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Bison Bison Recoveries An Examination of Species Diversity and Bison Processing Intensity Contextualized within an Aboriginal Seasonality Framework for Late Precontact Sites on the Canadian Northeastern Plains By Tomasin Playford A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The Univeristy of Manitoba in Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Natural Resources Institute University of Manitoba Winnipeg Copyright © 2015 Tomasin Playford ABSTRACT This dissertation considers faunal recoveries from a selection of archaeological sites located in the Canadian Northeastern Plains that date between AD 1000 and 1600. These faunal assemblages derive from three different archaeological cultures that are thought to reflect different subsistence orientations. The analysis quantifies this variability by assessing the taxonomic abundance and intensity of bone processing evident in the recoveries. At issue is determination whether variability in the faunal assemblage reflects differences in subsistence economy deriving from the diverse origins of these societies. This requires control over other potential contributors to variability. This includes ecological comparability of the site localities, consistency of excavation, sampling and analytic methods, and similarities in site function. Particularly important is determination that the selected sites reflect comparable seasons of site occupation. This latter consideration is important since the established archaeological and ethnological literature suggests that both available resources and the economic orientation of resident populations varied significantly with season. To this end, a major research component focused on the development of more refined means of determining the season of site occupation by measuring the degree of osteological development of recovered foetal bison bones. The creation of linear regression equations based on these measurements will allow applied archaeologists to establish season of site occupation without the need for a large, difficult to obtain foetal bison comparative collection. The analysis suggests the variability in the faunal assemblages occurs independently of site cultural affiliation, and might reflect economic activities conditioned by more finely divided seasonal divisions than is apparent with the conventional four-season model deriving from agrarian European societies. Aboriginal language markers, specifically moon-names, were used to identify significant biophysical and bison reproductive events. By placing the six sites within Aboriginal concepts of seasonality, animal food subsistence choices are better understood. These results have implications for the classification scheme archaeologists have used to define subsistence strategies. i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge my dissertation committee for their commitment to my program of study and ensuring that this dissertation was successfully completed. Dr. Bev Nicholson has been much more than an advisor. He provided me with the opportunity as an undergraduate student to be directly involved in archaeological research and has maintained a presence in my academic career, Dr. Scott Hamilton was also instrumental in helping me clarify my research objectives and provided numerous suggestions for improving my arguments. Drs. Micheline Manseau and Emdad Haque helped me understand the contributions that academic research can have in resource management. I would particularity like to thank Dr. Jack Ives who served as my external examiner and provided thoughtful insights and valuable suggestions. The faculty and staff at the Natural Resources Institute must be commended for their dedication to their students and I would like to recognize the work of the departmental assistants Tammy Keedwell, Dalia Naguib and Shannon Wiebe. I would especially like to thank Dalia who went above and beyond her duties. I would also like to thank Thomas Henley for getting me back on track more than once and motivating me when I needed it most. I would also like to acknowledge the support of Dr. Michael Campbell. I received fellowships from the Social Sciences Humanities Research Council and the University of Manitoba as well as scholarships from the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the Natural Resources Institute, in addition to a Saskatchewan Association of Professional Archaeologists grant. I was also grateful for the travel grants provided by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, the Graduate Student Association and the Alumni Association which helped offset the cost of several conferences. Dr. Nicholson and Sylvia Nicholson graciously enabled access to the Lovstrom, Jackson and Vera faunal assemblages while Dr. Hamilton supplied both the Hokanson and Twin Fawn materials. Dr. Evelyn Siegfried of the Royal Saskatchewan Museum facilitated access to the Sanderson site material and kindly helped sort through boxes of bones. I would also like to thank Marc ii Bellon of Prairie Rose Meats for providing the modern foetal bison specimens and putting me in touch with the Gomph family who provided the young bison specimens. Dr. Ernie Walker in the Archaeology and Anthropology Department at the University of Saskatchewan permitted the inclusion of his foetal bison specimens to be used. Thank you. I simply cannot thank Jill Taylor-Hollings and Dr. Hamilton enough for the support and words of encouragement when needed most. Jill also helped me understand the complexities of archaeological taxonomies and pottery chronologies. I feel nothing but gratitude towards my fellow Manitoba archaeolgists: Kevin Brownlee, Matt Singer, Myra Sitchon, Suyoko Tsukamoto and Amber Zimmerman-Flett. I would also like to thank my Saskatchewan Archaeological Society collegues, Ms. Belinda Riehl-Fitzsimmons and Ms. Karin Steuber. I would not have accomplished this without the support of my wonderful family. To my sisters Nell and Heather, thank you so much for being my sisters! Your reassurance that I could do this, even during the really tough times is what kept me going. Thank you to all my parents, mom, dad, Sherry, Pat and Brent. To Heath, how do I start to express my gratitude for your patience, understanding and support? What else can I say but thank you. Finally, I would like to dedicate this dissertation to Dr. Nicholson. I would not be where I am today if it was not for Bev. Bev took a chance on me when I had little archaeology experience and just wanted to 'dig in the dirt'. He not only taught me that the cool stuff' we found represented past peoples, he also provided me, and many of my peers with the opportunity to experience field archaeology in one of the most beautiful places on earth - southern Manitoba. His quest for life-long learning has inspired me to do the same and the impact of his mentorship on a generation of archaeolgists will benefit everyone. Thank you Bev. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS ..................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................ x LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................. xi LIST OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FOR WHICH PERMISSION WAS OBTAINED ............................................................................ xiii INTRODUCTION ...................................................... 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 Research Problem ................................................................................................ 2 Problem Statement ............................................................................................... 5 Purpose Statement and Objectives ...................................................................... 5 Objective 1 .................................................................................................... 6 Objective 2 .................................................................................................... 6 Objective 3 .................................................................................................... 6 Resource Management Implications and Applications ......................................... 6 Objective 4 .................................................................................................... 8 Methodology Overview ......................................................................................... 8 Theoretical Perspective ...................................................................................... 10 Organization of the Study ................................................................................... 12 SUBSISTENCE AND SEASONALITY ON THE CANADIAN NORTHEASTERN PLAINS DURING THE LATE PRECONTACT TIME PERIOD ........................................................ 15 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 15 Culture Area Concept ......................................................................................... 15 The North American Great Plains ....................................................................... 17 The Northeastern Plains .............................................................................. 18 Social-Cultural Context ....................................................................................... 20 Understanding Archaeological Taxonomies and Chronologies ................... 20
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