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

BACKGROUND
Before describing the methodology and results of
this project, a brief description of the Clemson Island
and Owasco traditions and their relationship to the
prehistory of northcentral Pennsylvania is needed. The
Clemson Island tradition dates between A.D. 700 and
1300 in northcentral Pennsylvania. Hay et al. (1987)
suggest that the period can be divided into an early
and late phase based upon differences in ceramic
typology. Graybill (1984:12-16 as cited in Stewart
1990:82) argues that the early phase dates between
A.D. 900 and 1100 and is characterized by the presence
of mound burials, the occupation of small dispersed
hamlets and camps, and a subsistence economy centered
on seasonal fishing and the initial introduction of
domesticated crops. The late phase dates between A.D.
1100 and 1300 and is characterized by the discontinuation
of mound burials, occupation of large villages
located along the floodplains of major rivers, and a
subsistence economy centered on maize agriculture.
Despite its explanation of change during the early Late
Prehistoric period, this model has been criticized
(Stewart 1990:82) because it is based on inconsistent
radiocarbon dates, the presence of maize in both early
and late assemblages, and an incomplete study of the
stylistic changes in artifacts.
Sites associated with the Clemson Island tradition
are found across much of northcentral Pennsylvania,
with the largest concentration near the confluence of
the north and west branches of the Susquehanna River
in Lycoming and Clinton Counties (Hay et al. 1987).
Hatch (1980b) speculates that the settlement patterns of
these early Late Prehistoric groups were largely oriented
around agriculturally based hamlets or villages,
which were occupied for much of the year. Although
these sites resemble Owasco sites in terms of their features
and spatial arrangement, the presence of “keyhole
structures” at later Clemson Island and Shenk’s
Ferry sites (Smith 1976:3-8; Stewart 1990:94), and the
absence of fortification until A.D. 1300 (Stewart
1990:97) represent noticeable differences between the
traditions. Supporting Clemson Island villages and
hamlets were small resource procurement and satellite
sites that were used on an as-needed basis for the
extraction of resources located beyond the foraging
radius of the hamlet or village (Hatch 1980b; Stewart
1990:97). Drawing on the work of Knight and Brown
(1984, as cited in Stewart 1990:97), Stewart speculates
that the average foraging distance for these prehistoric
populations was 20 km. Collection of resources more
than 20 km away probably required the establishment
of small camps to serve as a base for hunting, foraging,
and resource processing activities. Unique to the
Clemson Island settlement pattern is the presence of
village and/or hamlet sites with mounds. Hay et al.
(1987:60-62) speculate that these sites may have served
an important role in the socioreligious behavior of
these groups (see also Stewart 1990).
The Owasco tradition dates between A.D. 1000 and
1300. In New York, it has been divided into three phases,
each lasting approximately one hundred years. The
earliest is the Carpenter Brook phase (A.D. 1000-1100),
which is followed by the Canandaigua phase (A.D.
1100-1200), and the Castle Creek phase (A.D. 1200-
1300). Snow (1996) suggests that the Owasco tradition
may be somewhat longer, extending from approximately
A.D. 500/600 to 1350. Despite supporting
radiocarbon dates, this view has not been widely
adopted (but see Hart 2000; Schulenberg, this volume).
Ritchie (1994) argues that the phases are characterized
by specific artifact classes, subsistence patterns, and
settlement traits. However, more recent research by
Hart (2000), Miroff (this volume), Schulenberg (this
volume), and Snow (1996) raises questions about this
assertion and suggests that these traits may be more
fluid, cross-cutting several phases.
The Owasco tradition is largely represented by sites
dating to the early Late Prehistoric period in New York
(Ritchie 1994:274), northern Pennsylvania (Lucy
1991a), and eastern Pennsylvania, where they have
been called Pahaquarra by Kraft (1986; Marchiando
1972). The spatial distribution of Owasco sites in northcentral
Pennsylvania show considerable overlap with
Clemson Island sites, with numerous sites reported in
Tioga, Luzerne, and Bradford Counties (Garrahan
1990; Lucy 1991:178-179, Figure 7.1; Shaffer 1998).
Owasco settlement patterns resemble those of other
Northeast groups with large agricultural villages, hor-
Figure 7.1. Drawing of Clemson Island punctate
sherd from the St. Anthony’s site.
136 Rieth