Northeast Subsistence-Settlement Change: A.D. 700 –1300

that migration was an important factor (Crawford and
Smith 1996; Snow 1996). The range of sites and radiocarbon
dates also indicates coexistence of at least two
cultures, Princess Point and Middle Woodland, something
that has not been properly documented previously
(Smith 1996b). The tools we would normally call
“arrowheads” have been analyzed for wear patterns as
part of our check of the technology change concept. In
fact, only one “projectile point” shows evidence of
being used as a projectile. The rest show use-wear
resulting from a variety of tasks — cutting, scraping,
and so forth. Our database does not give clear evidence
for more effective projectile technology. Something else
is going on, and a doctoral thesis is exploring this
aspect of the project. Whatever the case, Princess Point
is, in our view, now among the best documented
groups of its time period in the Northeast, particularly
with radiocarbon dated cultigens. We now have a substantive
base upon which to compare developments
here with those elsewhere. Finally, through collection
of floodplain geomorphological and on-site environmental
data we have made significant headway in
understanding the environmental context in which the
shift to agriculture was occurring, particularly in the
Grand River Valley.
Our major contributions so far have been to recharacterize
Princess Point including the testing of preliminary
hypotheses formulated in the 1970s. One hypothesis
was that there were no year-round settlements on
the Grand River at this time and sites in the lowlands
and uplands represented seasonal occupations by the
same populations. Our limited examination indicates
that both zones probably had year-round occupations
and that, in our research area, upland sites may be later
ones indicating a shift to the Iroquoian pattern of
upland villages. Additionally, we have been able to
provide the first series of AMS dates (direct radiocarbon
dates) on the earliest cultigen (corn) in Ontario,
and it appears several centuries earlier than anticipated
(sixth century A.D.); to provide the first detailed
stratigraphic interpretation of a floodplain site dating
to this period, which includes a first look at site formation
processes on a floodplain in Ontario; to develop a
methodology for examining the function of
Transitional Woodland stone tools and to use the
methodology to examine the interconnections of the
shift to horticulture with technology; to develop an
approach to chert sourcing; to develop and apply an
analytical procedure for the cordmarked pottery of this
period and apply the results to a temporal ordering
(seriation) of Princess Point sites in the region; and to
institute a paleoethnobotanical research program for
the Princess Point complex, which is giving us the first
detailed look at its subsistence ecology. Finally, we
have a much better understanding of culture history in
the area.
Acknowledgments
This research has been supported by grants from the
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of
Canada (grant 410-93-1095), the Ontario Heritage
Foundation, Earthwatch, and the University of
Toronto. We have depended on the cooperation and
assistance of many people and organizations. We
would like to express our appreciation to them here.
They include the University of Toronto in Mississauga
(formerly Erindale College); the Dinning, Riley, and
van Osch families for permission to work on their
property, Garry Watson and Len Simser of the Royal
Botanical Gardens (RBG) in Burlington as well as the
RBG, Fred Moerschfelder, Dr. Murray Young, Tony
Davis, and Joe Desloges of the Department of
Geography, University of Toronto; the Credit Valley
Conservation Authority; the City of Mississauga;
David Stothers; and our field and lab crews: André
Bekermen, Vandy Bowyer, Frank Dieterman, Leigh
Freeman, Demetra Georgakoupolis, David Goode,
Alicia Hawkins, Gyoung-ah Lee, Heather McCallum,
James Quin, Lori Richards, Trevor Ormerod, Catherine
Schoenberger, Chen Shen, and Chris Watts. The French
abstract was provided by June Barrette.
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