Categorical Identity and Decorative Style in an Ancestral Wendat Sequence

Summary

This study takes a new approach to Iroquoian ceramics, considering decorative style as evidence for categorical identification. Categorical identity is a shared association with a category such as an ethnic or religious group. Along with relational identification – direct interpersonal relationships – categorical identification is a key element of collective identity. Historical sociologists study these elements of collective identity to understand how individual and collective social relationships facilitate collective action – sustained cooperation toward a common goal. I use this framework to understand how individual and collective social relationships change over time and contribute to socially cohesive communities.

I examine four successively occupied Ancestral Wendat (Iroquoian) communities (1400-1550 C.E.). Previous work traces village aggregation and coalescence through changes in village plans from smaller, dispersed communities to the exceptionally large Mantle site. A spatially-integrated village plan and shared public space demonstrate collective action and a socially cohesive community at Mantle. I evaluate categorical identification by assessing the consistency of ceramic decorative styles within each village using consensus analysis. Intra-site spatial patterns of similarity as well as developments throughout the site sequence indicate whether categorical relations changed over time, and how these developments contributed to social cohesiveness at the Mantle site.

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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