mSTORICAL CONTEXT AND THE FORAGERIFARMER FRONTIER: RE-INTERPRETING THE NODWELL SITE By Lisa K. ~ B.A., M.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School ofGraduate Studies in Partial Fulfilment ofthe Requirements for the Degree Doctor ofPhilosophy McMaster University to CopYright by Lisa Rankin, June 1998 mSTORICAL CONTEXT AND THE FORAGERIFARl\JIER FRONTIER Doctor ofPhilosophy (1998) McMaster University (Anthropology) Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: Historical Context and the ForagerlFanner Frontier: Re-Interpreting the Nodwell Site. Author: Lisa K. Rank:in, B.A (University ofBritish Columbia) M.A (Trent University) Supervisor: Dr. Peter Ramsden Number ofPages: 275 11 Abstract This thesis examines the socio-economic transition from foraging to farming in Bruce County, Ontario which culminates with the appearance ofthe NodweU village. The near complete excavation ofthis site determined that the NodweU village had both the fonn (settlement pattern) and contents (material culture and subsistence remains) representative ofa small-scale farming community, and was therefore distinct from the earlier forager habitations in the region. As recently as AD 1000 this region was occupied by mobile hunter-gatherers who followed an annual cycle, inhabiting numerous smaIl sites, in nuclear family units. This strategy allowed the foragers ofBruce county to exploit various natural resources throughout the region during the course ofthe year. In contrast, the Nodwell village was occupied by a much more sedentary community ofpeople, living in extended family groups, and producing domesticated crops. This transition occurred in a maximum of350 years. Until recently, this transition was explained using a migration model which suggested that an intact horticultural community had migrated into Bruce county in the mid-fourteenth century and replaced the indigenous foragers. However, this model has become increasingly controversial. Primarily, the migration model over-simplifies the process ofculture change by suggesting that culture change is short-tenn process, initiated from the outside. As a result, this model fails to explore adequately the complex historical, cultural, regional and ecological context in which this event occurred. Furthennore, by failing to situate the appearance ofthe Nodwell village into historical context this model was unable to negate the possibility that the transition from foraging to farming was initiated locally. In contrast, this dissertation re-evaluates the transition within a much broader historical and regional framework and demonstrates that the socio-economic transition from foraging to fanning in Bruce county was a long-term process influenced by events occurring internally, at the local level, and externally, through inter-cultural interaction. The process ofchange from foraging to farming wiU no doubt vary in other regions, but the historical approach used here provides a valuable explanatory framework which can be applied in other regions and will help to highlight the diversity ofcultural behaviour in prehistory. iii Acknowledgements First, I would like to thank my supervisor Peter Ramsden whose intellectual generosity is seemingly limitless. (It seems to me) I have benefited greatly from your insight. I would also like to thank the other members ofmy thesis committee: Dr. Aubrey Cannon and Dr. Trudy Nicks. Their patience, expertise and assistance was greatly appreciated. Thanks are also extended to my external examiner Stan Green and the other members ofmy defence committee G. Umholtz and B. Allen for taking their time to read and comment on the dissertation. This thesis benefited from the support ofmany other individuals. Dr. Richard Morlan and Rachael Perkins ofthe Archaeological Survey ofCanada helped me locate and access numerous collections ofmaterial buried in the depths ofstorage facilities. Likewise, Benoit Theriault ofthe Canadian Museum ofCivilization, provided access to the many documents I required. N and Joyce Wright, also from the CMC, generously provided their own data to assist in my research. Other documents and data sources were provided by Barbara Ribey ofthe Bruce County Museum and Archives, Dr. Chris White and Linda Howie-Lang from the University ofWestem Ontario, Dr. Bob Pearce ofthe London Museum ofArchaeology, William Fox ofthe Canadian Parks Service, Penny Young ofthe Ministry ofCitizenship, Culture and Recreation, and the staffofthe MacGregor Point Provincial Park. Paul Prince, Heather Pratt and run C. McAlpine were commendable field assistants. Thanks also to the farmers ofBruce county who allowed us access to their property during the autumn of 1995. Since then, Rita Granda and Greig Parker have provided much needed technical support. Janis Weir, Isabelle Brymer and Rosita Jordan have also provided assistance. I would also like to thank my family and friends who provided all fonn of unsolicited support and encouragement throughout this endeavour. Special thanks go to Laura Barnes, Shannon Coyston, Helen Evans, Bruce Jamieson, Marion Maar, Maribeth Murray, Hany Nielsen, Heather Pratt, Jim Pendergast, Lois Prince, Peter Rankin, Phil Rankin and Shiela Whiteside. Finally, I would like to thank Paul Prince, for almost always knowing the right thing to say. A quality I both admire and envy. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION AND THEORETICAL CONTEXT 1 Introduction 1 The Expansion ofFood Production: Colonization Models 4 Colonization Models and Interaction 1 Criticisms ofthe Colonization Models 10 The Alternative: Regional Archaeology and the Dynamics ofChange 17 Foraging, Fanning and the Regional Perspective 20 The Bruce County Example: A New Approach to an Old Problem 25 Temporal Context 27 Regional Context 32 Revisiting the Nodwell Site: What More can be Learned? 37 Approach 40 Organization ofChapters 43 CHAPTER 2. SETTLEMENT PATTERNS Introduction 46 Description ofRegion 46 History ofInvestigation 54 Data Collection Strategy 58 Regional Settlement Pattern Data for the Middle Woodland Period 65 The Nodwell Site Settlement Pattern 80 Detenninants ofVillage Organization 83 Palisade 85 Intra-site Similarities 86 Variation 90 Variation due to Population 90 Variation, Population and Social Organization 94 Relationships Between Village Longhouses 98 History ofVillage Occupation 102 Annual Duration ofOccupation 108 Burials 109 Dating the Nodwell Village 110 Summary 117 Late Woodland Regional Settlement Pattern 120 Late Woodland Pre-Iroquoian 120 Middleport Horizon 127 v After NodweIl: The Regional Settlement Pattern 140 Chapter Summary 143 CHAPTER 3. MATERIAL CULTURE AND SUBSISTENCE 152 Middle Woodland Material Culture and Subsistence Data 153 Material Culture 153 Subsistence 167 Interpretations 175 Nodwell Material Culture and Subsistence Data 178 Differences Between Nodwell and Middle Woodland Assemblages 178 Continuities in the Nodwell Material Culture and Subsistence Data 185 Distributional Variability at the Nodwell Site 190 Interaction 207 Interpretation 212 Late Woodland Material Culture and Subsistence 215 Pre-Iroquoian Late Woodland 215 Middle Late Woodland Material Culture and Subsistence Data 218 Subsistence 224 Interaction 226 'Late Woodland Post-Middleport Material Culture and Subsistence Data 227 Chapter Summary 229 CHAPTER 4. CONCLUSIONS 237 Introduction 237 Synthesis 240 Settlement Data 240 Subsistence Data 245 Material Culture 249 Interaction 252 Sununary 255 Conclusion 256 REFERENCES CITED 258 vi LIST OF TABLES Page 1. The Middle Woodland Settlement Pattern Data for Bruce County 67 2. Nodwell Longhouses 84 3. Population Estimates for the Nodwell Village 93 4. House Variation at the Nodwell Village 95 5. Pit Concentrations Per House 103 6. Pit Concentrations Per House in Descending Order 104 7. House Wall-Post Density in Descending Order 106 8. Nodwell Village Radiocarbon Dates 110 9. Pre-Iroquoian Late Woodland Settlement Data for Bruce County 122 10. The Middleport Horizon Regional Settlement Pattern for Bruce County 129 1I. The Post Nodwell Settlement Pattern Data for Bruce County 141 12. Diagnostic Middle Woodland Ceramics from Bruce County Sites ISS 13. Other Diagnostic Artifact from Middle Woodland Sites in Bruce County 157 14. Non-Diagnostic Artifacts from Thede and Donaldson 159 15. Exotic Goods Collected from Middle Woodland Sites 162 16. Frequency ofIdentified Faunal Remains from Donaldson and Thede 168 17. The Material Culture Assemblage from the Nodwell Village 179 18. Botanical Remains Recovered from the NodweU Village 181 19. Percentage ofIroquois Pottery Types Present at the Nodwell Village 184 vii 20. Frequency ofIdentified Faunal Remains Recovered from the Nodwell Site 187 21. Body Sherd Variation Between Houses 199 22. Frequency ofPre-Iroquoian Late Woodland Ceramics 216 23. Middle Late Woodland Diagnostic Material Culture 220 viii LIST OF FIGURES Page 1. The Location ofBruce County and the Nodwell Site 2 2. The Nodwell Site Plan 26 3. Culture Sequence in Southern Ontario and Bruce County 28 4. Excavated Middle Woodland Sites in Southern Bruce County 33 5. Southern Bruce County Soil Profile 48 6. Minor Physiographic Regions ofSouthern Bruce County 49 7. Drainage Systems ofSouthern Bruce County 51 8. Region ofInvestigation 62 9. Defined Geographical Zones WIthin Region ofInvestigation 64 10. Distribution ofMiddle Woodland Sites in Region ofInvestigation 66 11. Distribution ofMiddle Woodland Sites Within a 40 km Radius ofNodwell 69 12. Donaldson Longhouses 76 13. The Nodwell Village Settlement Plan 82 14. Example ofLonghouse Construction at the Nodwell Site