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Down to Seeds and Stones: A New Look at the Subsistence Remains From Shawnee-Minisink

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Joseph A.M. Gingerich
Joseph A.M. Gingerich*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology (3431), University of Wyoming, 1000 E. University Ave., Laramie, Wyoming 82071 (jgingeri@uwyo.edu)
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Abstract

The Shawnee-Minisink site is well known for yielding fish and plant remains from Clovis contexts. New investigations at Shawnee-Minisink have provided a sample of macrobotanical remains for comparison with the ten plant species previously recovered at the site. In this paper, I reevaluate the subsistence remains recovered during the 1970s excavations by American University and conclude that a limited number of plants were actually exploited by the site's occupants. The new macrobotantical remains from Shawnee-Minisink have provided a series of AMS dates, which offer the most precise age estimate for Clovis in the Northeast and provide an alternative interpretation concerning the role plants played in the subsistence practices of early Paleoindians. The subsistence evidence from Shawnee-Minisink shows variation in diet, but a difference that should be expected at large habitation sites.

Resumen

Resumen

El sitio Shawnee-Minisink es conocido por la presencia de restos de plantas y peces en contextos Clovis. Nuevas investigaciones en Shawnee-Minisink han aportado una nueva muestra de restos macrobotánicos para comparar las diez especies de plantas previamente recuperadas en el sitio. En este artículo, reevalúo los restos alimentícios recuperados durante la década de 1970 por la American University y concluyo que un número limitado de plantas fueron realmente explotadas por los ocupantes del sitio. Los nuevos restos de Shawnee-Minisink han proporcionado una serie de fechas AMS que muestran la edad estimada más precisa para Clovis en el Noreste y provee una interpretación alternativa del rol que las plantas tuvieron en las prácticas de subsistencia para los Paleoindios tempranos. Las evidencias arqueológicas de subsistencia provenientes de Shawnee-Minisink muestran una variación en la dieta, pero esta es una diferencia que debe ser esperada en los grandes sitios habitacionales.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 76 , Issue 1 , January 2011 , pp. 127 - 144
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2011

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