We feel that the potential range of information to be gleaned from the study of unifacial tools h... more We feel that the potential range of information to be gleaned from the study of unifacial tools has not been realized. This case study deals with three types of retouched unifacial tools from an Iroquoian village: endscrapers with thick distal bits, flake scrapers with thin distal bits, and side scrapers. Attributes considered include length, width, thickness, edge angle, shape of working edge, and breakage. Use wear and residue analysis of selected specimens was conducted as well. We conclude that differences in the value of some attributes relate to intended function while other differences relate to different stages of use-life, especially the difference between whole and broken specimens. For example, broken endscrapers had on average lower edge angles than whole ones, broken flake scrapers had higher frequencies of convex distal bits than whole ones, and broken side scrapers had higher frequencies of sharp lateral edges than whole ones. A consideration of spatial patterning indicates that broken endscrapers were concentrated in one of three longhouses and broken side scrapers tended to be found outside longhouses. Flake scrapers and endscrapers found along the walls of structures appear to be less reduced from retouching than specimens found elsewhere.
Discusses analysis of data from 17 summer field schools at the Eaton site in western New York. Pa... more Discusses analysis of data from 17 summer field schools at the Eaton site in western New York. Palisade construction, projectile point design, and projectile point refits are discussed.
This "Profile in Ontario Archaeology" focuses on Marian White's contribution to Canadian archaeol... more This "Profile in Ontario Archaeology" focuses on Marian White's contribution to Canadian archaeology specifically and to North American archaeology in general.
One of the most striking differences between St. Lawrence Iroquoian assemblages and those of the ... more One of the most striking differences between St. Lawrence Iroquoian assemblages and those of the ancestral Haudenosaunee is the scarcity of stone arrow points in the former and their abundance in the latter. Most St. Lawrence Iroquoian populations lacked direct access to sources of quality chert and therefore used bone- or antler-tipped arrows. We argue that stone arrow points have superior killing power and gave the ancestral Haudenosaunee an advantage over enemies who used organic points.
The multicomponent Eaton site in West Seneca, New York, was the focus of a long-term archaeologic... more The multicomponent Eaton site in West Seneca, New York, was the focus of a long-term archaeological project. While the major emphasis was the excavation of a mid-16th century Iroquoian village, all artifacts are being analyzed. These include 12 gunflints and 8 musket balls deposited at some point after the abandonment of the Iroquoian village. This article describes these objects, their distribution and dating, and the implications of these artifacts for the history of the site and the region.
Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Michigan. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 162-178). Ph... more Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Michigan. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 162-178). Photocopy of typescript.
ABSTRACT Unnotched triangular arrowpoints and point fragments are sometimes found in large number... more ABSTRACT Unnotched triangular arrowpoints and point fragments are sometimes found in large numbers on village sites in the Midwest and East. The possible reason or reasons for this are rarely considered. These points were used for both warfare and hunting. An attack on a village with a volley of arrows provides the most obvious explanation for large numbers of points and point fragments. Alternatively, using arrowpoints that detached within their target prey would have resulted in points and point fragments being brought back to a village in meat. These possibilities are considered in explaining the large number of points from an Iroquoian village site in western New York.
Excavations at the Eaton Site, a late-precontact Erie village in Erie County, NY, uncovered a lar... more Excavations at the Eaton Site, a late-precontact Erie village in Erie County, NY, uncovered a large suite of pre-Late Woodland bifaces among which were a small suite of diagnostic Late Paleoindian projectile points. Three, referable to the Hi-Lo style, expand the previously known suite of such points from Western New York and are the first from excavated contexts. Three other points are attributable to the Holcombe type, first reported from southeastern Michigan and extremely uncommon in New York State. Morphologically, the Eaton Site Holcombe points fall within the classic Holcombe form, but metrically they intergrade with the recently defined Late Paleoindian Cormier-Nicholas type of New England, suggesting both continued interaction between the Lower Great Lakes and New England, ca. 10,000-10,200 bp, and increasing regional divergence among these Late Paleoindian populations.
Eaton is a multicomponent site located in western New York. The major component consists of an Ir... more Eaton is a multicomponent site located in western New York. The major component consists of an Iroquoian village dating to the mid-sixteenth century. There is a high ratio of expedient lithic tools to debitage in the area of the palisade. We explore possible explanations for this distribution and discuss the implications for the construction and maintenance of a palisade.
We welcome your let- ters, thoughts and com- ments. Please email them to either Bill or Sissie fo... more We welcome your let- ters, thoughts and com- ments. Please email them to either Bill or Sissie for inclusion in the winter newsletter. Thanks.
... Lafitau (1977:1:355) notes that Iroquois women were not as fertile as women else-where, a cla... more ... Lafitau (1977:1:355) notes that Iroquois women were not as fertile as women else-where, a claim repeated in the early nineteenth century by Heckewelder for the Delaware who adds "Indians seldom have more than four or five children" (1881:221). ... According to Lafitau: ...
Ethnicity is one kind of social relationship that archaeologists explore. The evolution of the no... more Ethnicity is one kind of social relationship that archaeologists explore. The evolution of the northern Iroquoian ethnic landscape in New York, southern Ontario, and the St. Lawrence Valley has been of long-standing interest to archaeologists. Since MacNeish’s (1952) pottery typology study, the predominant model for this evolution has been cladistic. Collar decoration served as a means of signaling attributes of the potter and pottery users that mirrored other more visible signals. We use social network analysis to determine whether pottery collar decoration data best fit MacNiesh’s cladistic or an alternative rhizotic model. The results better fit the rhizotic model.
This study attempts to infer aspects of early seventeenth‐century Iroquois political organization... more This study attempts to infer aspects of early seventeenth‐century Iroquois political organization from archaeological information, especially the existence of the League of the Iroquois. Ceramic patterning within and between Iroquois village sites was considered. The existence of the League of the Iroquois was not reflected ceramically. The relevance of the results to questions concerning warfare, trade and the emergence of a new tribe were then considered.
Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, Jun 21, 2011
Abstract Ethnicity is one kind of social relationship that archaeologists explore. The evolution ... more Abstract Ethnicity is one kind of social relationship that archaeologists explore. The evolution of the northern Iroquoian ethnic landscape in New York, southern Ontario, and the St. Lawrence Valley has been of long-standing interest to archaeologists. Since MacNeish's (1952) pottery typology study, the predominant model for this evolution has been cladistic. Collar decoration served as a means of signaling attributes of the potter and pottery users that mirrored other more visible signals. We use social network analysis to determine ...
Eighty-one complete chipped stone drills and 115 drill fragments were recovered from excavations ... more Eighty-one complete chipped stone drills and 115 drill fragments were recovered from excavations at the Eaton site in western New York. The major occupation was an Iroquoian village dating to the mid-sixteenth century. The number of drills far exceeds the number of drilled objects from the same site. Use wear on nineteen specimens indicates their use on soft to medium resistance materials which were not preserved at the site. Consideration of chipped stone drills with long drill bits suggests that they were not used on hard materials as they would have a tendency to break. Iroquois sites to the east that are slightly later in time than the Iroquoian component at Eaton have hundreds of drilled shell beads but few chipped stone drills. We conclude that European metal drills/awls replaced chipped stone drills early in the Contact Period.
We feel that the potential range of information to be gleaned from the study of unifacial tools h... more We feel that the potential range of information to be gleaned from the study of unifacial tools has not been realized. This case study deals with three types of retouched unifacial tools from an Iroquoian village: endscrapers with thick distal bits, flake scrapers with thin distal bits, and side scrapers. Attributes considered include length, width, thickness, edge angle, shape of working edge, and breakage. Use wear and residue analysis of selected specimens was conducted as well. We conclude that differences in the value of some attributes relate to intended function while other differences relate to different stages of use-life, especially the difference between whole and broken specimens. For example, broken endscrapers had on average lower edge angles than whole ones, broken flake scrapers had higher frequencies of convex distal bits than whole ones, and broken side scrapers had higher frequencies of sharp lateral edges than whole ones. A consideration of spatial patterning indicates that broken endscrapers were concentrated in one of three longhouses and broken side scrapers tended to be found outside longhouses. Flake scrapers and endscrapers found along the walls of structures appear to be less reduced from retouching than specimens found elsewhere.
Discusses analysis of data from 17 summer field schools at the Eaton site in western New York. Pa... more Discusses analysis of data from 17 summer field schools at the Eaton site in western New York. Palisade construction, projectile point design, and projectile point refits are discussed.
This "Profile in Ontario Archaeology" focuses on Marian White's contribution to Canadian archaeol... more This "Profile in Ontario Archaeology" focuses on Marian White's contribution to Canadian archaeology specifically and to North American archaeology in general.
One of the most striking differences between St. Lawrence Iroquoian assemblages and those of the ... more One of the most striking differences between St. Lawrence Iroquoian assemblages and those of the ancestral Haudenosaunee is the scarcity of stone arrow points in the former and their abundance in the latter. Most St. Lawrence Iroquoian populations lacked direct access to sources of quality chert and therefore used bone- or antler-tipped arrows. We argue that stone arrow points have superior killing power and gave the ancestral Haudenosaunee an advantage over enemies who used organic points.
The multicomponent Eaton site in West Seneca, New York, was the focus of a long-term archaeologic... more The multicomponent Eaton site in West Seneca, New York, was the focus of a long-term archaeological project. While the major emphasis was the excavation of a mid-16th century Iroquoian village, all artifacts are being analyzed. These include 12 gunflints and 8 musket balls deposited at some point after the abandonment of the Iroquoian village. This article describes these objects, their distribution and dating, and the implications of these artifacts for the history of the site and the region.
Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Michigan. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 162-178). Ph... more Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Michigan. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 162-178). Photocopy of typescript.
ABSTRACT Unnotched triangular arrowpoints and point fragments are sometimes found in large number... more ABSTRACT Unnotched triangular arrowpoints and point fragments are sometimes found in large numbers on village sites in the Midwest and East. The possible reason or reasons for this are rarely considered. These points were used for both warfare and hunting. An attack on a village with a volley of arrows provides the most obvious explanation for large numbers of points and point fragments. Alternatively, using arrowpoints that detached within their target prey would have resulted in points and point fragments being brought back to a village in meat. These possibilities are considered in explaining the large number of points from an Iroquoian village site in western New York.
Excavations at the Eaton Site, a late-precontact Erie village in Erie County, NY, uncovered a lar... more Excavations at the Eaton Site, a late-precontact Erie village in Erie County, NY, uncovered a large suite of pre-Late Woodland bifaces among which were a small suite of diagnostic Late Paleoindian projectile points. Three, referable to the Hi-Lo style, expand the previously known suite of such points from Western New York and are the first from excavated contexts. Three other points are attributable to the Holcombe type, first reported from southeastern Michigan and extremely uncommon in New York State. Morphologically, the Eaton Site Holcombe points fall within the classic Holcombe form, but metrically they intergrade with the recently defined Late Paleoindian Cormier-Nicholas type of New England, suggesting both continued interaction between the Lower Great Lakes and New England, ca. 10,000-10,200 bp, and increasing regional divergence among these Late Paleoindian populations.
Eaton is a multicomponent site located in western New York. The major component consists of an Ir... more Eaton is a multicomponent site located in western New York. The major component consists of an Iroquoian village dating to the mid-sixteenth century. There is a high ratio of expedient lithic tools to debitage in the area of the palisade. We explore possible explanations for this distribution and discuss the implications for the construction and maintenance of a palisade.
We welcome your let- ters, thoughts and com- ments. Please email them to either Bill or Sissie fo... more We welcome your let- ters, thoughts and com- ments. Please email them to either Bill or Sissie for inclusion in the winter newsletter. Thanks.
... Lafitau (1977:1:355) notes that Iroquois women were not as fertile as women else-where, a cla... more ... Lafitau (1977:1:355) notes that Iroquois women were not as fertile as women else-where, a claim repeated in the early nineteenth century by Heckewelder for the Delaware who adds "Indians seldom have more than four or five children" (1881:221). ... According to Lafitau: ...
Ethnicity is one kind of social relationship that archaeologists explore. The evolution of the no... more Ethnicity is one kind of social relationship that archaeologists explore. The evolution of the northern Iroquoian ethnic landscape in New York, southern Ontario, and the St. Lawrence Valley has been of long-standing interest to archaeologists. Since MacNeish’s (1952) pottery typology study, the predominant model for this evolution has been cladistic. Collar decoration served as a means of signaling attributes of the potter and pottery users that mirrored other more visible signals. We use social network analysis to determine whether pottery collar decoration data best fit MacNiesh’s cladistic or an alternative rhizotic model. The results better fit the rhizotic model.
This study attempts to infer aspects of early seventeenth‐century Iroquois political organization... more This study attempts to infer aspects of early seventeenth‐century Iroquois political organization from archaeological information, especially the existence of the League of the Iroquois. Ceramic patterning within and between Iroquois village sites was considered. The existence of the League of the Iroquois was not reflected ceramically. The relevance of the results to questions concerning warfare, trade and the emergence of a new tribe were then considered.
Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, Jun 21, 2011
Abstract Ethnicity is one kind of social relationship that archaeologists explore. The evolution ... more Abstract Ethnicity is one kind of social relationship that archaeologists explore. The evolution of the northern Iroquoian ethnic landscape in New York, southern Ontario, and the St. Lawrence Valley has been of long-standing interest to archaeologists. Since MacNeish's (1952) pottery typology study, the predominant model for this evolution has been cladistic. Collar decoration served as a means of signaling attributes of the potter and pottery users that mirrored other more visible signals. We use social network analysis to determine ...
Eighty-one complete chipped stone drills and 115 drill fragments were recovered from excavations ... more Eighty-one complete chipped stone drills and 115 drill fragments were recovered from excavations at the Eaton site in western New York. The major occupation was an Iroquoian village dating to the mid-sixteenth century. The number of drills far exceeds the number of drilled objects from the same site. Use wear on nineteen specimens indicates their use on soft to medium resistance materials which were not preserved at the site. Consideration of chipped stone drills with long drill bits suggests that they were not used on hard materials as they would have a tendency to break. Iroquois sites to the east that are slightly later in time than the Iroquoian component at Eaton have hundreds of drilled shell beads but few chipped stone drills. We conclude that European metal drills/awls replaced chipped stone drills early in the Contact Period.
... In 1987, the Rochester Museum and Science Center initiated the Charles 1 Wray Series in Senec... more ... In 1987, the Rochester Museum and Science Center initiated the Charles 1 Wray Series in Seneca archaeology, spear-headed by Martha Sempowski and Lor-raine Saunders. ... In par-ticular, Martha Sempowski read and com-mented on a number of chapters of the Page 19. ...
We welcome your let- ters, thoughts and com- ments. Please email them to either Bill or Sissie fo... more We welcome your let- ters, thoughts and com- ments. Please email them to either Bill or Sissie for inclusion in the winter newsletter. Thanks.
This paper compares unnotched triangular arrow point refits (conjoined fragments) with whole poin... more This paper compares unnotched triangular arrow point refits (conjoined fragments) with whole points from the Eaton site in New York. The differences between the two samples are significant, suggesting that point typologies based on whole points may be misleading. Refits tended to have greater length to width ratios and lower thickness to length ratios, rendering them less durable. While lack of durability is generally considered to be a negative characteristic of stone points, fragmentation of a projectile in an enemy or hunting prey creates a large internal wound cavity, which is desirable. Also desirable is a point base that makes a cut wide enough to prevent drag on the arrow shaft, but narrow enough to have a good chance of passing through the ribs of the target.
Eaton is a multicomponent site located in western New York. The major component consists of an Ir... more Eaton is a multicomponent site located in western New York. The major component consists of an Iroquoian village dating to the mid-sixteenth century. There is a high ratio of expedient lithic tools to debitage in the area of the palisade. We explore possible explanations for this distribution and discuss the implications for the construction and maintenance of a palisade. Le site Eaton, dans l'ouest de I'Etat de New York, est constitud de composantes multiples dont la principale consiste en un village iroquoien datant du milieu du XVf siicle. Dans le secteur de la palissade, on retrouye un ratio 6levd d'outillage opportuniste par rapport au ddbitage. Les auteurs explorent les causes de cette distribution et discutent des implications possibles dans la construction et le maintien de la palissade.
Abstract Ethnicity is one kind of social relationship that archaeologists explore. The evolution ... more Abstract Ethnicity is one kind of social relationship that archaeologists explore. The evolution of the northern Iroquoian ethnic landscape in New York, southern Ontario, and the St. Lawrence Valley has been of long-standing interest to archaeologists. Since MacNeish's (1952) pottery typology study, the predominant model for this evolution has been cladistic. Collar decoration served as a means of signaling attributes of the potter and pottery users that mirrored other more visible signals. We use social network analysis to determine ...
... Lafitau (1977:1:355) notes that Iroquois women were not as fertile as women else-where, a cla... more ... Lafitau (1977:1:355) notes that Iroquois women were not as fertile as women else-where, a claim repeated in the early nineteenth century by Heckewelder for the Delaware who adds "Indians seldom have more than four or five children" (1881:221). ... According to Lafitau: ...
Eaton is a multicomponent site located in western New York. The major component consists of an Ir... more Eaton is a multicomponent site located in western New York. The major component consists of an Iroquoian village dating to the mid-sixteenth century. There is a high ratio of expedient lithic tools to debitage in the area of the palisade. We explore possible explanations for this distribution and discuss the implications for the construction and maintenance of a palisade. Le site Eaton, dans l'ouest de I'Etat de New York, est constitud de composantes multiples dont la principale consiste en un village iroquoien datant du milieu du XVf siicle. Dans le secteur de la palissade, on retrouye un ratio 6levd d'outillage opportuniste par rapport au ddbitage. Les auteurs explorent les causes de cette distribution et discutent des implications possibles dans la construction et le maintien de la palissade.
Iroquoia: The journal of the Conference on Iroquois Research, 2020
Triangular arrow points (Madison points) vastly outnumber endscrapers on Iroquoian village sites;... more Triangular arrow points (Madison points) vastly outnumber endscrapers on Iroquoian village sites; a fact that has not been satisfactorily explained. Endscrapers are assumed to have been used for scraping deerskins. However, the number of endscrapers recovered from most Iroquoian village sites is inadequate to account for the number of deerskins that must have been scraped in these villages. We conclude that Iroquoians typically scraped deerskins with bone or wood tools and used stone endscrapers for hides thicker than those of deer. At the Eaton village site whole endscrapers tend to be associated with longhouses and associated middens, suggesting the scraping of thick hides such as those of bear occurred inside, likely in winter. The concentration of broken endscrapers in one of three longhouses on the Eaton village suggests unequal use of endscrapers by households.
This brief article describes a scraper of Pennsylvania jasper from an Iroquoian site in western N... more This brief article describes a scraper of Pennsylvania jasper from an Iroquoian site in western New York. Its presence hints at an Erie - Susquehannock connection.
Iroquoian speakers played the hoop and pole game, but there are no historic descriptions of Iroqu... more Iroquoian speakers played the hoop and pole game, but there are no historic descriptions of Iroquoians playing chunkey, a variant of hoop and pole in which a rolled stone disk is used instead of a hoop. Also, no distinctively shaped Cahokia style chunkey stones have been found on Iroquoian sites. This has led to the belief that chunkey was not played by Iroquoians. However, a symmetrical stone disk that rolled well across a carpeted surface was recovered from the Eaton site, a mid-sixteenth century Erie village. Other researchers provided examples of symmetrical stone disks from Neutral, Erie, Seneca, Cayuga, Mohawk, and Susquehannock sites. These specimens generally resemble the Bradley variant of chunkey stones from the Midwest. We argue that these Iroquoian stone disks were used to play chunkey. In addition to describing the physical characteristics of the specimens, we discuss possible symbolism and functions of the game among Iroquoians and likely reasons for its disappearance.
The following paper presents data from the excavation and analysis of materials from the Griswold... more The following paper presents data from the excavation and analysis of materials from the Griswold site (36Er62). a transitional late Middle Woodland-early Late Woodland site located in Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania. Multiple projects were conducted at the site prior to its destruction around 2011, though the content below primarily concerns excavations by William Engelbrecht and Edinboro University in the early 1970s. Using multiple lines of evidence, the authors present settlement and subsistence models for Griswold while also integrating the data into a broader discussion of the Middle to Late Woodland transition in the Northeast. Detailed ceramic and lithic analyses are presented. In doing so, the authors highlight issues associated with the temporal resolution of formal ceramic and lithic types. Additional contributions of this paper are the presentation of novel interpretations of the function of Jack's Reef projectile points and the relationship between ceramic bossing and gripability.
Understanding patterns of artifact mends within a site has the potential to provide insights into... more Understanding patterns of artifact mends within a site has the potential to provide insights into human behavior. In this study, we map the distribution of projectile point mends at a mid-sixteenth century Iroquoian village in western New York. It is assumed that these point fragments were once embedded in meat and were discarded when the meat was consumed. As a result, the distribution of most point mends can be explained through waste stream analysis. However, those mends that occur over long distances or between different longhouses require another explanation. We propose that in these cases meat sharing between domestic groups occurred, as one mechanism used to cement interpersonal relationships. Long distance mends between potsherds and smoking pipes require additional explanations.
Eighty-one complete chipped stone drills and 115 drill fragments were recovered from excavations ... more Eighty-one complete chipped stone drills and 115 drill fragments were recovered from excavations at the Eaton site in western New York. The major occupation was an Iroquoian village dating to the mid-sixteenth century. The number of drills far exceeds the number of drilled objects from the same site. Use wear on nineteen specimens indicates their use on soft to medium resistance materials which were not preserved at the site. Consideration of chipped stone drills with long drill bits suggests that they were not used on hard materials as they would have a tendency to break. Iroquois sites to the east that are slightly later in time than the Iroquoian component at Eaton have hundreds of drilled shell beads but few chipped stone drills. We conclude that European metal drills/awls replaced chipped stone drills early in the Contact Period.
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