Change, Continuity and Foodways: The Persistence of Indigenous Identity at Mission Santa Clara

Sarah J Noe

Change, Continuity and Foodways: The Persistence of Indigenous Identity at Mission Santa Clara

Year: 2020

Summary

This is a paper/report submission presented at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

This paper examines faunal remains recovered from three middens located next to the Native American barracks at the Spanish mission site of Santa Clara (1777-1836) located in Alta California. Mission Santa Clara contained a diverse population of differing Native American groups including predominantly Ohlone speakers,Yokuts-speaking people, and later in time Miwok individuals. This study assesses the persistence of indigenous identities by examining the daily practices used to negotiate and form pluralistic identities within the mission through an investigation of the changes and continuity in foodways. The adoption and/or rejection of specific foods represent choices made as cultural and economic traditions were both maintained and modified within the constraints of mission life. Foodway practices, therefore, illuminate the varying persistence of native identity and opportunities for indigenous autonomy within mission context.