Change, Continuity and Foodways: Indigenous Diet at Mission Santa Clara (1777-1836)

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This paper examines mission documents, agricultural production reports, and faunal remains recovered from three middens situated alongside the Native American barracks at the Spanish mission site of Santa Clara (1777-1836). Mission Santa Clara housed a diverse population of differing Native American groups including predominantly Ohlone speakers, as well as Yokuts-speaking people, and later in time Miwok individuals. The integration of analyses of faunal remains and mission records will be used to assess changes and continuity in foodways throughout the mission period. 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 will therefore be used to better understand indigenous autonomy within this colonial context.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33609