Moravian Ethnic Diversity: A Faunal Analysis of Northeastern Moravian Missionary Towns in Colonial Americ

Summary

Moravian missionaries in the New World built towns in close proximity to Native American village sites in order to gain and house new converts. Although these Moravian town sites have received some archaeological attention, faunal remains have seldom been studied. A comparative faunal analysis between frontier-settled Moravian mission towns during the mid to late 18th century may reveal important information about the use of animals among the diverse ethnic groups inhabiting Moravian towns. Exploring topics such as wild versus domestic animal use, preferred cuts of meat, and the use of animal bone for tools or adornment can provide new insights into the interactions between people and animals in Moravian missionary towns. This research provides a unique opportunity to reach an often silent group of people represented in the archaeological record during the tumultuous time period surrounding the power struggle for control of Colonial American lands.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage