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An Introduction to the Prehistory of the Southeast

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An Introduction to the Prehistory of the Southeast • 35 An Introduction to the Prehistory of The Southeast or, “They were Shootin’em as Fast as They Could Make ’em…” and Other Popular Misconceptions about the Prehistoric Southeast by Scott Jones A Personal Perspective competent technicians and teachers of nature- As a primitive technologist and replicative spe- based skills often have little background in the cialist, my profession leads me into working rela- chronology of prehistory and the dynamics of tionships with other archaeologists, educators, out- material culture change. To demonstrate a skill and door skills enthusiasts, and the public. Varying pro- declare “the Indians did this” is but one level of portions of my time are spent doing archaeology, understanding; yet another level involves knowing replicative and experimental work, teaching class- which Indians did what, where they did it, and sig- es, and demonstrating prehistoric technologies. nificant to our discussion here, when. Thus the The hands-on aspect of my occupation affords me nature of my work has been to bring practical wis- the opportunity to apply long-term experiential dom to bear upon archaeology, and to bring knowledge to archaeological interpretation, while archaeology into the thinking of both the public my participation in mainstream archaeology allows and the primitive skills community. This integra- me to bring sound archaeological information to tive approach is perhaps best characterized by my those outside the profession. involvement with the Society of Primitive As one who spends considerable time working Technology, and is evident in many of the articles with the public, I hear quite a few interesting lay I have written for the Society’s journal, the Bulletin interpretations of archaeological sites. I hear about of Primitive Technology. innumerable “Indian mounds” in improbable loca- In recent years I have had requests from other tions, finds of “buckets full of arrowheads,” “vil- primitive technologists for a brief, readable lages” with “arrowheads all over the place,” and, as chronology of regional prehistory as an accompani- a flintknapper, one of my favorites relates the sub- ment for lectures and demonstrations. With this in title. “We found a site with literally hun’erds (sic) mind, I drafted the basic outline of what you see of arrowheads on it…they must’ve been shoot- here. This article is an expansion of that text, in’em as fast as they could make ’em.” Realizing adapted for a wider audience, with the hope that it that popular culture often fosters long-standing imparts a sense of context and continuity to those stereotypes and misconceptions, one of my jobs is who are interested in the flow of time and events. to try and guide some of this popular thinking The following sections outline the four principal towards an understanding of the past grounded in time periods of Southeastern prehistory, with a the best state of modern archaeological knowledge. brief commentary on the historic era after 1540. Likewise, in working with other primitive skills They are compiled from numerous sources and practitioners, I began to comprehend that many present a broad historic perspective, with some Jones operates his educational enterprise, Media Prehistoria, from his home in Oglethorpe County. His work ranges from demonstrations and interpretive programs to experimental archaeology and lithic technology. 36 • Early Georgia • volume 29, number 1 • Archaeologists seeking to reconstruct past life- A Word about Time Designations ways rely for their interpretations on the time- Time notations, both in scientific and popular worn remains of ancient cultures for guidance; here reading, can be confusing. Most readers are familiar in our humid climate, we are further disadvantaged with the Gregorian or Christian calendar nota- since often only the inorganic residues of prehis- tions, where dates are either AD (Latin anno domi- toric culture remain. The study of stone tools, ni,"in the year of our Lord") or BC (before Christ). sherds of pottery, and the scant remnants of organ- You may also see the corresponding use of CE ic items and foods have helped to reconstruct (common era) and BCE (before the common era), which is seen as more inclusive and less Christian- much of the detail of aboriginal life since the centric, but refers to the same time scale as AD/BC. arrival of people at the end of the Ice Age. But, Finally, many archaeologists use BP or Before unlike our counterparts in arid regions who are able Present (arbitrarily the “present” is 1950, to avoid to examine directly numerous organic artifacts pre- the mental gymnastics of adding or subtracting the served in dry caves and rock shelters, experimental two millennia since the birth of Christ). In addi- archaeologists working in the Southeast are not tion, an archaeological report using the lower case rigidly bound to a list of facts about the material ad/bc is discussing uncorrected radiocarbon dates. culture of the native peoples; we seek, at best, to One final note: AD and ad are used before a date present a range of available technological possibil- (as in AD 1200, or ad 500), but all other designa- ities. These possibilities extend beyond the recon- tions follow the digits. You will notice that I employ two different time struction of material archaeological remains; by designations in this article. I used the BP notation combining aspects of archaeology, ethnography, in the Paleoindian, Archaic, and Woodland sec- and natural history, a world of organic materials tions, and switch to the Christian calendar in the normally hidden from the archaeologist’s trowel Mississippian and Historic period discussions. I did emerges. Rarely are we fortunate enough to glimpse this because the dates in recent centuries are more the artistry of fibercraft, basketry, and woodwork- familiar to us in the form of “years AD”, and thus ing that doubtless flourished in the prehistoric easier to comprehend. I hope that this makes it eas- Southeast. Several flooded sites in Florida have ier, not more difficult, to follow the timeline at yielded substantial organic remains; we believe hand. that similar objects were probably commonly in use in what is now Georgia. specific observations on material culture based Such interpretive freedom is a mixed blessing upon my own experiences in primitive technology. since, on the one hand, one may experiment with ideas and adjust perceptions of prehistory; on the Reconstructing the Past: Archaeology and other, one must be attentive to the realities of Experimentation Stone Age life provided by archaeology, and thus Starting with the oldest identifiable culture, the rein in unrealistic ideas before they wander too far following text covers the next 12,000 years, from afield. To the informed student of primitive tech- the long periods of hunting and gathering known nology falls the task of responsibly filling in gaps in as the Paleoindian and Archaic periods, to the early our knowledge by recognizing, using, and docu- horticulturists of the Woodland period, and the menting the wealth of possible material resources maize-producing agriculturalists of the Mississippi- in our environments. an period, ending with the arrival of Europeans in recent times. While some traditional crafts are still Paleoindian: 12,000–10,000 BP practiced by Indians of the Southeast, much of the While a growing body of evidence suggests that accumulated knowledge of the past 12,000 years people inhabited the New World by about 13,500 was lost through the unfortunate acts of the years ago (often referred to as the Pre-Paleoindian Europeans who ultimately came to dominate period), the first definable, widespread culture North America. For further reading, try The appeared around 12,000 years ago at the end of the Southeastern Indians by Charles Hudson’s (1976) last Ice Age. The dry, windswept landscape was and Archaeology of the Southeastern United States: strongly shaped by, but just out of reach of, the Paleoindian to World War I by Judith Bense (1994). massive continental ice sheet that lay a few hun- • An Introduction to the Prehistory of The Southeast • Jones • 37 Historic circa ad 1540-present ad/ Before bc Present ad/ Before The de Soto expedition’s four-year tour of the Southeast, was the 3500 5500 bc Present first visit of Europeans to Georgia’s Interior. The incursion of 3600 5600 2000 0 Europeans profoundly changed the lives of the Native Americans, 3700 5700 1900 100 introducing new foods, technologies, and diseases. Some aboriginal practices still remain. Some descendants of 3800 5800 1800 200 Mississippian peoples tell stories passed down from their 3900 5900 1700 300 forbearers, and craft traditional items as their ancestors did. 4000 6000 1600 400 4100 6100 1500 500 Middle Archaic 4200 6200 1400 600 Mississippian ca. 8000-5500 bp 4300 6300 1300 700 4400 6400 circa ad During the Middle 1200 800 900-1540 4500 6500 1100 900 Archaic, reliance on plant 4600 6600 1000 1000 foods continued to Mississippian peoples increase. People still lived 4700 6700 900 1100 cultivated large fields in mobile groups in major 4800 6800 800 1200 and lived in some- river valleys. The 4900 6900 700 1300 Woodland times large villages. development of spear- 5000 7000 600 1400 circa 3000-1100 bp Some were surround- thrower weights improved 5100 7100 500 1500 ed by defensive pali- their throwing accuracy 5200 7200 400 1600 Woodland peoples made axes that sades and ditches. Vil- and impact. They used 5300 7300 300 1700 were more efficient than those of lages and peoples locally available stone for 5400 7400 200 1800 their predecessors, making it easier were members of making tools, suggesting to clear fields, indicating the loose confederacies, 5500 7500 100 1900 the territories in which 5600 7600 increasing importance of agriculture or regional political they moved were smaller AD 0 2000 5700 7700 for their subsistence.
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