Ancient Domestication of the Four Corners Potato: Archaeology, Sex, and Genetics

On Tuesday, November 7, 2023, Lisbeth Louderback (NHMU Archaeobotany Lab; Natural History Museum of Utah; University of Utah) will discuss “Ancient Domestication of the Four Corners Potato: Archaeology, Sex, and Genetics.”
The memories of Diné and Hopi elders reveal the Four Corners potato (Solanum jamesii) to be an ancient food and lifeway medicine, once collected from the wild and grown in now faded gardens, diminished over the last century by drought and displaced by potatoes from elsewhere. We will present the latest evidence gathered during a 10-year, collaborative study that addresses use, transport, and manipulation by ancient people. Mating experiments, genetic sequencing and food remnants on manos and metates have revealed a convincing story of this fascinating plant species.

[@willorocks]

Really interesting presentation, really learned a lot from this video!

[@bensabelhaus7288]

YAY!!!! This past season I did experimental archaeology using ozette potatoes with the question of how they could have been grown inland where I live on Duwamish land. I started with seaweed as hilling, but quickly switched to moss and fern mixed into soil. Been enjoying my harvests in meals and still have plenty in the ground. Been recording harvest sizes per plot, layout in soil etc... as I go. Can't wait for next season :)

[@ToddBradley-pz2jr]

Great lecture! I laughed out loud at the part about rediscovering a patch of these potatoes in Bears Ears in 2019. The photo on the slide looked very familiar, and I realized it's because I took a photo of my father in law and myself standing right next to that same sandy potato patch when we were hiking to that ruin in September 2023.

[@trigmcblasty8163]

In north western NM, my brothers and I (1987) discovered some of these one night as we were clearing our land of brush for planting. We warmed the larger ones up in the brush fire and ate them. (about walnut sized) The rest stayed in the ground. I was always curious about this odd potato that was growing amongst the sage in only a thirty foot radius.