Middle Woodland exploitation of migratory fish in the Delaware Valley

Fishing has been practiced throughout the tenure of Native Americans in the Delaware Valley of the Middle Atlantic region of the eastern United States. The significance of fishing, particularly the exploitation of migratory fish, is presumed to heighten during the Terminal Archaic period (ca. 2000--1000 B.C.), peaking during the later Middle Woodland period (ca. A.D. 1--A.D. 1000). Critical to these interpretations are two assumptions. One is that migratory fish are only available for a limited season of the year, and would therefore require appropriate scheduling of settlement movements and the marshalling of critical technologies and support resources. The other is that realizing the potential benefit of the migratory fish resource requires a large labor force that needs to be managed and supported.; The present research was designed to gain a better understanding of the nature of the migratory fish resource, the technologies that may have been employed in its exploitation, and how this exploitation may have impacted prehistoric life. The primary goal is to evaluate the validity of the assumptions upon which current interpretations of Middle Woodland culture and society are based. This research focuses upon Coastal Plain and Piedmont sections of the Delaware Valley where environmental and archaeological data are best suited for addressing these issues. Experimental archaeology played an important role in testing numerous aspects of migratory fish exploitation strategies and technologies.; Extensive data are presented regarding optimal site locations for fishing, procurement strategies, processing and use strategies, storage strategies, range of technologies involved with tool production and maintenance, tool usage and efficiency, and the archaeological residues associated with migratory fish exploitation. Traditional interpretations of the archaeological record of the Middle Woodland period are challenged and revised using these data. Models of settlement and subsistence patterns must take into account the fact that migratory fish are available throughout a large portion of the year. Their procurement and processing does not require a large, managed work force, nor is long term storage needed in order for fish to be an integral part of the diet.*; *This dissertation is a compound document (contains both a paper copy and a CD as part of the dissertation). The CD requires the following system requirements: Adobe Acrobat.