Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: The Initiation and Maintenance of the Early Woodland Interaction Sphere: A Multiscalar Analysis of Northeastern Mortuary Sites

Suny At Albany, Albany NY

Investigators

Abstract

The emergence of social and political complexity in human societies is currently a central area of research in archaeology, partly because an understanding of these processes has implications beyond the realms of anthropology and the other social sciences. The adoption of agriculture by social groups and an increase in population densities have long and often been cited as central factors in the initiation of complexity. Yet, others have suggested that the sustained, long-distance exchange of goods and materials between participating groups may in some cases represent an even more formative catalyst for social and political change. Often, however, these processes of transformation are examined working back through time and using 'complex' societies as a starting point. Under the guidance of Dr. Hetty Jo Brumbach, Francis Robinson of the University at Albany- SUNY will explore the conditions and mechanisms that fostered the emergence of an interregional sphere of interaction among Native groups that are considered by most to have been hunter-gatherer-fishers or perhaps limited horticulturalists. Specifically, he will focus on one node of the Early Woodland Interaction Sphere, ca. 3,000-2,000 cal yr BP, in Northeastern North America. To do this, he will examine the structure and content of eight previously excavated Early Woodland cemeteries located between the Hudson River on the west and the Connecticut River on the east. By analyzing and comparing the structure of burials and cemeteries and the origin and form of the artifacts interred within them at multiple scales he will test a series of hypotheses about the reasons for these groups' participation in the interaction sphere, and the social and political implications of these groups' participation. This research represents an important case study in the processes that initiate the first steps toward social complexity, and the tenuous nature of these initial steps. Indeed, among the participating groups in the Early Woodland Interaction Sphere, only a few ultimately ended up forming enduring complex social and political structures, at least until the emergence of large-scale agriculture over a millennium later. A more fundamental but nonetheless important aspect of the proposed research is a thorough accounting and analysis of the sites outlined above. They are arguably some of the most important, but heretofore poorly documented Native American mortuary sites in Northeastern North America. Properly documenting them will allow the Northeastern region to be seen as an active participant in the broader Early Woodland Interaction Sphere, and the raw data from these analyses will be available for researchers in the future. The results of this project will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications and both scholarly and general public lectures in the areas where these sites are located, including upstate New York, Connecticut, and Vermont. Moreover, discussions with April St. Francis of the St. Francis/Sokoki band of the Western Abenaki and Sherry White, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) of Stockbridge/Munsee band of the Mohican, have taken place related to this research, which may result in collaborative lectures, discussions, and perhaps publications for their respective communities.