The Moccasin Bluff Site and the Woodland Cultures of Southwestern Michigan

331 Pages·25.925 MB·English

by  by Robert Louis Bettarel and Hale Gilliam Smith

ANTHROPOLOGICAL PAPERS
MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
NO. 49
THE MOCCASIN BLUFF SITE AND THE WOODLAND
CULTURES OF SOUTHWESTERN MICHIGAN
BY
ROBERT LOUIS BETTAREL AND HALE G. SMITH
ANN ARBOR
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, 1973
© 1973 by the Regents of the University of Michigan
The Museum of Anthropology
All rights reserved

ISBN (print): 978-0-932206-47-3
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-951519-21-6

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PREFACE
This study is the result of the continuing interest and encour
agement of Dr. James B. Griffin, Director of the Museum of
Anthropology, The University of Michigan. His long-time interest
in the prehistory of the Eastern United States and his continued
support for research in the archaeology of the Upper Great Lakes
lie behind this work. Dr. Griffin's interest in Moccasin Bluff
stimulated the excavation of the site in 1948 under the direction
of Hale G. Smith, and Griffin's continuing support and encourage
ment led to this report of those excavations. Hale Smith's name
has been added as co-author in recognition of his contribution to
this study.
In addition to Dr. Griffin I wish to acknowledge the aid and
assistance of Mr. Volney H. Jones, Dr. Edwin N. Wilmsen, Dr.
Joseph G. Jorgensen, and Dr. Noel J. Hicks, all members of my
doctoral committee.
I also wish to express my thanks to the following people for
aid and assistance in various parts of this study: Mr. William L.
Laubernds for assistance in compiling the data used in Table 20,
to Wilma Koschik, Suzanne Harris, and Mr. Fel Brunett for aid
in plant identification, to Susan Greenberg for assistance in pre
paring some of the illustrations, to Dr. Henry van der Schalie for
aid in identifying the Mollusca remains, and to Mr. William
Adams for identifying some of the faunal remains.
The following local archaeologists also deserve mention for
their assistance during the excavations: Mr. John C. Birdsell of
South Bend, Indiana, whose large collection from the area was
donated to t.he Museum of Anthropology, The University of Michi
gan; Mr. Amos Green, Robert Merrill, Harvey Franz, Mr. W. M.
Cunningham, and Mr. Horner, all of Berrien County, Michigan.
Regular members of the crew who assisted Hale G. Smith in
the excavations were Robert F. Gray, A. K. Guthe, and Henry R.
Brett, who took the excellent photos of the excavation.
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iv THE MOCCASIN BLUFF SITE
The Rackham School of Graduate Studies at The University of
Michigan also assisted by providing funds for the project. In 1948
a grant from the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies
Project 210 was awarded to Dr. Griffin to carry out the excava
tions at the Moccasin Bluff site with the assistance of Dr. Albert
C. Spaulding, and in 1965 the author received a Rackham disser
tation research grant to aid in the preparation of this report.
In addition I wish to thank Syracuse University for granting
me leave in the year 1971-72 and Memorial University of New
foundland for granting me a Postdoctoral fellowship for the same
period. Part of the time spent on leave and on the fellowship
allowed me to revise selected sections of the original work.
Special recognition should be given to Mr. Eli Lilly of
Indianapolis who has been interested in the cultural affiliations of
the Moccasin Bluff site for some thirty-five years. He has pro
vided _a generous subvention for the support of this publication.
Finally, I wish to call attention to the constant aid and sup
port of Mr. George Stuber of the staff of the Museum of Anthro
pology. Mr. Stuber's heroic efforts in providing much excellent
photographic work can. be clearly seen in this volume. His con
stant aid, help, and good humor in innumerable other areas of
this work, although less noticeable, were of equal importance. His
stability, around which much of the detailed work of preparing a
manuscript of this sort rests, provided the foundation for the
work as a whole.
To the above mentioned people and to my very good friend,
Mary Ellen Ragland, who helped edit the original manuscript, to
my typist, Mrs. Helen Mysyk, and to Barbara Z. Bluestone, pub
lications editor at the Museum of Anthropology, who did an out
standing piece of editing, must go most of the credit for any
merit this work may have. Any shortcomings or deficiencies are
strictly my own.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction •..••. 1
I. The Setting . . . . 3
II. The Excavations 11
III. Pits and Features ... 15
Dwellings .•.... 20
Pit Varieties .... 20
Distribution of Pits . 28
Burials ............. . 28
IV. The Chipped Stone Industry. . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Stone Varieties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Distribution of Types of Flint Among Artifact Types . . 32
Manufacturing Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Flakes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Projectile Points. . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . 38
Fragments of Bifacial Tools . . . 43
Distribution of Chipped Stone . • . . 43
V. Ceramics ............. . 51
Moccasin Bluff Ware .. . 52
Berrien Ware ....... . 66
Miscellaneous Sherds . . . 70
Distribution of Vessels on Site ... 70
Body Sherds . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . 74
VI. Stone and Bone Objects 95
Stone Objects ... . 95
Bone Tools ..... . 99
Red Ochre ..... . 104
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VII. Cultural and Chronological Relationships ..... 105
Archaic Occupation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Late Archaic-Early Woodland Occupations . 106
Middle Woodland Occupation ........ . 107
Late Woodland Occupation• ........ 110
Nonceramic Artifacts ............. . 119
VITI. Adaptation aiid Subsistence .••.....•........ 127
Charcoal. ........................... . 127
Food Plants ...............•............... 129
Fauna. ............... . 131
Mollusca ............. . 137
IX. Ethnic Identification ........ . 141
X. Summary and Conclusions. 149
Appendices ......•......... 155
1. Catalog of: Features. . . . . . .... . 155
2. Pit Measurements .................. . 156
3. Fire Pit Measurements .............. . 158
4. Hearth Measurements. . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . 159
5. Contents of Pits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . 160
6. Contents of Fire Pits .........- ............. . 172
7. Contents of Hearths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......... . 174
8. Distribution of Chipped Stone by Pit ........... . 176
9. Birdsell Collection: Chipped Stone ........ . 182
10. Birdsell Collection: Summary of Rim Sherds ..... . 183
11. Birdsell Collection: Middle Woodland Rim and
Decorated Sherds ...................... . 184
12. Birdsell Collection: Stone and Miscellaneous Objects .... . 185
13. Brems Site Pottery: Rim Sherds .................. . 186
14. Brems Site Pottery: Decorated Body Sherds .........•. 187
15. The Moccasin Bluff Corn Holes. ................... . 188
Bibliography ...•..•......................... 199
Plates . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
LIST OF TABLES
1. Area of excavated trenches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2. Summary of pit measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3. Distribution of pits by trench . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4. Distribution of pits by trench with trenches adjusted to
uniform size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
5. Distribution of stone variety by artifact. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
6. Summary of chipped stone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . 35
7. Summary of the frequency of utilized flake by class . . . . . . 36
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8. Totals of chipped stone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
9. Distribution of chipped stone. . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
10. Distribution of chipped stone with trenches adjusted to
uniform size . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . 4 7
11. Distribution of chipped stone within and without pits . . . . . . 49
12. Swnmary of ceramics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . 71
13. Distribution of vessels by trench. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
14. Distribution of vessels by trench with trenches adjusted
to uniform size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
15. Distribution of vessels within and outside of pits . . . . . . . . 75
16. Swnmary of body sherds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
17. Distribution of dec ora ted sherds by trench. . . . . . . . . . . • . 86
18. Distribution of decorated Middle Woodland sherds. . . . . . . . 88
19. Distribution of decorated sherds by pit . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
20. Distribution of body sherds by trench . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
21. Distribution of body sherds with trenches adjusted to
uniform size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
22. Possible chronological ordering of pits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
23. Hammerstone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . • 96
24. Celts . • . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
25. Stone Pendants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
26. Pipes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . 99
27. Bone Cylinders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • 99
28. Beaming Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
29. Antler Tines ......•...............•• , . • • • . . • • • 101
30. Spatulate Pieces . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
31. Bone Awls • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
32. Elk Scapulae. . . • . • . . . . . . . . . . • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
33. Turtle Carapaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
34. Charcoal Identified from Moccasin Bluff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
35. Faunal Remains from the Moccasin Bluff Site. . . . . • . . . . . 132
36. Amount of Meat Provided by Major Animal Species. . . . . . . 133
37. Distribution of Right and Left Valves by Species of
Mollusk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . 138
LIST OF FIGURES
1. Moccasin Bluff and vicinity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2. Aboriginal vegetation of southwestern Michigan. . . . . . . . . • 7
3. Mid-Western United States showing counties. . . . . . . 9
4. The Upper Great Lakes region . . . . . • . • . . . . 10
5. Plan of excavations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
6. Trench A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
7. Trench A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
8. Trenches C and F. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
9. Pit profiles; pits 1, 2, 3, and 13. . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
10. Pit profiles; pits 4 and 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • 22
11. Pit profiles; pits 14, 21, 22 and 32A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
12. Pit profiles; pits 66 and 32B . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . 24
vii