Date of Award

12-31-2025

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Historical Archaeology

First Advisor

David B. Landon

Second Advisor

Stephen W. Silliman

Third Advisor

Heather B. Trigg

Abstract

Beginning in the early 17th century, the arrival of Europeans in southern New England led to rapid changes and cultural transformation as Indigenous lifeways were impacted by the introduction of foreign materials, cultural structures, and the onset of colonialism. Archaeological research has helped to demonstrate how individuals and communities navigated the pressures of colonialism and developed ways to survive and persist in the centuries that followed. The early 17th century is an archaeologically underrepresented time period in southern New England, limiting an understanding of how Indigenous people initially interpreted foreign material culture, negotiated changes in their lifeways, and in particular, integrated foodstuffs and technologies into existing subsistence economies. The discovery of Calluna Hill, a Pequot village in southern Connecticut that dates to the early 17th century, offers an opportunity to explore some of these early negotiations of colonialism. Using zooarchaeological analysis, this thesis analyzes the faunal remains from five shell middens at the site to consider Pequot subsistence practices and foodways as revealed by hunting choices, butchery practices, food preparation, disposal methods, and environmental use. The findings illuminate how Pequot hunters utilized woodland and coastal ecosystems to procure prey, focusing on large-bodied mammals, particularly white-tailed deer, which were transported to a specialized activity area at the site for processing. Large mammal bones were intensely fragmented to facilitate the extraction of marrow and grease during cooking and taphonomic patterns between the middens demonstrate different disposal practices marked by varying levels of burning and fragmentation. Pequot treatment of animal remains provides insights into their worldview and suggests that they processed, used, and disposed of bones in culturally prescribed ways specific to activities and species. Using a comparative framework, this thesis demonstrates how Pequot responses to colonialism and changes in practices over time are part of a larger process that occurred through everyday decisions and practices that were informed by longstanding cultural traditions.

Comments

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