Date of Award
12-2024
Culminating Project Type
Thesis
Styleguide
other
Society for American Archaeology; https://documents.saa.org/container/docs/default-source/doc-publications/style-guide/saa-style-guide_english_updated_2021_final08023c15928949dabd02faafb269fb1c.pdf?sfvrsn=c1f41c1b_2
Degree Name
Cultural Resources Management Archaeology: M.S.
Department
Anthropology
College
College of Liberal Arts
First Advisor
Mark Muniz
Second Advisor
Debra Gold
Third Advisor
Marcia Bender
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
Archaeology, Hidatsa, North Dakota, Plains Village, Protohistoric
Abstract
The Amahami Village site (32ME8) is a late precontact and protohistoric era site located in the town of Stanton near the confluence of the Knife and Missouri Rivers in North Dakota. It is one of the only sites that is definitively known to be associated with the Amahami/Awaxawi subdivision of the Hidatsa. Awaxawi occupation of the site has been previously surmised to begin circa 1797, and historical records indicate that it was abandoned following a smallpox epidemic in 1834. A re-examination of the historical documentation concerning the site suggests that the date range for the Awaxawi occupation of the site may begin slightly earlier in time. Portions of the site were excavated in the 1970s, and a small number of publications resulted from this work. Christopher Dill’s 1975 master’s thesis identified some of the problems of Hidatsa culture history that the collection from the site could potentially address. Previous work also identified an early component, which was tentatively assigned to the Nailati phase (1300-1400 AD). Further excavation was completed at the site in 2016, and the more recent collection is the primary subject of the current project. Analysis of pottery and trade goods within the site confirms the presence of two discrete occupations, but it demonstrates that they are less spatially separated than previously asserted based on the 1970s excavations. Pottery from the later occupation serves as a data point in ongoing research aimed at distinguishing between Protohistoric Mandan and Hidatsa assemblages, while pottery from the early occupation allows for a refining of the timeline of the site’s early occupation. New radiocarbon dating results indicate that the early occupation may have begun earlier and lasted longer than previously suggested, potentially spanning both the Nailati phase and the earlier Clark’s Creek phase (1200-1300 AD). These radiocarbon dates and the pottery types associated with the features that were dated may also have broader implications for the dating of S-rim pottery wares in the region.
Recommended Citation
Huling, Christina M., "Chronology and Cultural Identity at an Awaxawi Hidatsa Village on the Missouri River" (2024). Culminating Projects in Cultural Resource Management. 55.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/crm_etds/55
Comments/Acknowledgements
First, I’d like to extend my thanks to the people at the State Historical Society of North Dakota who made it possible for me to complete my research, including Ashenafi Zena, Meagan Schoenfelder, Tim Reed, and Paul Picha.
My thanks to the Cynthia Kordecki Scholarship and the St. Cloud State University Student-Mentor Collaboration Grant program, which enabled me to carry out the radiocarbon testing for my research.
Thank you to Dr. Rob Mann, who served as my advisor for the majority of the time I was working on this thesis. It’s been a long road and I appreciate all the feedback I received along the way to make my thesis the best it could be. Thank you to Dr. Mark Muniz for stepping in to serve as chairperson, and Dr. Debra Gold for stepping in to serve on my committee, at the eleventh hour and making it possible for me to see this through. Thank you to Marcia Bender, both for serving on my committee and for being a supportive and understanding boss for all the years I’ve been a student.
Many thanks as well to Melinda McCarthy, who has graciously spent so much time answering my questions about this site when I know she would rather never think about it again. Thank you to the field crew who worked on 32ME8 in 2016, particularly Heidi Miller and her beautifully drawn profiles.
I am so grateful for the support of my parents, Karen and Gerald Huling; my brother and sister-in-law, Thomas and Nicole Huling; and my nephew Henry, my biggest (and smallest) fan.
My deepest gratitude to my partner, Carson Jespersen, who has been so much more patient and understanding with me through this process than I deserved at times. You’ve never known a version of me that wasn’t working toward this; here’s to the next chapter in our lives.
Lastly, a shoutout to Thomas Eiceman, who, in my first week as a field tech, advised me to “get a different degree.” Thanks for everything, Tom; I know this isn’t what you had in mind.