Crafting Tradition: Historical Archaeology and the Persistence of the Patawomeck Eel Pot

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Digging Deep: Close Engagement with the Material World" , at the 2021 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Traditional crafts associated with Virginia Indian tribes have drawn the attention of colonizers, collectors, anthropologists, and material culture researchers for hundreds of years. The vast majority of these crafts have a connection to traditional foodways systems and serve as major aspects of tribal identity and continuity from the pre-invasion period to the present day. One of these crafts that defines the cultural identity of the Patawomeck people is the white oak eel pot, a specific type of woven eel trap. As the last traditional maker of these traps within the tribe, I have been working with other tribal members to pass on the history and craft of this important object. As a trained historical archaeologist, my perspective on material culture and data analysis has led me to engage critically with the materials and histories of Patawomeck eel pots, helping to reveal a broader understanding of changing Patawomeck communities and identities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2021   •
• Digging Deep: Close Engagement with the Material World

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology