W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 2013 Peripheral Vision: Mimesis and Materiality along the James River, Virginia, 1619-1660 Kathryn Lee McClure Sikes College of William & Mary - Arts & Sciences Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Sikes, Kathryn Lee McClure, "Peripheral Vision: Mimesis and Materiality along the James River, Virginia, 1619-1660" (2013). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539623364. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-vnz6-5r32 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Peripheral Vision Mimesis and Materiality along the James River, Virginia, 1619-1660 Kathryn Lee McClure Sikes Syracuse, NY Master of Arts, Florida State University, 2003 Bachelor of Arts, Syracuse University, 1996 A Dissertation presented to the Graduate Faculty of the College of William and Mary in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Anthropology/Program in Historical Archaeology The College of William and Mary August, 2013 UMI Number: 3578120 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Di!ss0?t&iori Piiblist’Mlg UMI 3578120 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 APPROVAL PAGE This Dissertation is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Kathryn McClure-Sikes Approved by the Committee 2013 Comrimtee Chair Research Professor, Marley Bjfown, Department of Anthropology College of William & Mary / , -—— > ) National Endowment fonthe Humanities Professor, Michael Blakey, Department of f ^Anthropology — College of William & Mary Professor, Kathleen Bragdon, Department of Anthropology College of William & Mary xLS- Associate Professor, Martin Gallivan,an, Dep Department of Anthropology College of William & Mary Professor, Audrey Hornff^^crt6olxi-Geoqraphv, Archaeology and Palaeoecoloay Queen’s University Belfast ABSTRACT Applying the concepts of mimesis and “third space” to Virginia’s early colonial settlements, this study presents a comparative examination of documentary, pictorial, cartographic, and material evidence surrounding City Point's Site 44PG102 and contemporary James River plantations. By considering archaeological site data that are possibly contemporaneous, but previously have been segregated by archaeologists into “prehistoric” (Native Virginian) and “historic” (European) categories, I investigate the evidence for interethnic interactions as well as the social conventions surrounding 17th-century object and landscape use. This thesis argues that people of European, West Central African, West African, and Algonquian-speaking Native Virginian backgrounds endowed shared objects, buildings, and places with different values and social functions, impairing the ability of colonial material culture to convey clear and consistent messages of status and intention across ethnic boundaries. I propose that mimetic landscapes and material culture with precolonial histories of use as signals of prestige became central to socially competent interethnic communication in colonial contexts. Table of Contents List of Tables................................................................................................ iv List of Figures..................................................................................................................v Acknowledgements........................................................................................................ vi Chapter One: Theorizing Colonial Interethnic Relations........................................... 1 Pluralism on the Upper James................................................................... 3 Creolized Colonial Encounters................................................................... 8 Alternatives to Creolization Theory...........................................................15 An Overview of Postcolonial Critiques..................................................... 18 Acknowledging Ambiguity: Bhabha’s “Third Space”.............................. 20 Mimicry, Repeatable Materiality, and Mimesis....................................... 23 Previous Archaeological Applications of Postcolonial Theory..............31 Toward a Mimetic View of Colonial “Peripheries"...................................39 Chapter Two: Virginia’s Interethnic Contact in Historical Context.........................44 Patterns of European Emigration, 1607-1660.........................................50 Patterns of African Forced Emigration, 1619-1660................................57 Dispossession and Displacement of Native Virginians, c. 1607-1660 68 Segregation by Perceived Regional Origins, 1660-C.1700................... 75 Memories of Homeland, Realities of Exile, and Colonial Ambiguities. 80 Chapter Three: Colonial Settlements Along the James River................................82 Site Selection.............................................................................................. 86 City Point c. 1635-1660............................................................................. 89 Walter Aston Site c. 1635-1660............................................................... 107 Curies Neck c. 1630-1654........................................................................ 117 Flowerdew Hundred c. 1619-1650...........................................................128 Jordan’s Journey, Mathews Manor, and Basse’s Choice................... 135 Discussion of Collection and Documentary Bias.................................. 138 Chapter Four: Evidence of Native Influence............................................................142 Inherited Geography................................................................................142 Riverine Transportation............................................................................152 Anglo-Indian Warfare...............................................................................160 The Dependence of Newcomers............................................................164 Sexual Relations and Gendered Divisions of Labor............................ 172 Colonial Pluralism.....................................................................................178 Chapter Five: Mimetic Patterns of Prestige............................................................180 The Material Culture of Colonial Diplomacy....................... 181 Powhatan Prestige Items Along the James..........................................183 Colonial Points of Convergence.............................................................187 Points of Dissent...................................................................................... 206 Chapter Six: Discussion............................................................................................ 209 Mimesis and Its Consequences..............................................................210 Changing Geographic Associations....................................................... 214 Recommendations for Future Research............................................... 217 Conclusions.............................................................................................. 218 Appendix A: City Point 44PG102 Feature S-1 Artifact Assemblage................... 220 Appendix B: Walter Aston 44CC178 Artifact Assemblage................................... 275 Appendix C: 44HE388 Contexts Associated with the Harris House................... 415 Appendix D: Curies Neck Harris Occupation Artifact Assemblage......................422 References Cited....................................................................................................... 439 Curriculum Vitae.........................................................................................................484 ii LIST OF TABLES 1. List of sites contributing to comparative study 87 2. Number of Individual Specimens, Feature S-1 17th-century proveniences 104 iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Approximate locations of 17th-century James River archaeological sites............................................................................................................ 4 Figure 2. Origins of Immigrants to the Virginia Colony, Forced and Free 51 Figure 3. Timeline of events in Virginia’s ^ -c e n tu ry interethnic contact 83 Figure 4. Detail of Upper James colonial settlements....................................... 86 Figure 5. Detail of the Upper James from a map drafted by Johannes Vingboons.............................................................................................. 90 Figure 6. Overall excavation area photograph showing Feature S-1