"Of what use is a bear?": Examining Black bears (Ursus americanus) as a Capitalized Resource in Northeastern North America during the Woodland and Colonial Periods (A.D. 1300-1800)

Summary

One of the largest terrestrial mammals in Northeastern North America, black bears (Ursus americanus) were an important dietary component throughout the Woodland and Colonial Periods (A.D. 1300-1800). Previous research has demonstrated an increase in the frequency of black bear remains recovered from archaeological sites in New York State that have been dated to this five hundred year period. Primarily interpreted as a subsistence resource, the use of black bear secondary products has been acknowledged, but not fully discussed in the literature. Black bears and ursine secondary products were valued as a commodified resource in both Iroquoian and European capitalized economies. Trade networks are not limited solely to economic capital, but also rely on social, cultural, and other forms of capital to develop and maintain economic structures. This study, which focuses on black bears as both an Iroquoian and European resource in what is now New York State, reviews literature related to archaeological black bear remains and secondary black bear products as well as relevant historical documents within a framework of anthropological economic theory to demonstrate that black bears were increasingly capitalized in Northeastern North America during the Woodland and Colonial Periods within both social and trade networks.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

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