Nested Landscapes: Ecological and Spiritual Use of Plains Landscape During the Late Prehistoric Period

University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2014-06-25 Nested Landscapes: Ecological and Spiritual Use of Plains Landscape During the Late Prehistoric Period Amundsen-Meyer, Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer, L. (2014). Nested Landscapes: Ecological and Spiritual Use of Plains Landscape During the Late Prehistoric Period (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27071 http://hdl.handle.net/11023/1585 doctoral thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Nested Landscapes: Ecological and Spiritual Use of Plains Landscape During the Late Prehistoric Period by Lindsay M. Amundsen-Meyer A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY CALGARY, ALBERTA JUNE, 2014 © Lindsay M. Amundsen-Meyer 2014 Abstract This study evaluates competing models of settlement patterning on the Northwestern Plains using a sample of sites located along the Old North Trail, an ancient pathway within the traditional homeland of the Blackfoot people. More specifically, the sites are located in the Foothills of southern Alberta, the wintering grounds of the Blackfoot. Ecological models suggest that wood, water, bison and shelter are the key influences on human settlement patterns at this time of year. The location of bison herds changes yearly, and any instance of a resource can be used. Consequently, this model expects a random distribution of archaeological sites, though sites should be located where there is access to wood and water. Phenomenological models, by contrast, posit that human groups travel along established paths and stop at the same culturally important places each year. Given such patterned use of the landscape, clusters of archaeological sites at culturally significant landmarks, including glacial erratics, named places, springs and cottonwood groves, are expected. Since human groups return each year, these sites should show evidence of reuse. These suggestions are tested through a series of spatial statistics and descriptive spatial tools which identify spatial patterns and relate site clusters to landscape variables of ecological and cultural significance. This analysis shows that ecological variables influence the selection of the study area as an appropriate wintering ground but do not account for the placement of settlements within the Foothills region. Instead, cultural variables appear to exert a greater influence on human settlement choices, with views of and proximity to named places and glacial erratics important considerations and proximity to cottonwood groves and springs of secondary importance. Consequently, I propose a series of nested landscapes for this ii portion of the Northwestern Plains in which ecology conditions settlement choices at a large scale and phenomenology at small scale. These insights provide a greater understanding of human use of the Northwestern Plains landscape and contribute to a larger dialogue regarding cultural landscapes, senses of place and ultimately cultural identity. iii Acknowledgements Completing such a large work as a dissertation would not be possible without a multitude of financial, academic and personal support. Prior to acknowledging the latter, I would first like to thank the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship Program for awarding me a three-year doctoral scholarship to fund my doctoral degree and the Killam Trusts for awarding me a two-year honorary fellowship in support of my research. Additional financial support was provided by the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation, Archaeological Society of Alberta, Coutts Family Foundation, Friends of Head-Smashed- In Buffalo Jump, Martha Biggar Anders Memorial Fund and the Faculty of Graduate Studies, Department of Archaeology and Graduate Student’s Association at the University of Calgary. Through both undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Calgary, I have received an excellent education and a tremendous amount of support from faculty members, fellow students and support staff in the Department of Archaeology. I would especially like to thank my supervisor Gerald Oetelaar, an amazing teacher and friend. His door is always open for his students, something I truly appreciate. Gerry has always posed the touch questions, encouraging me to think critically. In moments of self-doubt, he is always available to lend an ear and provide encouragement. Without his support this dissertation would have been a much more difficult undertaking. In addition, I would like to thank the other members of my supervisory committee, Dale Walde and Shelley Alexander, who were always willing to provide advice and encouragement. Nicole Ethier has answered many questions, helping with everything from funding applications to photocopying. In addition, I am grateful for the support and expertise of faculty members iv and teaching assistants in the Department of Geography, without whom I would not have had the knowledge of GIS and spatial statistics required to complete this research. In particular, I would like to thank Bart Hulshof who was always available to lend a hand with technical difficulties. The amount of time dedicated to this dissertation would not have been possible without the support of family and friends. I would like to thank my husband Justin for the love and support he has provided and for allowing me to focus solely on graduate school. His patience and encouragement know no bounds. Throughout my graduate degree he has shared in the excitement of the achievements and milestones and been a shoulder to lean on in stressful or difficult times. My parents, Doug and Joan, and my in-laws, Tony and Agnes, have always been available for moral support and to provide a rural Alberta staycation when a break was needed. In addition, I would like to thank all of my siblings and siblings’ in-law for their support, and my many nieces and nephews for always making me smile. Finally, my best friend T has constantly been there to hear a rant, provide encouragement, celebrate successes and commiserate failures, all of which are much appreciated. A major component of this research was a two year field project in the vicinity of Claresholm and Stavely, Alberta which refined the data available for the region and made the results of this research significantly more robust. This field program would not have been possible without the contribution of a huge suite of dedicated volunteers and landowners, in addition to the aforementioned funding agencies. The landowners who graciously allowed us to access their land or showed us their collections are too numerous to name, but all are due a huge debt of gratitude. I would especially like to thank Scott v and Audrey Maurushat, Doug and Irene Leeds, Charles and Pat Leeds, Gary and Janet Brown and Kim and Margo Cochlan for not only allowing us access to their land and sharing their knowledge of the region, but for their enormous hospitality. Additionally, this field program relied on a field crew primarily of volunteers, again too numerous to name. To visit and record 143 sites in only two summers would simply have not been possible without their help. I would like to take this opportunity to thank in particular Terry Quinn, John Easton and Jim McMurchy, dedicated volunteers and Archaeological Society of Alberta members, who participated in more days of field work than they missed. Lastly, the field project benefited greatly from the help of Mary Lynn Tobiasz, Stevie Sheppard, Jamie Eddy, Rob Leach, Gerry Oetelaar, Wendy Unfreed and Trevor Peck. My friends and colleagues at the University of Calgary are truly amazing. I would like to this opportunity to thank Kim Edwards, Lance Evans, Mike Moloney, Ben Cowie, Steven Simpson, Sean Pickering, Taylor Graham, Shawn Morton, Adrianne Offenbacker, Adam Benfer, Robyn Crook, Ashely Nagel, Tyler Murchie, Rebecca Rainville, Alejandro Patino, Howard Cyr and Kris Russell. I would especially like to thank Kim Edwards who is a wonderful officemate and friend and listened to many success and frustrations, both in the office and on our weekly lunch dates, and Lance Evans, another great friend, for the many meetings of Plains group. In my undergraduate and graduate degrees, I was fortunate enough to work for a number of CRM companies in Calgary as well as Parks Canada. These experiences provided me with a much broader understanding of the archaeology of Western Canada and theoretical and methodological issues in the discipline. I cannot thank enough all the vi talented archaeologists who took the time to teach me and share some of their knowledge with me. I have benefited greatly from the mentorship of Laureen Bryant, Bill Perry, Michelle Wickham, Gwyn Langemann, Jack Porter, Marty Magne, Dan Wyman and many others. Learning from so many excellent archaeologists provided me with the skills and confidence to run a dissertation field programme and will no doubt serve me well in the remainder of my career. I would particularly like to thank Bill Perry who is an amazing friend and archaeologist and constantly reminds me why I do what I do. His knowledge of both archaeology and GIS is profound and this dissertation has benefited greatly from discussions with him. I would also like to thank Barney Reeves for his support of this research. The breadth of knowledge he possesses and the many unpublished reports and maps he has shared with me have helped to shape this study in positive ways. Finally, I would like to thank the staff at the Spatial and Numeric Data Services center at the University of Calgary for their help with the acquisition of GIS data.

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