Date of Award
12-2015
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Anthropology
First Advisor
Dr. Michael S. Nassaney
Second Advisor
Dr. LouAnn Wurst
Third Advisor
Dr. Terrance J. Martin
Keywords
Archaeology, Zooarchaeology, Fur Trade, Fort St. Joseph, spatial analysis
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Open Access
Abstract
Faunal studies have the potential to detect a variety of patterns in animal processing activities at an archaeological site. The spatial relationships of taphonomic mechanisms observed within the animal bone assemblage illuminate the use of space on a site as well as the patterns of waste discard. Patterns within the formation processes influencing the distribution of faunal remains serve as the basis for interpretation of animal processing behaviors. This study analyzes a sample of animal bones from Fort St. Joseph (20BE23), an eighteenth-century French fur trade post in the western Great Lakes region. This post was a hub of exchange and commerce within the trade network of New France. The close ties established within mutually beneficial exchange relationships foster the blending and creation of new cultural identities on the frontier. The exchange of animal goods, especially furs and hides, prompted alterations within local economic systems, observed elsewhere in North America in the intensification of hide and pelt production. Therefore, this study seeks to identify potential changes within animal processing activities in an attempt to further illuminate daily economic decisions and activities at Fort St. Joseph within the context of global trade in the Atlantic world.
Recommended Citation
Hearns, Joseph, "Patterns in Faunal Remains at Fort St. Joseph, a French Fur Trade Post in the Western Great Lakes" (2015). Masters Theses. 657.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/657
Included in
Archaeological Anthropology Commons, Biological and Physical Anthropology Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons