Lithics as evidence of social networks and landscape knowledge among the Western Wendat, 1670-1701

Summary

The Western Wendat were refugees that fled their homeland villages in Ontario in 1649, and resettled in the western Great Lakes. This paper examines the lithic resources from their village at the Straits of Mackinac, inhabited from 1670-1701. Lithics can be indicative of multiple aspects of the resettlement process – particularly knowledge of local resources and strength of social networks. Results show that formal tools, excluding gunflints, tend to be made from cherts from the lower peninsula of Michigan, while informal tools and flakes are more commonly made of locally available beach gravels. Other lithic resources (excluding European flints) are minimal. While many of the trade items associated with the fur trade appear to be heading east-west through this village, it appears that for functional items that are not desired by participants in the fur trade, ties to north-south networks are being maintained. Intrusive features at the site that allow for stratigraphic distinction further suggest that during later occupation the use of Bayport chert from the Saginaw Bay dropped, and emphasis was placed on Norwood chert from the Lake Michigan shore. This may be related to shifts in social networks and community identity over the 30-year occupation of the village.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage