Meaning, Networks, and Commodity Exchange: A Geographic Information System (GIS) Inter-site Distribution and Network Analysis of Wampum Beads
Author(s): Meghan Weaver
Year: 2015
Summary
This paper will examine the role of wampum in the globally-connected western Great Lakes fur trade, with a focus on Fort St. Joseph, in Niles, Michigan, and the fort's position on the periphery of trade activities in New France. To explore wampum's spatial and temporal boundaries, I sampled data from the archaeological findings of historic sites throughout the Northeast and Midwest regions. GIS spatial analysis provided an alternate method of processing archaeologically-recovered and historic documentary material. Inter-site distribution and multimodal network analyses were conducted to observe the fort's position as a hub of the fur trade. The results and interpretations that follow are the product of an integrated and interdisciplinary approach that is at the confluence of archaeology, ethnohistory, and spatial studes.
Cite this Record
Meaning, Networks, and Commodity Exchange: A Geographic Information System (GIS) Inter-site Distribution and Network Analysis of Wampum Beads. Meghan Weaver. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Seattle, Washington. 2015 ( tDAR id: 434050)
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Keywords
General
network analysis
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spatial studies
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Wampum
Geographic Keywords
North America
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United States of America
Spatial Coverage
min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology
Record Identifiers
PaperId(s): 445