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The Role of Stone Bladelets in Middle Woodland Society

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

George H. Odell
George H. Odell*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK 74104
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Abstract

Although true blade technologies were virtually unknown throughout the entire Archaic period of the American Midwest, they blossomed briefly during the Middle Woodland, but died out and were absent again during the rest of prehistory. Despite their temporal specificity, we have no idea why this technology developed. In the most intensive attempt so far to derive an answer to this question, Yerkes, at the Murphy site in Ohio, was able to conclude only that blades were used for a variety of tasks, just like bifaces or retouched flakes.

My own research sheds light on this problem, at least in the lower Illinois Valley of Illinois. I have applied intensive use-wear analyses to three Middle Woodland components: the Smiling Dan settlement and two different kinds of ceremonial manifestations from the Napoleon Hollow site. Bladelets were used very differently in these three situations. At the habitation they were relatively unimportant and were used for a variety of tasks, just as at the Murphy site. But in mortuary contexts they were numerically very significant and were employed for a restricted range of tasks—primarily for cutting and scraping soft materials. This conclusion suggests that the blade was an integral part of Hopewell ceremonialism.

Resumen

Resumen

Aunque las tecnologías de las verdaderas láminas fueron virtualmente desconocidas a lo largo del período Arcaico del medio oeste de Norteamérica, florecieron brevemente durante el peréodo Woodland Medio, pero desaparecieron gradualmente y estuvieron ausentes durante el resto de la prehistoria. A pesar de su especificidad temporal no tenemos idea del por qué se desarrolló esta tecnología. En el más intenso intento hasta ahora de encontrar una respuesta a esta pregunta, Yerkes, en el sitio Murphy en Ohio, sólo fue capaz de concluir que las láminas fueron utilizadas en una variedad de labores así como las lascas bifaciales o retocadas.

Mi investigación esparce luz sobre este problema, por lo menos en la parte baja del valle del Río Illinois, en el estado de Illinois. He aplicado un intenso análisis de uso a tres componentes del período Woodland Medio: el sitio Smiling Dan y dos tipos diferentes de manifestaciones ceremoniales del sitio de Napoleon Hollow. Las láminas fueron utilizadas de muy diferente manera en estas tres situaciones. En contextos de habitación, así como en el sitio Murphy, fueron relativamente de poca importancia, habiendo sido utilizadas en una variedad de labores. Pero en el contexto mortuorio éstas fueron numericamente muy significativas y fueron empleadas en una reducida escala de labores—primordialmente para cortar y raspar materiales suaves. Esta conclusión sugiere que la lámina fue una parte integral del ceremonialismo de los hopewell.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 59 , Issue 1 , January 1994 , pp. 102 - 120
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1994

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References

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