KIVA, Vol. 58, No. 2, 1992 SINAGUA PAINTED ARMBANDS JOHN C. WHITTAKER KATHRYN A. KAMP Department of Anthropology Grinnell College Grinnell, IA 50112 ABSTRACT An unusual painted fiber armband from Lizard Man Village, and related material from elsewhere, suggest that such artifacts are a rarely documented but consis- tent feature of Sinagua prehistory. Because they are scarce and perishable, their significance is unclear, but they may be more than decorative. RESUMEN El hallazgo de una inusual antebracera de fibra pintada procedente de Lizard Man Village, en asociacidn con materiales procedentes de otra parte, sugieren que este elemento, raramente documentado, forma parte consistente de la prehistoria de Sinagua. La significancia de estos materiales no es clara ya que son escasos y pedesederos, pero es probable que sean mas que elementos decorativos. INTRODUCTION Although dry conditions have preserved more of Sinagua material culture than is the case for many ancient peoples, perishable artifacts of all kinds are still rare. Items that were probably not common to begin with, or whose use was confined to special contexts or circumstances, are rarer still. However important such artifacts may have been to the people who used them, they are difficult to analyze even when a comprehensive survey can be made. The dis- covery of a unique painted fiber armband at Lizard Man Village led to the realization that other such artifacts are known but mostly unpublished. Bring- ing together what little information is available suggests some interpretive possibilities, and will, we hope, stimulate further discussion. THE LIZARD MAN ARMBAND Context Lizard Man Village (NA 17957) is a Sinagua settlement some 16 km (10 miles) east of Flagstaff, in the Coconino National Forest. The site is in the pinyon-juniper woodland, at an elevation of about 1,900 m (6,300 feet). The site was excavated by the Grinnell College Archaeological Field School for four summers (Kamp and Whittaker 1990; Whittaker 1992). The village con- sists of two masonry room blocks of three and five rooms, and at least 14 pit 177