Changing views of aboriginal seasonality and settlement in the Gulf of Maine

Sanger, David

ARCHEOLOGY: Remains found after archaeological digs indicate winter occupation of the coast occurred during the Ceramic Period. Examination of remains were as follows: Frazer Pt.: 4682 bones collected: composition is fish 64% (Winter flounder 63%, Longhorn sculpin 21%, and Cod 5%), Mammals 20% (Moose, Deer, Beaver, and Seal), and Birds 16% (Ducks, Geese, Great Auk). Fernald Pt.: 18,000 bones collected (only 50% analyzed): composition is fish 78% (Longhorn Sculpin 54%, Flounder 34%, and Cod 8%), Mammals 15% (Seals, Beaver, Deer, and Moose), and Birds 7%. Duck Harbor: 2000 bones collected: composition is fish 90% (Cod 72% and Flounder 18%), Birds 6%, and Mammals 3%. 'Research into issues of settlement and subsistence has altered older views concerning the prehistory of the Gulf of Maine region. A model of seasonal migration from coast to interior, based largely upon ethnographic data, has been challenged by new archaeological evidence. A decade of faunal analysis demonstrates that the normative transhumance model greatly oversimplifies the actual situation. It suggests that the ethnohistoric documents can be used with caution to generate hypotheses but not to explain prehistoric events.' 'Data from Passamaquoddy Bay, New Brunswick, and Penobscot Bay, Maine, showed in 1971 that winter occupation occurred on the coast, a contradiction of the winter-interior ethnographic model of settlement. The subsequent hypothesis that a reversal of the transhumance pattern was an accommodation to European voyagers was founded on the same normative concepts of behavior. More recent faunal analysis from central Main coast sites reveals a complicated picture of adaptation and seasonality, one that reflects multiple species exploitation and occupation ranging from short term to year round. Data in support of these conclusions are presented from 12 sites. It is suggested that new models for explaining adaptive strategies need to be formulated and examined.' /STUDY LOCATIONS:/ /MOUNT DESERT ISLAND/Fernald Point/Frazer Point/SCHOODIC PENINSULA/ISLE AU HAUT/Duck Harbor GIS-CATEGORY 2 ; Archaeology: Contains a map of the excavation areas

Changing views of aboriginal seasonality and settlement in the Gulf of Maine

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