Une nouvelle analyse de Fort Ouiatenon: Native-europenne mtissage et la rgime de la viande sur la frontire Kelsey Noack Myers

This continuing study is intended to provide data on dietary patterns suggested by preliminary research on the faunal remains from Native American (Kickapoo, Mascouten, and Wea) contexts immediately surrounding the French Fort Ouiatenon from 1717 to 1791 in central western Indiana on the Wabash River, near current day West Lafayette. Cette tude est destin fournir des donnes sur les habitudes alimentaires proposes par la recherche prliminaire sur les restes fauniques du Native American (Kickapoo, Mascouten, et Wea) contextes entourant immdiatement les Franais Fort Ouiatenon 1717-1791 dans l'ouest de l'Indiana central sur la rivire Wabash, prs de West Lafayette jour courant.
Field school students opened the excavation units by hand, after anomalies identified in magnetometry survey had been located with GIS coordinates. Les lves des coles de terrain ouvert les units de fouille la main, aprs les anomalies identifies dans

Another Look at Fort Ouiatenon: Native-European Creolization and the Frontier Meat Diet

The area excavated in summer 2013 was selected based on preliminary survey conducted on adjacent areas over the last several years and surface collection conducted in the last several decades. The aim of this research will be to determine whether the faunal remains recovered in outside proximity to the fort correlate with the dietary signature found in temporally-related Native American contexts, with French colonial dietary signatures, or any varying combination of both. Animal bone samples from the surveyed contexts will be analyzed to describe the provisioning patterns of the residents of the Native American or mtis-built structures surrounding the Fort that are suggested by magnetometry survey. A considerable amount of well-preserved faunal material has been collected during previous survey and excavation, but was recovered from contexts within the Fort walls, limiting the scope of the data to structures occupied by the Euro-American settlers rather than the allied Native groups who lived in architecturally and culturally different households surrounding the Fort (Strezewski 2013:9). According to historical documentary evidence, twenty French fur-traders and their families were living at Fort Ouiatenon by 1746, along with 600 Wea warriors (Barnhardt and Riker 1971:96; Krauskopf 1953 in Strezewski 2013). By 1765, George Croghan, A British Indian Agent, describes, About fourteen French families are living in the fort, which stands on the north side of the river. The Kickapoos and Musquattimes [Mascouten] . . . have two villages; and the Ouicatanons [Wea] have a village on the south side of the river...The French have a great deal of influence over these Indians...This post has always been a very considerable trading place (Thwaites 1904:144). Because the socioeconomic environment of extended culture contact often involved European or Euro-American men living long term amongst Native communities in the Great Lakes and on the frontier with low numbers of female European population , intermarrying often occurred between the two groups (Silliman 2005, Faragher 1998). In all of the cultural groups involved, women controlled the food preparation and were often the determining factor in deciding what should be eaten and how. Their preferences demonstrate not only a sense of agency through food choice, but also paint a picture of their changing (or maintained) identities in contact with other cuisines and environmental ecologies (Douglas 1971, Deagan [1996, 2003], Crabtree 1990; Lightfoot, Martines and Schiff 1998). Applying concepts from food studies methodology, the term cuisine can be used to relate the identified animal remains to particular food items; subsequently the preference for those food items can help to establish identity through maintenance of cultural ties and creation of social groupings (Bush et al. 2013, Janowski 2012). Rather than simply identifying and listing the animal remains that are recovered, their distribution between and association with individual households can be addressed through magnetometric subsurface survey. By identifying subsurface anomalies that indicate disturbance from historic construction, the remains of structures can be located and sampled or simply mapped to provide data on the layout of houses around the fort proper. Strezewski (2013) relates that, There is very little information on the appearance of the fort during the French period and there are no contemporary maps indicating its size or the structures located within at any given point in time. Sometime around 1758, Ouiatenon was described as a fort of upright poles, situated on the [north] bank of the Wabash or St. Jerome [River]... (Krauskopf 1955:220). Preference has generally been shown in the past for research contexts within the fort walls, and these areas were surveyed in multiple short field projects in the 1960s through the 1980s.
A complete deer (Odocoileus virginianus) mandible recovered from the floor of the strucure, shown in situ. This animal has all of its adult dentition and minimal wear. Martins dissertation (1986) on the faunal remains from the fort suggest that a greater percentage of the diet consisted of deer during the late period (post-1763) after Pontiacs Rebellion than during the early period of the fort (1717-1763). La mandibule complte d'un cerf (Odocoileus virginianus) rcupr partir du plancher de la strucure, montr in situ. Cet animal a tout de sa dentition adulte et une usure minimale. La thse de Martin (1986) sur les restes fauniques du fort suggrent qu'un pourcentage plus lev de l'alimentation est compose de cerfs au cours de la fin de la priode (post-1763) aprs la rbellion de Pontiac que pendant la premire priode du fort (1717-1763).

Heavy spring rains caused the Wabash River to flood, covering the access road and we had to get to the fort site in the traditional way - by canoe! De fortes pluies caus la rivire Wabash d'inonder, couvrant notre route d'accs et nous avons d aborder le site du fort de la manire traditionnelle - en cano!

Above right: USI Professor Michael Strezewski interprets the site and our excavations to Tippecanoe County Historical Association supporters. En haut droite: USI professeur Michael Strezewski interprte le site et nos fouilles aux partisans Tippecanoe County Historical

Magnetometry results (above) and excavation unit map (below) provided by M. Strezewski. The black areas on the map above are those previously excavated from within the fort itself. Red areas indicate anomalies in the areas immediately surrounding the fort that are likely structures. The arrow indicates the structure investigated in summer 2013 as part of this research

Very few complete elements were recovered, but those that were found and have been identified as primarliy belong to deer. Trs peu d'lments complets ont t rcuprs, mais ceux qui ont t trouvs et ont t identifis comme primarliy appartiennent aux cerfs.

A later watercolor Potawatomi camp scene by George Winter (1837) from the collections of the Tippecanoe County Historical Association. Earlier illustrations from the period of the fort are unfortunately not known to exist. Une aquarelle tard potawatomi camp scne par George Winter (1837) partir des collections de la Socit historique du comt de Tippecanoe. Illustrations prcdentes de la priode du fort ne sont malheureusement pas connus pour exister.

Canis familiaris Unidentified

Our partial excavation of the round structure at approximately 85 cm below datum. The house appears to have been cleaned out before burning. Notre excavation partielle de la structure ronde environ 85 cm au-dessous des cartes. La maison semble avoir t nettoy avant de le

cf. Sus scrofa bird, large bird, medium bird Unidentified large artiodactyl Unidentified artiodactyl mammal, large Procyon lotor Unidentified medium Sus scrofa

Because of the isolated location of the fort, as well as little mention of domestic livestock in the area, one would asume that the majority of the meat diet would be contributed by wild species. However, of the remains receovered from the structure sampled in summer 2013, several fragments from Sus scrofa, the domestic pig, have been identified. Domestic livestock did contribute a sizable portion of the biomass in the early period of the fort (1717-1763) While faunal analysis continues, the nature of the structure and its apparently empty state when burned does not yield the most descriptive faunal data. However, analysis of materials from this structure to date can tell us the following: Only 6.1% of the identifiable fragments (by NISP) were burned. Complete elements recovered were not burned or at all carbonized.

not burned/ carbonized burned

Identifiable fragments by N count or NISP

The materials included in the sample from this structure equal 1349.7 g of bone and mussel shell. No fish remains were receovered from this context, even from the fill that was screened using flotation. High levels of fragmentation (likely due to post-depositional taphonomy related to agriculture) resulted in a large unidentifiable component of bone fragments less than 1 cm square in size. Only 229 fragments total were identified as being larger than 3 cm by any dimension or highly diagnostic, making them suitable for further analysis. Many of the smaller (less than 3 cm square) fragments that were identifiable are tooth or enamel fragments.
As I plan to continue work on this project in the future, I have written research and funding proposals using much of the information on this poster. The image above is called a word bubble or word cloud, and was made using the text of these proposals. The graphic is an experimental way to visualize my research plans and the content of my proposals; the relative size of the word indicates the frequence with which it has been used in my writing. Comme j'ai l'intention de continuer travailler sur ce projet l'avenir, j'ai crit des propositions de recherche et de financement en utilisant une grande partie de l'information sur cette affiche. L'image ci-dessus est appel une bulle de texte ou nuage de mots, et a t faite en utilisant le texte de ces propositions. Le graphique est un moyen exprimental pour visualiser mes plans de recherche et le contenu de mes propositions, la taille relative du mot indique la frquence avec laquelle il a t utilis dans mon criture.

Sunset on the fort site. Le coucher du soleil sur le site.

Students and instructor, Scott Hipskind, screen excavated fill. Les tudiants et instructeur, Scott Hipskind, cran excav remplissage.

Odocoileus virginianus 0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Taxa identified to date, by NISP

12

All photos above by Toutes les photos ci-dessus par Kelsey Noack Myers

Bibliography: Bush, Leigh; Adrianne Bryant and Richard Wilk 2013 The History of Globalization and the Food Supply. in The Handbook of Food Studies, edited by Peter Jackson, Warren Belasco and Anne Murcott, Berg Publications. Faragher, John Mack 1998 The Custom of the Country: Cross-Cultural Marriage in the Far Western Fur Trade. In Western Women: Their Land, Their Lives, edited by Lillian Schlissel, Vicki Ruiz and Janice Monk, 199-215. Albuquerque, NM: Universty of New Mexico Press. Hastorf, Christine and Mary Weismantel 2007 Food: Where Opposites Meet. In The Archaeology of Food and Identity, edited by K. C. Twiss, 308-331. Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Press. Lightfoot, K.G., A. Martinez and A.M. Schiff 1998 Daily Practice and Material Culture in Pluralistic Social Settings: An Archaeological Study of Culture Change and Persistence from Fort Ross, California, American Antiquity 63(2):199222. Silliman, Stephen 2001 Agency, practical politics and archaeology of culture contact. Journal of Social Archaeology Vol. 1(2): 190209 2005 Culture Contact or Colonialism? Challenges in the Archaeology of Native North America, American Antiquity , Vol. 70, No. 1 (Jan., 2005), pp. 55-74 Sleeper-Smith, Susan 2001 Indian Women and French Men: Rethinking Cultural Encounter in the Western Great Lakes. University of Massachusetts Press: Amherst. Strezewski, Michael 2013 Draft. National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) grant final report.

Thank you

Merci

I would also like to thank the following individuals and institutions for their assistance: John Colby Bartlett Kathy Atwell April Sievert, PhD Bill Monaghan, PhD Timothy Baumann, PhD Laura Scheiber, PhD Ryan Kennedy H. Kory Cooper, PhD

This project was made possible by a summer research fellowship with the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology and was conducted in Cooperation with Michael Strezewski, PhD (University of Southern Indiana)