Hand to Mouth: Colonial Frontier Foodways at Fort Rosalie, Natchez, Mississippi

Summary

Foodways of the French colonial frontier, especially at military and trading outposts, can tell us how a French garrison and neighboring habitants adapted and survived in remote areas. The desire to maintain identity and social status in traditional manner would have been difficult for Europeans living far away from coastal trading ports and ready access to goods. This paper examines 18th-century colonial foodways at a remote garrison as represented by the material culture recovered during excavations at Fort Rosalie, a node of military force, trade, communication and political power in the Natchez Region and the Mississippi Territory from 1716 to ca. 1806. Processes of culture change via innovation, borrowing, and adaptation will be explored.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Historical Archaeology of French America   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-61,01