Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: A Case Study of Jaketown Social Organization

Washington University, Saint Louis MO

Investigators

Abstract

Hunter-gatherers are thought to live in small groups with no formal leaders. However, recent research indicates that hunter-gatherers in the past had a variety of forms of leadership and ways of organizing themselves. Within this broader context this project will use the scale and pace of earthen mound building at a site in Mississippi as a proxy for understanding the extent of leadership required to construct labor intensive monuments. The monumental landscape presents an ideal case study for hunter-gatherer socio-political organization, and specifically the relationships between leadership, planning, mound building, and the Native histories that led to the remarkable Poverty Point phenomenon. The Jaketown site is a registered National Historic Place and learning more about the social organization of the extraordinary Poverty Point culture and the monuments they left behind will add to the already significant heritage value of the site. Furthermore, the research team is committed to collaborating with the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes in generating and sharing knowledge. The researchers will excavate three mounds. Using standard archaeological methods augmented with geoarchaeological approaches, they will recover stratigraphic evidence and artifacts, including material for radiocarbon dating, that will allow them to explore how quickly these mounds were built, and if they were built at the same time. If the mounds were built quickly and simultaneously it suggests planning and leadership. Building multiple mounds quickly requires effort and coordination that that surpasses the capability of a household; some person or persons need to mobilize the labor, direct the work, and ensure resources were available to workers. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.