A Comparative Study of Oneota and Langford Traditions
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A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ONEOTA AND LANGFORD TRADITIONS by Chrisie L. Hunter A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Anthropology at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee May 2002 A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ONEOTA AND LANGFORD TRADITIONS by Chrisie L. Hunter A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Anthropology at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee May 2002 ________________________________________________________________________ Major Professor Date ________________________________________________________________________ Graduate School Approval Date ii ABSTRACT A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ONEOTA AND LANGFORD TRADITIONS by Chrisie L. Hunter The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2002 Under the Supervision of Dr. Robert J. Jeske This study is a comparative analysis of two contemporaneous sites from two related cultural systems, Oneota and Langford. Similarities and differences between the sites were examined through analysis of technology, faunal and floral remains, and environmental variables. A catchment analysis was completed to understand environmental factors affecting agricultural practices and resource utilization between the two sites. The issue of agricultural production and the extent this subsistence strategy was utilized at two sites was examined. The Crescent Bay Hunt Club site (Oneota) and Washington Irving site (Langford) are shown to be similar in lithic technology but significantly different in ceramic technology, and subsistence strategies. The Oneota Crescent Bay Hunt Club site occupants were more dependant upon wetland resources than were the Langford occupants of the Washington Irving site. _______________________________________________________________________ Major Professor Date iii © Copyright by Chrisie L. Hunter, 2002 All Rights Reserved iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………1 Research Problem Chapter 2. Literature Review……………………………………...………………………4 Oneota Research Origin of Oneota Cultural Identity Langford Research Agriculture Research Chapter 3. Cultural and Site History……...…………………………………….………..15 Oneota Langford Environmental Background Crescent Bay Hunt Club Washington Irving Expectations Chapter 4. Data Analysis………………………………………………….……………..58 Environment Floral Remains Faunal Analysis Lithic Material Ceramic Analysis Chapter 5. Discussion……………………………………………………..……………..88 Catchment Floral Faunal Chapter 6. Conclusion……………………………………………………..……………96 References………………………………………………………………………………99 Appendix A. Lithic Schemes…………………………………………………………...112 Appendix B. Ceramic Scheme………………………………………………………….126 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Map showing Upper Mississippian and Middle Mississippian sites in the Midwest……………………………………………………………16 Figure 2. Wisconsin Oneota Phases ……………………………………………………..21 Figure 3. Lithics commonly found at Upper Mississippian sites………………………...23 Figure 4. House structures present at Oneota sites………………………………………24 Figure 5. Oneota pottery motifs and vessel shapes ……………………………………...26 Figure 6. Distribution of Langford and Oneota sites in Illinois………………………….29 Figure 7. Langford ceramic motifs and vessel shapes…………………………………...31 Figure 8. Lithic types often recovered from Langford sites……………………………..33 Figure 9. Location of Prairie Peninsula………………………………………………….36 Figure 10. Location of Crescent Bay Hunt Club…….…………………………………..41 Figure 11. Location of Crescent Bay Hunt Club units…………………………………..45 Figure 12. Ricing pit feature found at Crescent Bay Hunt Club………………………...50 Figure 13. Wall trench, post holes, and storage pit from a probable house structure at Crescent Bay Hunt Club site…………………………….……...50 Figure 14. Location of Washington Irving units………………………………………...52 Figure 15. 7.5' Busseyville Topographic Quadrangle displaying Crescent Bay Hunt Club site boundaries……………………………………………………62 Figure 16. GLO map of area surrounding Crescent Bay Hunt Club…………………….63 Figure 17. Catchment of Crescent Bay Hunt Club……………………………………....67 Figure 18. Washington Irving site area…………………………………………………..68 Figure 19. Elgin 7.5' Topographic Quadrangle displaying Washington Irving site boundaries……………………………………………………………….69 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 20. GLO map of area surrounding Washington Irving…………………………..73 Figure 21. Catchment of Washington Irving………………………………….…………74 Figure 22. Crescent Bay Hunt Club Faunal Proportions Pie Chart……………………...85 Figure 23. Washington Irving Faunal Proportions Pie chart …..…………….………….85 Figure 24. Catchment analysis percentages……………………………………………...90 Figure 25. Ubiquity of plants based on percentage of features they were recovered from……………………………….………………………………92 Figure 26. Faunal proportions……………………………………………………………94 Figure 27. Washington Irving and Crescent Bay Hunt Club faunal proportions………...95 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Climate measurements for temperature, precipitation, and frost free days at Crescent Bay Hunt Club and Washington Irving ………………………….58 Table 2. Crescent Bay Hunt Club soil survey……………………………………....64-65 Table 3. Vegetation measured and mentioned by GLO surveyor……………………...66 Table 4. Washington Irving soil survey…………………………………………….70-71 Table 5. Vegetation measured and mentioned by GLO surveyor……………………...72 Table 6. Floral recovered from Crescent Bay Hunt Club…………………………..75-76 Table 7. Floral recovered from Washington Irving………………………………...78-83 Table 8. Crescent Bay Hunt Club faunal remains………………………………….…..84 Table 9. Washington Irving faunal remains……………………………………………84 Table 10. Washington Irving lithics…………………………………………………....86 Table 11. Crescent Bay Hunt Club lithics……………………………………………...87 Table 12. Total ceramic count for Washington Irving and Crescent Bay Hunt club…..87 viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to give special thanks to my committee members, Dr. Robert J. Jeske, Dr. John D. Richards and Dr. Jean Hudson, for providing guidance and advice. I want to thank Jean Nelson, for conducting analysis on the Crescent Bay Hunt Club ceramics; Courtney Young who helped with lithic debitage analysis from Washington Irving; Louise Lambert and John Van Beckum for conducting lithic analysis on the Crescent Bay Hunt Club lithics; Katie Egan-Bruhy for analyzing floral remains from both sites and Greg Walz for analyzing 1985 floral remains from Washington Irving; Dr. Richard Yerkes who analyzed the 1984 faunal remains and Vanessa Zietz who helped analyze the faunal remains from Crescent Bay Hunt Club. Dr. J. Patrick Gray supervised the statistics used during the study. I want to thank my parents and fiancé Seth Schneider for all the support and encouragement they provided for the past year. ix Chapter 1 Research Problem Research on prehistoric cultures has taken many forms, from identifying individual cultural traditions to interpreting gender roles. The focus of this thesis is to assess the role of agriculture circa A.D. 1000-1400 in two distinct but related cultures, Langford and Oneota. In addition, issues concerning cultural identity, resource exploitation, and what is generally thought about agricultural use, are discussed. The data used are from two contemporaneous sites, Crescent Bay Hunt Club (47 JE 904), an Oneota site located in Jefferson County in southeastern Wisconsin, and the Washington Irving site (11 K 52), a Langford Tradition site found in Kane County in northern Illinois. Information gathered from the two sites provides insight into the differences and similarities in subsistence and technology between the two contemporaneous populations. A multivariate approach is used to gain an understanding of the two cultures and the use of agriculture as a viable subsistence strategy. By looking at the environment, historical context, and technology we may gain insight into how these variables work together to support maize agriculture as a subsistence strategy. A multivariate approach is used to assess the interaction between technological, sociological, and environmental factors present at the sites. This approach is designed to provide a better understanding of the interactions of the variables and how this interaction is displayed through subsistence strategies, technological differences, and cultural preferences (cf., Hart 1990). Prehistoric agricultural practices are well discussed in archaeological literature, yet there is no consensus on the reliance on particular cultigens in Upper Mississippian 2 subsistence. Debate on the degree of reliance on maize among Middle and Upper Mississippian sites is currently prevalent in the literature (cf., Boserup 1965; Brown 1982; Egan 1988; Hart 1990; King 1993; Emerson 1999a; Jeske 2000a; Berres 2001). Maize and other domesticated plants are present at most, if not all, Mississippian sites, signifying that they are an important aspect of the culture. However, detailed floral data from Upper Mississippian sites are relatively scarce and the extent of use is unclear. The sites chosen for this study are unusual in that both have had a relatively large amount of fine scale recovery of floral and faunal material. The Sites The Crescent Bay Hunt Club site is located on agricultural property that is currently undeveloped with the exception of a few cultivated and lawn areas. The site sits on top of a till-covered limestone bedrock ridge that runs parallel to the western shore of Lake Koshkonong. The ridge is approximately eight meters above the lower wetlands that border the western shore of the lake. The site has been described as a prime location for exploiting wetland and lake resources.