Variation of Native American Ceramics in the Big Bend Region of the Lower Ocmulgee River Valley, Georgia, Ad 1540 to Ad 1715
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University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology Anthropology 2018 VARIATION OF NATIVE AMERICAN CERAMICS IN THE BIG BEND REGION OF THE LOWER OCMULGEE RIVER VALLEY, GEORGIA, AD 1540 TO AD 1715 Rachel Paige Hensler University of Kentucky, [email protected] Author ORCID Identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9561-5301 Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.13023/ETD.2018.210 Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Hensler, Rachel Paige, "VARIATION OF NATIVE AMERICAN CERAMICS IN THE BIG BEND REGION OF THE LOWER OCMULGEE RIVER VALLEY, GEORGIA, AD 1540 TO AD 1715" (2018). Theses and Dissertations-- Anthropology. 29. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/anthro_etds/29 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Anthropology at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained needed written permission statement(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine) which will be submitted to UKnowledge as Additional File. I hereby grant to The University of Kentucky and its agents the irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I agree that the document mentioned above may be made available immediately for worldwide access unless an embargo applies. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of my work. I understand that I am free to register the copyright to my work. REVIEW, APPROVAL AND ACCEPTANCE The document mentioned above has been reviewed and accepted by the student’s advisor, on behalf of the advisory committee, and by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), on behalf of the program; we verify that this is the final, approved version of the student’s thesis including all changes required by the advisory committee. The undersigned agree to abide by the statements above. Rachel Paige Hensler, Student Dr. Richard W. Jefferies, Major Professor Dr. Sarah Lyon, Director of Graduate Studies VARIATION OF NATIVE AMERICAN CERAMICS IN THE BIG BEND REGION OF THE LOWER OCMULGEE RIVER VALLEY, GEORGIA, AD 1540 TO AD 1715 ____________________________________ DISSERTATION ____________________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By Rachel Paige Hensler Lexington, Kentucky Director: Richard W. Jefferies, Professor of Anthropology Lexington, Kentucky 2018 Copyright © Rachel Paige Hensler 2018 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION VARIATION OF NATIVE AMERICAN CERAMICS IN THE BIG BEND REGION OF THE LOWER OCMULGEE RIVER VALLEY, GEORGIA, AD 1540 TO AD 1715 Studies of European colonialism in the Western Hemisphere have shifted focus from areas of direct European/Native American contact, to investigate Native American groups outside of direct European contact. During Spanish colonization of the Southeastern United States (AD 1520 to AD 1715), the Big Bend region of the Ocmulgee River Valley, in Georgia, located about 160 kilometers from Spanish occupied coast, was inhabited by a Native American polity from the Late Prehistoric into the Mission period. This location is ideal for studying indirect contact. Changes in ceramic production can be used to identify changes in Native American interaction through time. Attributes from ceramics at five sites were recorded, totaling 3,231 sherds. Analysis demonstrates that richness of paste recipes and presence of ceremonial vessels declined, suggesting that regional gatherings declined. Design analysis suggests that interaction with a large variety of Native American groups from outside of the region declined, while interaction with coastal Native American groups in the purview of Spanish colonization increased. This demonstrates that changes to Native American society after European contact were not just the result of interaction with European traditions and technologies, but also the result of changing interaction with Native American groups. KEYWORDS: Ceramic analysis, culture contact, Spanish colonization, Lamar archaeology, communities of practice Rachel Paige Hensler ______________________________________________________ May 18, 2018 ______________________________________________________ Date VARIATION OF NATIVE AMERICAN CERAMICS IN THE BIG BEND REGION OF THE LOWER OCMULGEE RIVER VALLEY, GEORGIA, AD 1540 TO AD 1715 By Rachel Paige Hensler Richard Jefferies ______________________________________________________ Director of Dissertation Sarah Lyon ______________________________________________________ Director of Graduate Studies May 18, 2018 ______________________________________________________ Date ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Research for this dissertation relied heavily on access to museum and university collections. Thank you to Fernbank Museum of Natural History, South Georgia State College, Georgia Southern University, and James Madison University. The creation of this project would not have been possible without continual support and guidance from Dennis Blanton, Frankie Snow, and my committee, Richard Jefferies (chair), Christopher Pool, Scott Hutson, and Gretchen Starr-LeBeau. Mostly, this would not have been possible without the emotional and financial support of my parents, Connie and Jim Hensler. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................ x Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 Organization of This Work .............................................................................................. 8 Chapter 2 COLONIAL AND CULTURE CONTACT THEORY ................................... 10 Chapter 3 TECHNOLOCIAL STYLE AND IDENTITY ................................................ 23 Mauss, Bourdieu, and Leroi-Gourhan ........................................................................... 23 Style in Tool Manufacturing.......................................................................................... 28 Ceramic Analysis Methods ............................................................................................ 36 Chapter 4 ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ..................... 39 Prehistoric Research ...................................................................................................... 39 The Ocmulgee Big Bend Region ............................................................................... 39 Late Prehistoric Chiefdoms in Southern Georgia ...................................................... 42 The Mississippian Polity of the Big Bend .................................................................. 51 Lamar Culture ............................................................................................................ 54 Historic Research ........................................................................................................... 55 Spanish Exploration and Colonization in Georgia ..................................................... 55 Entrada (A.D. 1526 to A.D. 1565) ............................................................................. 56 "PreParochial" Mission Period ................................................................................... 60 Consequences of Contact ........................................................................................... 66 Changing Ceramics and Mission Period .................................................................... 70 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 75 Chapter 5 ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND METHODS ................................. 77 Archaeological Investigations ....................................................................................... 81 Glass (9TF145) ........................................................................................................... 81 Coffee Bluff (9TF115) ............................................................................................... 94 9CF46 ....................................................................................................................... 100 Lind Landing ............................................................................................................ 102 Sand Ridge ............................................................................................................... 103 Summary .....................................................................................................................