FEASTING AND COMMUNAL RITUAL IN THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, AD 700–1000 Megan Crandal Kassabaum A dissertation submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Anthropology. Chapel Hill 2014 Approved by: Vincas P. Steponaitis C. Margaret Scarry Dale L. Hutchinson Brett H. Riggs Valerie Lambert © 2014 Megan Crandal Kassabaum ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT Megan Crandal Kassabaum: Feasting and Communal Ritual in the Lower Mississippi Valley, AD 700–1000 (Under the direction of Vincas P. Steponaitis) This dissertation examines prehistoric activity at the Feltus site (22Je500) in Jefferson County, Mississippi, to elucidate how Coles Creek (AD 700–1200) platform mound sites were used. Data from excavations undertaken by the Feltus Archaeological Project from 2006 to 2012 support the conclusion that Coles Creek people utilized Feltus episodically for some 400 years, with little evidence of permanent habitation. More specifically, the ceramic, floral, and faunal data suggest that Feltus provided a location for periodic ritual events focused around food consumption, post-setting, and mound building. The rapidity with which the middens at Feltus were deposited and the large size of the ceramic vessels implies that the events occurring there brought together large groups of people for massive feasting episodes. The vessel form assemblage is dominated by open bowls and thus suggests an emphasis on food consumption, with less evidence for food preparation and virtually none for food storage. Overall, the ceramic assemblage emphasizes a great deal of continuity in the use of the Feltus landscape from the earliest occupation, during the Hamilton Ridge phase, through the latest, during the Balmoral phase. Evidence from the food remains further supports these conclusions. Faunal remains indicate that the Feltus diet consisted mainly of large mammals and fish, and botanical remains suggest a focus on nuts and wild seeds, with limited evidence for domesticated iii chenopod. An emphasis on exceptionally large animals (including bear) and easily amassable plant resources further implies large, communal eating events. The presence of ritually important plants, smoking pipes, and bear remains in the Feltus deposits suggest that the meals that occurred during these events were ceremonial. The final chapter offers a general scheme for identifying, describing, and comparing feasting events in the archaeological record. Based on this comparative framework, I argue that the feasts and communal rituals taking place at Coles Creek sites need not have been competitive, but rather may have emphasized community building and highlighted the shared identity of the participants. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The fieldwork on which my dissertation is based was directed by Vin Steponaitis and John O’Hear and consisted of Burch Field Research Seminars in 2006 and 2007, volunteer excavations in 2010 and 2011, and a summer field school in 2012. None of this would have been possible without the dedication of these field crews. My research was supported by the Department of Anthropology, Research Laboratories of Archaeology, Burch Field Research Seminar Program, Center for the Study of the American South, Royster Society Kenan Fellowship, and Timothy P. Mooney Fellowship at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC). Additional support was provided by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) and the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University. I acknowledge the administrative and organizational work of Silvia Tomášková, Suphronia Cheek, Shamecia Powers, Brenda Moore, and particularly Lisa-Jean Michienzi, without whom I’d be totally lost. I’ve been lucky to have an incredible academic support system throughout my time in graduate school. UNC is an amazing environment in which I grew not only as a scholar but also as a person. First and foremost, I must thank my advisor, Vin Steponaitis, for being a wonderful mentor both professionally and personally. He’s guided me through the hoops of graduate school and the job market, provided me with endless advice and edits, and taught me to be a better scholar. In the process, he has been unceasingly generous—with his time, v his funds, his data, his enthusiasm, and his contacts. Without his introduction to the Natchez community, endless phone calls, emails, and visits made on my behalf, and constant encouragement to take advantage of all that Mississippi has to offer, I would never have succeeded in this project or in knowing what to do next. I look forward to collaborating with him throughout the career he’s helped me to start. Thanks also to my other committee members who shaped and supported this project, I couldn’t have done it without you. Specifically, I owe much to Margie Scarry, who made my botanical analysis possible, encouraged my thinking about feasting, and adeptly led me down the often-rough road that is graduate school. Dale Hutchinson and Brett Riggs provided guidance and lent expertise throughout the process, and Valerie Lambert consistently expanded my thinking and provided much needed encouragement through the difficult times. And now I must turn to the past. Shannon Fie, you’ve never stopped being my mentor and you’ve made all of this possible. You both convinced me I could really do it, and showed me how. Thanks also to Bill Green and the rest of the anthropology department at Beloit College, Tim Pauketat, who taught my undergraduate field school, and the archaeologists who ran my high school field school in Kampsville, Illinois for showing me what I wanted to do with my life. I have relied heavily on a variety of specialists to help me make sense of my data, both in the field and in the lab. Most importantly, I could not have completed this project without the skills, friendship, and mentorship of John O’Hear. His generosity has opened more doors for me than I can count and his logistical skills in the field are unsurpassed. I hope to never run an archaeological project without his assistance. Ed Jackson, Lynn Funkhouser, Sarah Sherwood, Eddie Henry, Jay Johnson, Bryan Haley, John Peukert, Nick vi Herrmann, Molly Zuckerman, Chip McGimsey, Joe Saunders, Thurman Allen, and Steve Davis also provided much needed expertise on various parts of this project. Thanks also to the dedicated UNC undergraduates who volunteered hours of their time to processing the Feltus material, especially: Mike Goldstein, Nattie DeMasi, Mallory Melton, Morgan Welch, Kelly White, Megan Hynek, Vanessa Patchett, and Leah (Williams) Wiegand. I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to my friends and colleagues for their constant stream of encouragement, for sharing their ideas and critiquing mine, and for many, many hours spent in bars, hotel lobbies, and coffee shops over the course of graduate school. Some of you I see every day and others only every year, but I look forward to spending our careers working and thinking together. First, thanks to my cohort and to my fellow UNC graduate students who helped in the field, lab, and writing process, especially: Erin Nelson, David Cranford, Ashley Peles, Will Meyer, Sara Juengst, Claire Novotny, Anna Semon, Courtney Lewis, Malena Rousseau, Sara Becker, Sarah Rowe, Guy Duke, Jen Ringberg, and Mark Plane. Second, I cannot overstate the importance of my membership in the Southeastern Archaeological Conference (SEAC). I have received encouragement and inspiration from too many people to list here, and I thank you all. Recently, I have come to particularly appreciate the young SEAC community that consistently inspires me to do my best work by showing me up with their own. Alice Wright, Eddie Henry, Vicki Dekle, Shane Miller, Matt Sanger, Jayur Mehta, Corin Pursell, Tim Schilling, Daniel LaDu, Lori Roe, and everyone else… thank you and I look forward to a career’s worth of SEACs to come. I must now move on to acknowledging the amazing community I’ve joined in Mississippi. Thank you to everyone who welcomed me onto their land, into their homes, and made me feel welcome in their wonderful state. I am most grateful to Buck Banker, Sr., Buck vii Banker, Jr., and Sonny Freeman, who provided access to the site. I am also grateful to Pam Leib and the folks at MDAH for helping archaeology to thrive in Mississippi and to Jessica Crawford, George Lowry, and the rest of the Archaeological Conservancy for their boundless and energy and enthusiasm for preserving archaeological sites for future generations. Throughout my time in Natchez, Mimi and Ron Miller, Trevor Brown, Nancy Hungerford, Liz Dunham, Yolanda Morgan, and Patricia Catchings have provided a wealth of support, knowledge, and advice. Smokye and Carol Frank, Robert and Kathy Prospere, Lee and Sherry Jones, Jim and Sharon Barnett, Annette, Larry, and Spencer Holder, Jim and Ruthie Coy, Kathleen Jenkins, Ethel Banta, Anne MacNeil, Beth Boggess, Stanley Cooper, and Brooks Harrington have provided me with friendship, food, and a whole lot of fun. A particular thank you goes to Adam Gwin for sharing his passions with me; Adam, you have made Mississippi feel like home. And last, but certainly not least, I could not have completed this research without the lifetime of emotional, educational, and financial support given to me by my family. Being away from you all has been hard, and I must acknowledge Beth and David Cranford for providing me with a North Carolina family whenever I needed one. To my grandparents, Russ and Dottie Sprague and George and Marjory Graff thank you for always supporting my education. I will never be able to repay you. Thanks also to the extended Sprague and Kassabaum clans, near and far, for always rooting me on. And last, but certainly not least, thank you to my parents, Nancy and Doug, and my little sister, Tory, who together have shaped me into someone who appreciates the significance of the past, enjoys living in the present, and understands the importance of the future.