Fats and Oils: Toward a Collaborative Archaeology of Ancestral Haudenosaunee Foodways

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Archaeological analysis of Indigenous food systems in Southern Ontario has primarily focused on production and adaptation. Scholars tend to use models that focus on population, environment, and technology to predict and explain general changes in subsistence through time. This work, however, does not always include a partnership with Indigenous communities. A true partnership means dialogue at every step and an equitable, respectful, thoughtful, and transparent approach with Indigenous People (TRC 2016). In this poster, we discuss the initial results of a ceramic residue analysis and a true collaborative approach between archaeological scientists, anthropologists, and members from descendant communities. In this project we have prioritized questions that are important to community members, drawing on legacy collections housed at Sustainable Archaeology McMaster (Hamilton, Ontario). We discuss the problems using such collections for residue work. We present some details on culturally appropriate extraction protocols for what is often a rather destructive lipid residue analysis. Finally, we discuss our preliminary findings and how they speak to traditional food practices and support the food sustainability movement.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37511.0