Looking for a unique, warm and sustainable Christmas present?
Consider a handcrafted turkey feather blanket, although you likely wont have the time, nor the skills, to make one this Christmas.
Ah well, there is always 2021. Which begs the question, how many turkey feathers would you need?
Roughly 11,500, according to new research from archaeologists at Washington State University.
The good news? Those feathers could come from Spokanes resident turkey population. Youd need anywhere between four and 10 turkeys and you wouldnt have to kill them.
The study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science in late November, examined the remnants of an 800-year-old 4-by-3-foot blanket housed in the Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum in Blanding, Utah.
The blanket is an artifact of the Pueblo people, predecessors to the modern Hopi, Zuni and Rio Grande Pueblo nations. Although the turkey feathers are long gone likely victims of dermestid beetle larvae the shafts of the feathers are still visible, tightly wound around yucca fiber cords.
In a region with extreme temperature swings, warm and durable blankets were a must.
The research further highlights the synergistic relationship between Indigenous peoples in the Southwest and turkeys, shedding light on the economic and social importance of the bird, said Bill Lipe, a retired WSU anthropologist and lead author of the study.
Bill and his colleagues research on turkey feather blankets is really a significant and exciting contribution, said Cyler Conrad, an archaeologist at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
Conrad, who grew up in Spokane, studies ancient evidence of turkeys throughout the Southwest. He was not involved in the WSU study.
The findings, he said, helps contextualize the role and importance of turkeys in a process which is often not considered in turkey studies blanket manufacturing.
For the past few decades, archaeological research has focused on domestication, husbandry and management questions. While important, that hasnt directly examined the cultural and economic impact of the turkey-human relationship Conrad said.
Indigenous people in the American Southwest and the Mexican northwest hunted wild turkeys and raised domestic turkeys. They used turkey eggs for food, and then used the crushed-up shells to make paints and dyes.
What did they paint?
Turkeys.
Turkeys held a very special role in past societies, just as they do in modern Native American communities, Conrad said.
According to the WSU study, turkey feather blankets became popular roughly 2,000 years ago. Thats when blankets or robes relying on turkey feathers as the insulating medium began to replace those made with strips of rabbit fur.
Archaeologists believe turkeys were first domesticated in south-central Mexico around 800 BCE by pre-Aztecan people and again in the Southwest of the United States in 200 BCE.
The birds likely were first valued for their feathers, not their meat. The vibrant plumage was used in ceremonies and to make robes, blankets and more.
Exactly how turkeys were domesticated isnt known, but its possible a rafter of turkeys the technical term for a group of the birds was hanging out by a village eating garbage and never left.
As the Pueblo farming communities flourished, its likely that every member of an ancestral Pueblo community had a blanket.
Although turkeys would later become an important food source, they were initially domesticated for their feathers and eggs. Fragments of turkey bones found in household garbage piles, indicating consumption, only start to regularly appear in the 1100s and 1200s C.E.
Many of the turkey bones reported from sites dating to earlier periods are whole skeletons from mature birds that were intentionally buried, the study stated. Episodes of ritual sacrifice of intact adults and juvenile turkeys have also been reported.
That fact pattern led Lipe to believe that the feathers used for the blankets were taken from living birds.
In our article, we emphasize that the pre-molt loss of connections to the blood supply and nerves does make it possible for mature feathers to be (gently) collected from live birds without freaking them out, and we think that this was primarily how feathers would have been collected for use in making blankets, Lipe said in an email.
This is the same process used to ethically harvest goose down.
By the time Columbus came to the Americas in 1492, it is estimated there were 10 million wild and domestic birds on the continent. Historians dont know who brought the first turkeys to Europe, but the birds proved popular, both as ornamentation and sustenance.
Meanwhile, the ancient domesticated turkey in the Southwest, known as the Pueblo domesticated turkey or M. gallopavo ssp., likely fell victim to European violence. As Indigenous peoples succumbed to disease, slavery and the sword, their turkeys went extinct, as did Indigenous technologies and traditions.
The reliance on turkeys ceremonially and for attire was replaced by the use of European livestock, namely chickens and sheep. By 1920, turkeys were gone from 18 of the 39 states in which theyd originally lived. At their lowest, turkey numbers were generously estimated at 200,000, just 2% of the pre-European population. Throughout the continent, their numbers had declined by 90%, according to the National Wild Turkey Federation.
That started to change in the 1960s.
Turkeys arent native to the Spokane region, but starting in the 1960s they were introduced as part of a widespread conservation effort.
In recreating the blanket-making process, the WSU researchers received feathers from Merriam turkeys killed by hunters in Latah County, Idaho.
But what of the actual blanket-making process?
Its time intensive.
The blanket examined by Lipe and his colleagues was made by wrapping the 11,500 downy feathers around nearly 200 yards of yucca fiber cord. Freshly plucked turkey feathers are flexible. As they age, however, they harden. In all likelihood, feathers were collected, dried and then soaked before being wrapped.
Mary Weahkee, an archaeologist and anthropologist with the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, has recreated turkey-feather blankets, and consulted on the WSU study.
Its tedious, Ill tell you that, she said.
In 2018, she created a 2-by-3-foot blanket, slightly smaller than the blanket examined by Lipe. That took 18 months and 17,000 feathers from 68 turkeys. She was able to add feathers at about a foot of warp length per hour.
But the result is impressive, she said. The downy feathers trap heat and are soft to the touch. Weahkee used ground-up yucca to wash the feathers, a sort of natural shampoo. That stripped any grease or odors from the feathers. Whats more, most insects avoid yucca, which meant that even if the turkey feathers were eaten, You still had the cordage, so you didnt have to spin another 190 feet, she said.
The science behind it is fascinating.
Weahkee, who is of Comanche and Santa Clara descent, teaches these traditional technologies to Native school children in New Mexico. Research like the WSU study furthers her efforts at reviving an ancient technology.
I looked at how the ancestors were creative and patient, she told the New Mexico Wildlife magazine in 2018. Its a labor of love.
Read the original here:
Washington State University research sheds light on indigenous turkey technology - Sports and Weather Right Now
- Las Vegas author Lissa Townsend Rodgers sheds light on historic women in organized crime - Las Vegas Weekly - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Meta sheds more light on how it is evolving Llama 3 training it relies for now on almost 50000 Nvidia H100 GPU, but ... - TechRadar - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- The Nigerian currency sheds off N500 against the US dollar - Business Insider Africa - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- How the Princess of Wales' story sheds light on the importance of cancer screening - CBC.ca - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Library approved for storage shed thanks in-part to a $10000 donation from Friends of the Library - mykxlg.com - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Wake County students build sheds to help with nationwide demand - CBS17.com - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Quantum tornado sheds light on black holes - Innovation News Network - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Trent Brown sheds light on his decision to sign with Bengals in free agency - Stripe Hype - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Revealed: documents shed light on shadowy US far-right fraternal order - The Guardian US - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Fire destroys home and sheds in Troy | Local News | foxbangor.com - FOX Bangor/ABC 7 News and Stories - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Insider Sheds Light on Stefon Diggs Future With Bills After Cryptic Post - Heavy.com - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Sister Wives Star Garrison Brown's Sister Sheds Light on His Mental Health Struggles After Tragic Death - TooFab - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Synopsys (NASDAQ:SNPS) sheds 3.7% this week, as yearly returns fall more in line with earnings growth - Yahoo Finance - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Affidavit sheds light on charges against Tell City pastor - Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW) - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Gisele Bndchen Sheds Light on Life After Tom Brady's 2022 Divorce: The Only Time Something Is Fixed Is When You ... - EssentiallySports - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Toba Supereruption Sheds Light on Early Human Migration - Mirage News - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Miami Dolphins LB Anthony Walker Sheds New Light on Significant Health Scare - Pro Football Network - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Tyrese Haliburton sheds harsh truth on sports betting: I'm a prop - Sportskeeda - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- The Daily Show Sheds Viewers with Co-Host Format - imdb - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- French tax officials to hunt out undeclared sheds and verandas - The Connexion - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- D'Angelo Russell sheds light on subtle disparity between sharing locker room with LeBron James & Kobe Bryant - Sportskeeda - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Steph Curry sheds light on his most savage trash-talking incident, eerily similar to Larry Bird's - Sportskeeda - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- NOPD body cam footage sheds light on 'high-risk' arrest, use-of-force investigation - NOLA.com - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- DEI-vestment: University of Florida sheds 'inclusion' for innovation Minding The Campus - Minding The Campus - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Bedford volleyball coach sheds light on investigation, leave of absence - Monroe Evening News - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Can World Hunger Be Eradicated by 2030? New Research Sheds Light on Key Puzzle Piece - SciTechDaily - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Alex Kurtzman Sheds Light on Star Trek Discovery's Tough Road to Season 5 - Den of Geek - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Is the iPhone SE 4 Worth the Wait? A New Report Sheds Light On it - Gizchina.com - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- PEPE sheds 8% in 24 hours: Are investors losing confidence? - AMBCrypto News - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Fire moves from shed to house, damaging home in Cloquet - Northern News Now - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- "COPA 71" documentary sheds light on forgotten Women's World Cup - Euronews - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Photo Series Sheds Light on Homelessness with Pets - Mirage News - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- 'I thank the firefighters:' Neighbor on cars and shed catching fire in Bedford County - WSET - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- New Study Sheds Light on Where India's People Came From - The Wire - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Who Was Behind Sam Altman's Ouster From OpenAI? New Reports Sheds A Light On Key Executives' Role - Micro - Benzinga - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Romanian stock indices start week in red, TTS sheds most - SeeNews - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- XRPs gradual appreciation mystery: Ripple CTO sheds light on it - AMBCrypto News - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Are Edibles Safer Than Smoking? New Study Sheds Light on Cannabis and Heart Problems - Verywell Health - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- New Protein Structure Sheds Light on Anti-Cancer Immunotherapies - Mirage News - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Whale menopause sheds light on human evolutionary mystery - The Borneo Post - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Podcast: In the Shed Ep 11 - BikePortland - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Sponsor spotlight: Winter-proof your space - The Original Mini Barns' guide to durable sheds and maintenance tips - My Edmonds News - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- RTX 4080 Super teardown sheds light on power connector controversy PCB shows traces for two 8-pin connectors ... - Tom's Hardware - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Israeli-American activist Peled sheds light on decades of terror in Palestine - Middle East Monitor - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Research sheds insight on replacement heifers - Beef Magazine - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Being a YouTuber Musician is Way More Expensive Than You Think: Guitarist Sheds Light on Costs of Online Career - Ultimate Guitar - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- CDC Sheds Light on High HIV Risk Among Trans Women - POZ - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Metal shed cave in kills one, injures several others - China Daily - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Former island resident sheds light on Middle East crisis - Kodiak Daily Mirror - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Home Items You Really Shouldn't Be Storing In An Outdoor Shed - House Digest - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- 'Where is Wendy Williams?' Documentary Trailer Sheds Light on Icon's Personal Struggles - Just Jared - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Cha Eun Woo sheds a tear in 'Entity' concept film & photos - allkpop - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Fire damages 6 vehicles, 1 shed in Tornillo - KTSM 9 News - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- National survey sheds new light on outdoor participation - Newton County Times - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Research Sheds New Light on Origin of Syphilis, Rescues Columbus' Reputation - Science & Health - Haaretz - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Insider Sheds Light On Recent Chicago Bears-Washington Trade Rumors - Sports Mockery - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Kelly Clarkson Sheds Light on the Health Diagnosis That Kickstarted Her Weight Loss - Parade Magazine - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- MAFS star sheds light on extreme wedding day filming: 'Everyone's really wasted' - Yahoo Lifestyle Australia - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- L.A Coliseum Controversy Silenced as NASCAR Insider Sheds Light on Severity of the Storm - EssentiallySports - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Transient accused of starting fire in shed by Sunnyside Museum - Yakima Herald-Republic - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Police report sheds light on Redmond man's death from cold exposure after crash, fall on rocks above Dry Canyon - KTVZ - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- DC sheds light on 'House of Brainiacs' Superman crossover in April 2024 AIPT - AIPT - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Eviction filing sheds light on 5-year-olds deadly fall from KC apartment - WDAF FOX4 Kansas City - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- 'She adored Harry' Robert Hardman sheds light on The Queen's 'special relationship' with grandson - GB News - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Cam Newton sheds light on Justin Fields' late hits with eye-opening, personal anecdote - NBC Sports Chicago - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Research sheds new light on moon rock formation solving major puzzle in lunar geology - Phys.org - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Novel mineral sheds light on rare-earth formation - China Daily - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Tangoe's Analysis Sheds Light on Taming Cloud Costs in 2024 - Techiexpert.com - TechiExpert.com - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Controversial F-Factor diet creator sheds uptown condo for $24 million - Crain's New York Business - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Tesla market valuation sheds $94 billion in first weeks of 2024 - CBT Automotive News - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Aryna Sabalenka Sheds Light on New Superstitious 'Routine' with Her Physiotherapist -'Anything for the Win' - EssentiallySports - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- 'He Didn't Have the Courage' - Novak Djokovic Sheds Light on Ill-Tempered Interaction With Heckler at Australian Open - EssentiallySports - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Milwaukee Bucks' Adrian Griffin Sheds Light On Giannis Antetokounmpo's Sudden Injury Absence Vs. Cavs - Wisconsin Sports Heroics - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- At the End of This Once-Barren Yard Is a Shed That's Now a Cozy Hideaway - Domino - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- San Antonio shed fire spreads, causing $100,000 damage: Space heater suspected - FOX 29 - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Body found following shed fire | Community - The Leader News - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- A Royal Expert Sheds Light on Why Kate Middleton and King Charles' Surgeries Were Announced on the Same Day - Yahoo Lifestyle Australia - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Tribune-Star Editorial: CANDLES again sheds light on darkness of hate speech - Terre Haute Tribune Star - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Digital mortgage firm Blend loses $478M, sheds more of workforce - The Real Deal - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Interview Sheds Light On Toyotas Thinking About EVs - CleanTechnica - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]