Analysis of Sturgeon Fishing Encampments from Block Island, Rhode Island

Summary

Several archaeological deposits along the shores of Block Island, RI were exposed by the destructive wave action of Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Once exposed, these deposits were threatened by continual coastal erosion and excavated by the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center as part of the 2013 Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Grant (P13AF00176); several of the excavated sites contained significant faunal assemblages. Faunal analyses of these sites included relative abundance and Number of Identifiable Specimens, as well as comparisons with previously excavated inland sites. Based on these analyses, two of the coastal sites identified were likely used primarily as sturgeon fishing camps during the Woodland and Contact periods. Selected ethnographic reports and historical accounts support these conclusions, yet alternate explanations for the sites’ context are also explored and discussed.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21828