Subsistence Trends during the Woodland period in Northern Vermont: A Comparison of Fauna, Flora and Lipid Data from the Missisquoi River

Date/Time: 
Thursday, May 16, 2019 - 15:30
Presentation Type: 
Oral (live)
Author(s): 
Ellen Cowie
Gemma-Jayne  Hudgell
Robert Bartone
Nancy Asch Sidell
Frances Stewart
Karine Taché
Aida Romera
Key Word(s): 
woodland period subsistence trends
woodland period ceramic trends
subsistence and lip data

Archaeological investigations along the Missisquoi River in the Champlain Lowlands of northwestern Vermont have provided a wealth of data on Native American lifeways, particularly during the Late Archaic and Woodland periods.  Along a stretch of the river in Swanton, archaeological deposits document trends in subsistence and settlement through virtually the entirety of the Woodland period.  Zooarchaeological data from dozens of cultural features suggest a heavy reliance on fish throughout the Woodland period, while complementary paleobotanical evidence documents changes in bottomland forest vegetation associated with adoption of maize agriculture and domesticated Chenopodium berlandieri (chenopod) as well as harvesting of wild rice and blueberries. Ongoing lipid analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry of visible and absorbed residues recovered from ceramic pots representing the full span of the Woodland period will be compared with the existing data to determine if these established subsistence patterns are further confirmed, or perhaps new patterns emerge.