quinlan, Angus R. and Alanah Woody 2003 Marks of Distinction: Rock Art and Ethnic Identification in the Great Basin. American Antiquity 68(2):372-390.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar.
Bettinger, Robert L. and Martin A. Baumhoff 1982 The Numic spread: Great Basin cultures in competition. American Antiquity 47(3):485-503.
Carroll, Alex K., M. N. Zedeno, and Richard W. Stoffle 2004 Landscapes of the Ghost Dance: A cartography of Numic ritual. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 11(2):127-155.
Matheny, Ray T., Thomas S. Smith, and Deanne G. Matheny 1997 Animal ethology reflected in the rock art of Nine Mile Canyon, UT. Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology 19(1):70-103.
Quinlan, Angus R. and Alanah Woody 2003 Marks of Distinction: Rock Art and Ethnic Identification in the Great Basin. American Antiquity 68(2):372-390.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar.
