1. Allison Holmes
Anth 410
Scoggin
4/26/13
1
Modern Pine Nut Exploitation
I recently just returned from working with the Peace Corps, what an experience.
While I was working for the Peace Corps, I taught a farming community about
sustainable farming and the benefits of farming in seasons. By farming in seasons, I mean
what crops grow best in that climate and what crops grow best during different times of
the year. By planting a variety of food it is easier to obtain the nutrition needed for a
healthy lifestyle. This kick started an interest of mine, while obtaining my bachelor's
degree I became interested in pine nut exploitation of Great Basin. I researched
extensively into ancient pine nut harvesting tradition. Which got me thinking, are
descendants of these native cultures still carrying on these traditions today? If so, are they
using similar methods or have they adopted new methods? Does this current exploitation
have a significant impact on the surrounding environment? How beneficial are pine nuts
to their diet? If so, could it become a sustainable food source?
I think by studying modern pine nut exploitation it could be extremely beneficial
to the local tribes. If it turns out that this is a sustainable source, it not only benefiting the
culture and ceremony that goes along with pine nut harvesting but also the health of the
local tribes. Every cultural group has there own way of harvesting and preparing food, so
to speak. Over thousands and thousands of years, cultural tradition in what food is readily
available and how it is prepared, puts an impact on the health and diet of the culture.
Their bodies have become use to that diet and can obtain the nutrients better. Yet when a
new diet is introduced it is hard for the body to become use to the foreign and doesn’t

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obtain all the necessary nutrients. If the local tribes could go back to using some of
traditional food sources, I feel it could really benefit their health. As of right now I do not
really know the over all health of these tribes and if it is in a condition that needs help.
This could easily turn into something that could just benefit the diet that they already
have.
By studying at the University of Reno, Nevada, which is in the Great Basin area, I
plan to first start my research, seeing if this is a potential problem or if it is just
continuing to benefit the tribes. I would like then to obtain as much information I can
about ancient traditional ways of gathering pine nuts. I would like to do a little
experimental archaeology and see if it is a still a viable resource. I plan on going out to a
pine nut grove, harvest and prepare the pine nuts in a traditional way. By doing this, it
will help me to understand if it still can be a high-ranking food resource. A high-ranking
food source would be something that doesn’t use a lot of energy to obtain or the energy
that is used is out weighed by quantity and quality of the food source. For example a deer
would be a high-ranking resource because even though there is a lot of energy being used
to hunt it, it proves a great return in protein and subsistence.
Next I would like to research previous ethnographies on the local tribes in the
area. I plan to keep my focus mainly on the 1400s to contact period in this section.
Maybe also look into how pine nuts were used or not used when tribes were relocated to
reservations. After obtaining information on the tribes, I would like to conduct my on
survey on what the tribe’s diets are like in modern times. Asking questions like, do you
still practice traditional methods for obtain for sources? Have methods for harvesting
pine nuts changed from past generations? Do you think your diet has change compared to

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ancient ancestors? I also plan to do a little archaeological work in the area as well. Find
ancient sites that could help answer fundamental harvesting technique questions. I have
already done some background work with my paper, “Pine Nut Exploitation of the Great
Basin,” which I completed while obtaining my Bachelor’s Degree. I believe this paper
will give a great detailed background about how pine nuts were harvested during Archaic
times and how high ranking of a source it was then. I hope to do some comparisons from
then and modern times. Hopefully by doing all this research I can answer my
fundamental questions and develop a viable thesis.