Ethnohistorical sources in archaeoacoustics research: A case study from South-Central California

Abstract

This article explores the use of ethnohistoric data for the understandings of the acoustic and sound-world of rock art sites. A discussion on the complexities of using ethnohistorical documents in the study of rock art and archaeoacoustics is made using Yokuts rock art as a case study. The analysis follows five lines of evidence: the placement of rock art, first, in sonorous landscapes and, second, in places with “special” acoustics; the representation of musical practices and sound-producing instruments; the evidence of musical instruments in the period under study and, finally, the production of rock art at or near lithophones. It is concluded that critically reading ethnohistorical sources may reveal conceptual inadequacies when approaching the cultural understanding of sound in other cultures and assist the research questions followed in fieldwork. Finally, the analysis of ethnohistorical sources makes archaeoacousticians undertaking fieldwork aware of possible sites and lines of research that could be sensitive and/or restricted to certain members of the society involved.