Migration and Cultural Change: Effects of Migration on Ritual Practices in Early Medieval Britain and Colonial America

Summary

A migration can have several different effects upon a native population as the groups interact: the decimation of one population either to famine, disease or war, the cultural integration of the two groups either forcefully or peacefully, or the continued separation of the two cultures through distance or social stratification. These effects are perhaps best understood archaeologically through an examination of the European and Native American interactions beginning in the 16th century and those results can illuminate the Anglo-Saxon and Britons’ interactions in 5th and 6th century England. In Early Medieval Britain, there are few texts to aid the understanding of the 5th century Anglo-Saxon migration. The Anglo-Saxon practices were likely appealing and socially advantageous, since they culturally dominated the landscape within a century, but the Britons, like the Native Americans, would have preserved aspects of their own traditions. The efforts of the Native Americans and Britons to maintain a cultural distinction can be observed through the analysis of ritual practices and materials within the European and Anglo-Saxon societies, respectively. Through the analysis of ritual practices of these two groups, this paper will explore cultural continuity and maintenance of traditional practices within the context of a transitioning cultural landscape.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16432