Deposition creates the archaeological record; however, the social implications of depositional practices are often overlooked, particularly when considering domestic materials found in upper room fill. In this paper, we argue that the term “trash” and its connotations mischaracterize the thought and meaning that motivate decisions about deposition, as exemplified by ethnohistoric and modern accounts of disposal within Pueblo society. Understanding the context and content of deposition can reveal important aspects of the identities, beliefs, and relationships of the individuals and groups who created them. We explore the social role of deposits at Homol’ovi I, an ancestral Hopi pueblo in northeastern Arizona, through detailed analyses of excavation data. Drawing on contemporary Hopi insights, rooms and objects are found to assume distinct social identities, specifically gender, that influence the placement of materials throughout the pueblo. We conclude that patterns of cultural deposition from all contexts have the potential to provide significant insights about the life histories, reuse, and commemoration of spaces and objects when considering archaeological contexts worldwide.

沉积创造了考古记录；然而，沉积实践的社会意义常常被忽视，特别是考虑到上层空间中的家用材料时。在本文中，我们认为，“垃圾”一词及其涵义误导了促使人们做出关于沉积的决定的思想和含义，例如普韦布洛社会中的民族历史学和现代的处置说明。了解沉积的背景和内容可以揭示身份，信念以及创建它们的个人和群体的关系的重要方面。通过对挖掘数据的详细分析，我们探讨了Homol'ovi I（亚利桑那州东北部祖先霍皮族）的矿床的社会作用。借鉴当代霍皮人的见识，人们发现房间和物体具有不同的社会身份，特别是性别，这会影响整个普韦布洛人的物质摆放位置。我们得出的结论是，考虑到世界范围内的考古背景时，来自所有背景的文化沉积模式都有可能提供有关生命历史，空间和物体的再利用以及纪念的重要见解。