Anarchy, institutional flexibility, and containment of authority at Poverty Point (USA)

ABSTRACT

Monumental architecture has long been associated with the rise of the State and societal inequality, yet recent studies have shown some small and relatively egalitarian societies also built large-scale architecture. This study posits that some of these groups utilized ‘institutional flexibility’ – a strategy of creating and then dismantling hierarchical power systems during limited periods of time – as a means of harnessing group labor, establishing ritual cycles, and policing behavior during periods of gathering, but then reverting to more autonomous power relations for the remainder of the year when groups were dispersed. Poverty Point, a complex earthwork site in Louisiana (USA), built by hunter-gatherer-fisher peoples over a 500-year period (ca. 3600–3100 cal B.P.) exemplifies the use of ‘institutional flexibility’ and demonstrates how this strategy can result in extremely complex activities, while also preserving autonomous power relations by containing elite aspirations to particular temporal, spatial, and social contexts.

KEYWORDS:

• Anarchy
• monuments
• group labor
• Poverty Point
• hunter-gatherers

Acknowledgments

While all mistakes and errors are mine own, much of my thoughts on Poverty Point and its relation to power have been inspired by conversations with colleagues and mentors, particularly Severin Fowles, T.R. Kidder, Lewis Borck, Carl Lipo, and others. My understanding of Anarchist theory has grown through working with others interested in this topic, particularly those that attended our workshop on the subject, which was funded by Wenner-Gren, and other members of the Black Trowel Collective. Fieldwork at Poverty Point was sponsored by the Louisiana Office of Tourism and made possible by Diana Greenlee. Comments and suggestions provided by two reviewers strengthened the final product, for which I am thankful.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.