Honey or Vinegar: Oneota Interaction in the Central and Northeastern Plains

Abstract Beginning AD 1150 and extending until European contact, the archaeological culture referred to as “Oneota” underwent an explosive spread across the American midcontinent. As Oneota ideas, people, or some combination thereof moved westward, they encountered people from other cultures. Along the western frontier of Oneota culture, evidence suggests that relations between Oneota and Plains indigenes took a variety of forms. To better understand how various environmental and cultural factors may have informed the decision-making process with regard to inter-group interaction, four sites along this western Oneota periphery were selected for analysis: Shea and Sprunk in eastern North Dakota, White Rock in north-central Kansas, and Dixon in northwest Iowa. The evidence for both inter-group contact and site function is evaluated and compared across these four sites, and ultimately synthesized with existing knowledge and theories of Oneota interaction. It is suggested that Oneota social relations may have been partially dependent on whether other groups were in competition for a similar resource base; this process allowed a relationship between Oneota and Psinomani peoples to flourish, while minimizing the possibility of positive relations with Central Plains Tradition peoples. This hypothesis offers directions for future research, including the extent of the relationship between Oneota and Psinomani peoples and the movement of commodities from western Oneota outposts to the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest regions often viewed as the Oneota heartland

The adoption of pottery on Kodiak Island: Insights from organic residue analysis

Pottery technology, originating in Northeast Asia, appeared in Alaska some 2800 years ago. It spread swiftly along Alaska’s coastline but was not adopted on Kodiak Island until around 500 cal BP, as part of the Koniag tradition. While in the southeast pottery was used extensively, people on the northern half of the island did not adopt the technology. What drove these patterns of adoption and non-adoption on Kodiak Island? To better understand the role of ceramic technology in the Koniag tradition we used organic residue analysis to investigate pottery function. Results indicate that pottery was used to process aquatic resources, including anadromous fish, but especially marine species. Based on archaeological and ethnographic data, and spatial analysis of pottery distributions and function, we hypothesize that Koniag pottery was a tool inherent to the rendering of whale oil on the southeast coast of Kodiak Island, supporting previous suggestions by Knecht (1995) and Fitzhugh (2001). When viewed in the broader historical context of major technological and social transformations, we conclude that social identity and cultural boundaries may also have played a role in the delayed and partial adoption of pottery on Kodiak Island

Focus on Greater Bangor piece by Shirar Patterson, program director of FusionB

Focus on Greater Bangor piece by Shirar Patterson, program director of FusionBangor, a networking and professional development group of young professionals, on her organization and its achievements

Focus on Greater Bangor piece by Shirar Patterson, program director of FusionB

Focus on Greater Bangor piece by Shirar Patterson, program director of FusionBangor, a networking and professional development group of young professionals, on her organization and its achievements

Maiyumerak Creek: late prehistoric subsistence and seasonality in northwest Alaska

Thesis (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2007The Maiyumerak Creek Site (XBM-131) is a late prehistoric site located near the confluence of Maiyumerak Creek and the Noatak River in the Noatak National Preserve, Alaska. Excavations conducted at the site by the National Park Service during the 2006 field season focused on one of eight identified house pits. This thesis focuses on the faunal remains and artifacts collected from the living floor of this house (House Pit 8). The analysis centers on answering how subsistence resource use is reflected in the artifact and faunal assemblages and the relationship between these two classes of data. I also analyze the faunal remains to make an assessment of site seasonality.1. Introduction and previous research in Northwest Alaska -- Introduction -- The Arctic woodland culture of the Kobuk River -- The Onion Portage Site -- The Kayák Site -- The Ivisahpat site -- The archaeology of Cape Krusenstern -- The archaeology of the Noatak River Drainage -- Ethnographic accounts of the region -- Seasonal rounds -- Summer -- Fall -- Winter -- Spring -- Data gaps -- 2. The Maiyumerak Creek Site (XBM-00131) -- Location and description -- Regional setting -- Previous work and excavation methods -- House Pit 8 stratigraphy -- Radiocarbon dating at the Maiyumerak Creek Site -- 3. Research themes -- Introduction -- Research questions -- Data requirements -- 4. Methods -- Sampling -- Faunal identification and quantification -- Artifact identification and quantification -- Seasonality data -- Caching -- Taphonomy -- 5. Faunal remains from House Pit 8 -- Data summary -- Terrestrial mammals -- Marine mammals -- Birds -- Fish -- Interpretation and discussion -- 6. Subsistence artifacts from House Pit 8 -- Data summary -- Terrestrial mammals -- Marine mammals -- Birds -- Fish -- Interpretation and discussion -- 7. Seasonality of House Pit 8 -- Data summary -- Fish -- Birds -- Terrestrial mammals -- Interpretation and discussion -- 8. Summary and conclusion -- Data comparison -- Regional economical patterns -- Future research potentials -- References -- Appendix : Coding system and data from Maiyumerak faunal analysis

Determination of discharge products using chirped-pulse Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy

The purpose of this study is to study products generated in reactions initiated by an electric discharge. A chirped-pulse Fourier transform microwave (CP-FTMW) spectrometer is used as the molecular detector, allowing for discrimination between structural and conformational isomers. The ground state spectrum of methyl vinyl ketone is presented first to demonstrate the capabilities of the CP-FTMW instrument. Two conformers were identified and heavy atom isotopic species were observed in natural abundance. Furthermore, the presence of a methyl rotor resulted in A-E frequency splitting for each species that were clearly resolved in the microwave spectrum. The first set of discharge experiments included three different molecules and set out to characterize and optimize the additional parameters necessary with the discharge apparatus. The initial molecules of interest were 2,3- and 2,5-dihydrofuran because these isomers were known to have different decomposition reactions. It is shown that the discharge spectra for both molecules are unique and isomer-specific chemistry occurs for these molecules. There was also interest in conducting a bimolecular experiment, which led to studying the oxidation of 1,3-butadiene. Once these initial studies were complete, focus shifted to more environmentally relevant molecules. The next molecule studied was isoprene because it is the largest biogenic emission in the world and its atmospheric oxidation is an extremely important reaction. In addition to assigning previously known products, several new molecular species were observed in the reaction of isoprene and molecular oxygen. Another important area of environmental chemistry is the study of biofuels, such as butanol. Two isomers of butanol were studied, 1- and 2-butanol, to determine differences in reaction chemistry. There are unique molecular species observed in each discharge spectrum. This research demonstrates that CP-FTMW spectroscopy has distinct advantages for product determination of discharge chemistry and can be used to study a variety of molecules and reactions

Subsistence and Seasonality at a Late Prehistoric House Pit in Northwest Alaska

In this report, I examine a house from a Late Prehistoric village site near the confluence of Maiyumerak Creek and the Noatak River in the Noatak National Preserve, Alaska. In 2006, several thousand artifacts and over 100,000 faunal remains were excavated from this approximately 500-year-old house. Faunal remains and subsistencerelated artifacts associated with the living fl oor of the house were analyzed to assess diet and seasonal occupation. I also address how this house fits into previously proposed Late Prehistoric land- and resource-use models. The dietary reconstruction shows that both classes of data (artifacts and fauna) indicate a primary reliance upon terrestrial mammal resources, a secondary reliance upon bird and fi sh resources, and a limited reliance upon marine mammal resources. Th e seasonal analysis of the house indicates a late summer, fall, and/or winter occupation (July through February). The seasonal occupation, radiocarbon dates and evidence of coastal contact at this site illustrate current difficulties with testing hypothesized periods of coastal abandonment during this time period. Finally, this case illustrates that for any region and time period studies related to patterns of human settlement need to be comprehensive and incorporate multiple lines of evidence and large, robust region-specifi c data sets