User:Smgunderman/Crescent Bay Hunt Club Site

Samples of lithic artifacts from the Crescent Bay Hunt Club site (CBHC), a village situated by a lake in southeastern Wisconsin that was inhabited by the Oneota during the twelfth- to fourteenth-century, were analyzed using varying methods to determine individual tool use. These different research methods have provided new insight into the lithic economies and cultures of sedentary agricultural groups in this area.

Physical Setting - The CBHC site sits on the northwest shore of a lake in the southeastern region of Wisconsin. It was built on top of a limestone ridge, and is positioned about 300 meters away from the lake, with an elevation of 8 meters above the shore. The environmental landscape is very diverse - with evidence of wetland, prairie, forest, and savanna plant and animal resources. The area was also ideal for maize agriculture.

Excavations - The site was first examined by the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 1968. And since 1998, the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee has conducted nine excavations at CBHC, excavating about 8 percent of the total area of the site.

Oneota - The Oneota had a complex subsistence strategy. Data shows production of plants and maize, as well as large quantities of wild seeds, fruits, and nuts. Animal species found at the site that were utilized by the Oneota include deer, elk, bison, raccoon, small mammals, turtles, fish, and mussels. The Oneota occupied the site year-round. Human remains are found scattered throughout the CBHC, as there appears to be no organized cemetery system. Some remains and bones provide direct evidence for violence within the group. The Oneota occupied the CBHC for about 300 years, utilizing the rich and diverse local environment for an economy based on foraging, fishing, and farming. Not enough evidence has been found to determine group size/populations during the Oneota occupation.

Finds and Analysis -


 * 1) Most tools found at the CBHC site are generic tools, not specialized tools. These basic tools were used for multiple tasks.
 * 2) These smaller, basic tools point to a lack of high-quality local raw materials needed to make larger, more complex tools.
 * 3) Blood protein residues from bison were found on a high proportion of tools sampled (3 of 8). This indicates that it is likely that bison were both hunted and processed locally at/nearby the CBHC site.


 * 1) Canine residues found on tools, along with dog remains found in distinct pits, indicate possible tool use for animal sacrifice/ritual purposes.
 * 2) Human protein residues were found on projectile points, indicating probable occurrences of violence among the Oneota.
 * 3) Using the combined results from microwear analysis and protein residue analysis of CBHC site tools, 80% of tools were used for subsistence related activities, with the remaining 20% of tools being used to make wood, antler, or bone tools.

Source

Katherine M. Sterner & Robert J. Jeske (2017) A Multi-Method Approach to Inferring Early Agriculturalists’ Stone Tool Use at the Crescent Bay Hunt Club Site, Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology, 42:1, 58-86, DOI: 10.1080/01461109.2016.1270717