Program

2010 Annual Meeting

of the

Louisiana Archaeological Society

and the

Mississippi Archaeological Association

West Monroe, La.March 5-7, 2010

Notes and News

All paper presentations are in the Magnolia Salon B and C. Poster presentations are planned to be at the back of the Magnolia Salon. If they are not there, look in the Executive Boardroom.

The LAS Silent Auction is laid out on the large table in the Executive Boardroom . Each item has a bid sheet with it. Please put your name and bid at the top of the sheet; subsequent bidders list your name below. The minimum bid is $5.00, and the minimum bid increment is $2.50. If you have any questions about the Auction or an item in the Auction, please see Chip McGimsey.

LAS publications, and books from the Chucalissa Museum in Memphis, Tenn., will be for sale in the Executive Boardroom.

The Business Meeting for each organization will be held Sunday morning, 9-10 AM. The LAS will meet in the Magnolia Salon, while the MAA will meet in the Executive Boardroom.

The Banquet will be held beginning at 7:00 PM on Saturday in the Magnolia Salon. After dinner, the Keynote speaker will be Dr. Mike Wiant of the Illinois State Museum at Dickson Mounds. His topic will be the Archaic Period Mortuary Tradition in the Midcontinent. Drawing on evidence ranging in age from 8500 BP to 3000 BP, one finds distinct trends in the development of mortuary practices in the Midcontinent. There was little difference in the treatment and disposition of the dead between 8500 BP and ca. 6300 BP, when an abrupt change ushered in considerable variation in mortuary ritual during the remainder of the Archaic Period.

Schedule of EventsFriday, 5 March10:00 – 1:00 Registration and setup1:00 – 4:40 Presentations and posters

5:00 – 7:00 Reception presented by the NE La. Chapter of the LAS

Saturday, 6 March7:00 – 8:00 Registration8:00 – 11:30 Presentations and posters11:30 – 1:00 Lunch1:00 - 4:30 Presentations and posters7:00 Banquet and Keynote Speaker

Sunday, 7 March9:00 – 10:00 Business meetings10:15 Tours depart

Sunday Site Tours

Watson Brake tour - led by Reca Jones

Watson Brake is located about a 30 minute drive from here in rural southeast part of Ouachita Parish. We will caravan from here and park near the site. Then it is about a 15 minute walk into the oldest known mound complex in the New World, dating to 5,400 years before the present. This hike is not in a park-like setting. It is in the woods, stepping over fallen trees, watching where you step and stopping along the way for a series of talks on the significance of evidence recovered from some test units. The tour will take from two to two and one-half hours.

Meet at the front entrance to the hotel at 10:15 AM Sunday morning. Tourists will caravan in their vehicles to the site.

Poverty Point tour - led by Diana Greenlee

Poverty Point State Historic Site is located near Epps, LA, roughly one hour’s drive from Monroe.  Participants will make their own way to the park (maps/driving instructions will be provided).  Once there, they may choose to watch the video and/or browse through the recently updated museum exhibits prior to, or following, the tour.  The approximately one hour tour, led by an interpretive ranger and the Station Archaeologist, will begin at noon and will feature a tram ride to many of the main features of this roughly 3500-year-old site, with planned stops for discussion at the earthen ridges, Mounds C, B and A, and the locale of last summer’s excavations in the plaza.  Participants who would like to try spear-throwing using the atlatl or water-screening for artifacts will have the opportunity to do so following the tour.

Meet at the State Park at noon Sunday morning. Take I-10 east of Monroe to Delhi, then take La. 17 north to Epps. At the stoplight in Epps, turn right and east on La. 134 to big iron bridge. Just before bridge, turn left and go north on La. 577 to site.

Hedgepeth Mounds tour - led by Joe Saunders

Before Watson Brake hit the big time, research at Hedgepeth Mounds (16LI7) provided new data supporting the existence of Archaic earthworks (>5000 cal. B.P.) in Louisiana. Pedogenesis of the mound fill was an independent means of supporting the inferred antiquity of the site. Six mounds form an oval similar to Watson Brake's. Recent radiocarbon dates demonstrate that site occupation ended abruptly at cal. 4700 B.P.—making Hedgepeth the first site to document a 1000 year hiatus in mound building between the Middle and Late Archaic periods. The site is remote. It is a easy 1 mile hike in, but 1 mile uphill out.

The site lies west of Ruston and north of I-20; travel time to the site is approximately 1 hour. Meet at the front entrance to the hotel at 10;15 AM Sunday morning. Tourists will caravan in their vehicles to the site.

Schedule of Papers

Friday Afternoon

1:00 Ian Brown (University of Alabama)An Archaeological Survey of Second Creek, Adams County, Mississippi

1:20 Daniel LaDu (University of Alabama)The Coles Creek Presence at Mazique (22Ad502)

1:40 Jason Maywald (PBS&J)Test Excavations at a Late Prehistoric Site in Northeast Louisiana

2:00 Ed Jackson and Jessica Kowalski (University of Southern Mississippi and Coastal Environments, Inc.)Chronology and Function of Mound C at Winterville: A Report on the 2009 Field Season

2:20-2:40 BREAK

2:40 Peter Van Dyck (University of Southern Mississippi)The Case for Elite Feasting near the End of Winterville’s Reign

3:00 Stacy Scott (University of Southern Mississippi)Recent Bioarchaeological Data from the Shady Grove Site: Possible Trends in Health and Mortuary Practices

3:20 Jeff Girard (Northwestern State University)Early Contexts at Mounds Plantation, Caddo Parish, Louisiana

3:40 Brad Lieb (The Chickasaw Nation)Update on Chickasaw Nation Division of History and Culture Projects in Northeast Mississippi

4:00 Sam Brookes (U.S. Forest Service)A Butterfly/Moth Motif from the Middle Archaic

Schedule of Papers

Saturday morning

8:00 Chip McGimsey (Louisiana Division of Archaeology)The State of Louisiana Archaeology and the Comprehensive Archaeological Plan

8:20 Bill Atkins (Louisiana Archaeological Society)The Reconstruction of the Great Mound at Troyville

8:40 Joe Saunders (University of Louisiana at Monroe)So You Want to Build a Mound?

9:00 Diana Greenlee, Evan Peacock, Michael Hargrave, Berle Clay and Rinita Dalan (Poverty Point State Park, Mississippi State University, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc., and University of MinnesotaRecent Excavations in the Plaza at Poverty Point

9:20 Robert Connolly (University of Memphis)The Space and Time of the Poverty Point Material Culture

9:40 – 10:00 BREAK

10:20 Evan Peacock (Mississippi State University)A Really Cool Batch of Shell from a Prehistoric Site on the Lower Tombigbee River

10:40 George Riser (Louisiana Archaeological Society)Backwater Flooding in the Ohio Valley: The Rise and Fall of Adena and Hopewell

11:00 Pam Lieb (Mississippi Department of Archives and History)The Race is On: Mississippi Archaeology Today

11:20 Patricia Miller-Beech (Mississippi Department of Archives and History)MDAH Volunteer Services and Intern Programs: An Effective Way to Weather the Economic Storm

Schedule of Papers

Saturday afternoon

1:00 David Palmer (University of Louisiana at Lafayette)Archaeological Evaluation of Hurricane Gustav Damage at Marksville (16AV1)

1:20 Michelle Hammond (University of Southern Mississippi)Lithic Debitage Analysis of the Clarke Lake Site 22SH535; A Small Scale Middle Woodland Settlement

1:40 Dena Structmeyer (Ft. Polk Army Base)Fort Polk Heritage Family Collection

2:00 Brad LaFitte (Ft. Polk Army Base)The Amalgamation of Archaeology, History and Culture in West-Central Louisiana

2:20 – 2:40 BREAK

3:00 Rob Mann (Louisiana State University)Plazas and Power: Canary Islanders at Galveztown, a Spanish Colonial Outpost, ca. 1779-1825

3:20 Barbara Hester (University of Southern Mississippi)Exploring Temporality of Mortuary and Residential Site Function at the Moran Site (22HR511), Biloxi, Mississippi

3:40 Andrea White (University of New Orleans)Preliminary Results of Archaeological Investigations at the Perilliat House Site, a Colonial Site in the Vieux Carré of New Orleans

4:00 Rita McCarty (Mississippi National Guard)Welcome to Camp Shelby! Life in the Trenches of Southeast Mississippi: 1917-1919

Abstracts

Bill Atkins (Louisiana Archaeological Society)The reconstruction of the Great Mound at TroyvilleFor years the community of Jonesville has talked about the destruction of the Great Mound of Troyville.  Over 80 feet tall, it was as large as Poverty Point and one of the largest earthen mounds in North America.  In 1932-33 the mound was bought for building a ramp to the new bridge over Black River.  Prior to its complete removal, archaeologist Winslow Walker conducted limited excavations.  His work uncovered incredible organic preservation in the mound. Cane matting, log steps, postholes, and split cane domes were but a few of his discoveries.  The construction of a new bridge uncovered the original mound fill, reexposing many of the organic artifacts. Through the cooperation and support of many individuals, organizations, and political figures, plans to reconstruct a 50% replica and museum of the Great Mound evolved.

Samuel O. Brookes (U.S. Forest Service)A Butterfly/Moth Motif from the Middle ArchaicIn the 1990’s a number of people began to meet and discuss elements found in the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (SECC). A number of papers have resulted from these meetings and in 2007, Vernon J. Knight and Judith Franke reported on a butterfly/moth element in the SECC. A lepidopteron motif is also present in the art work of the Middle Archaic. This paper will describe the two known (at this time) examples from the Middle Archaic. Further, other cultural similarities will be pointed out between peoples in these two time periods that suggest the roots of the SECC go far back in time and are in fact a part of a corpus of mythology that has lasted over 6000 years.

Ian Brown (University of Alabama)An Archaeological Survey of Second Creek, Adams County, MississippiAbstract: In the summer of 2008 the Gulf Coast Survey (GCS)of the University of Alabama conducted a reconnaissance survey of the Second Creek drainage south of Natchez. A number of new sites, both prehistoric and historic, were added to the inventory. This research led to investigations at the Mazique site, a major mound center located along this drainage. The survey has also laid the groundwork for upcoming research dealing with late prehistoric and historic settlement in the Natchez Bluffs region.

Robert Connolly (University of Memphis)The Space and Time of the Poverty Point Material Culture The past analysis of surface collections from the Poverty Point site (16WC5) demonstrated that the types of prehistoric activities were not homogenously distributed across the ridge complex.  Building on the work of past researchers, principally Webb and Gibson, this paper presents the results from the analysis of additional surface collection data.  The additional data include a quadrupling of the number of artifacts, considering measures of artifact condition and type along with quantity, and a standardization measure that accounts for differential surface collecting conditions across the ridge complex.

Jeff Girard (Northwestern State University)Early Contexts at Mounds Plantation, Caddo Parish, LouisianaRecent test units reaching buried surfaces near Mound 2 and beneath Mound 6 at the Early Caddo period Mounds Plantation Site (16CD12) sampled contexts that likely pre-date construction of the mound-plaza complex. Radiocarbon dates on burned features near Mound 2 date to the 11th century A.D. Recovered potsherds relate to Coles Creek types with little distinctive Caddo pottery present. Implications regarding regional cultural developments are discussed.

Diana Greenlee, Evan Peacock, Michael Hargrave, Berle Clay and Rinita Dalan (Poverty Point State Park, Mississippi State University, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc., and University of Minnesota)Recent Excavations in the Plaza at Poverty Point Magnetic gradiometry survey of the plaza and innermost ridges at Poverty Point State Historic Site has revealed about thirty large circular magnetic anomalies within the southern plaza area. Sediment cores and downhole magnetic susceptibility data confirmed the locations and provided information on the depth and character of features associated with a sample of the anomalies. Last summer, a joint University of Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State University field school placed small excavation units over four anomalies, each with different magnetic characteristics. We summarize this fieldwork, compare what we found with predictions based on the near-surface and downhole magnetic data and consider the implications for our understanding of Poverty Point’s plaza.

Michelle R. Hammond (University of Southern Mississippi)Lithic Debitage Analysis of the Clarke Lake Site 22SH535; A Small Scale Middle Woodland SettlementThe majority of research conducted within the Middle Woodland period focuses on ceramic analysis of large-scale settlements. Very little research has been conducted in the area of lithic debitage from this period especially at small sites. This paper focuses on the lithics recovered from Clarke Lake, a small-scale Middle Woodland settlement located at southern end of the Yazoo Basin in the Lower Mississippi Valley. Artifact analysis indicates occupations beginning during the Issaquena Phase and continuing into the Lake George I phase (circa 200-1500 A.D.). Debitage analysis of the lithics provides evidence concerning site function at a small-scale Middle Woodland settlement.

Barbara Hester (University of Southern Mississippi)Exploring Temporality of Mortuary and Residential Site Function at the Moran Site (22HR511), Biloxi, MississippiThe Moran Site, a French colonial cemetery in Biloxi, appears to contain the remains of victims of John Law’s massive colonization effort of the early eighteenth century. In conformity with religious tradition of burying in consecrated ground, the site’s function would have been restricted to burial alone, as long as the cemetery was known to exist. Drawing upon historical documents and the archaeological record, this paper explores the temporal parameters of the artifactual void that marks the end of the site’s mortuary function and the onset of its residential use.

Ed Jackson and Jessica Kowalski (University of Southern Mississippi and Coastal Environments, Inc.)Chronology and Function of Mound C at Winterville: A Report on the 2009 Field SeasonIn 2009, as part of ongoing research by at Winterville Mounds in Washington County, MS, the University of Southern Mississippi turned its attention to Mound C. Mound C, located at the western end of the plaza is one of the remaining mounds at the site that had never received archaeological attention in modern times. Although most of the mounds at Winterville conform to the expectable Mississippian platform configuration, Mound C is anomalous in having a long narrow summit, more akin to the ridge-topped mounds at Cahokia. Excavations demonstrate that despite its present appearance it did indeed support summit top structures. Ongoing ceramic analysis, as well as radiocarbon dates, provides a chronological context for its construction.

Daniel LaDu (University of Alabama)The Coles Creek Presence at Mazique (22Ad502)The Mazique site in Adams County, Mississippi was occupied during both the Coles Creek (A.D. 700-100) and Mississippi periods (A.D. 1000-1680). It has been suggested that mound building here was primarily a result of Plaquemine activity. This paper presents new evidence from a private collection, surface collections, a stratigraphic cut, and a basal midden sample to suggest that the monumental architecture at Mazique primarily occurred during the Coles Creek period, and that the Plaquemine presence during the Mississippi period has been overestimated.

Brad Laffitte (Ft. Polk Army Base)The Amalgamation of Archaeology, History and Culture in West-Central LouisianaResults of forty years of survey and testing at Fort Polk have been used to better define the prehistory of west-central Louisiana, but historical information has largely been overlooked by researchers. Survey and methodological difficulties, biases against historic archaeology, an inability to recognize vegetative signatures and a lack of above-ground remains may have all led to this oversight. However, the establishment of the Heritage Program in 2006 has provided the Fort Polk Cultural Resource Office with an opportunity to more thoroughly examine the historical data of west-central Louisiana.As part of the Heritage Program, members of the Fort Polk Cultural Resources Office have collected thousands of photographs and documents and conducted over 30 oral histories. Additionally, historic research has been conducted to determine land ownership boundaries and changes of ownership. A GIS has been used to overlay historic aerials, land ownership layers, and modern maps in an attempt to pinpoint the location of historic sites. The new abundance of tools provides the Cultural Resource Office and other interested researchers with the ability to amalgamate archaeology, history and culture to produce better site interpretations and a greater understanding of Upland South Culture in west-central Louisiana.

Brad R. Lieb (Division of History and Culture, The Chickasaw Nation)Update on Chickasaw Nation Division of History and Culture Projects in Northeast MississippiThe Chickasaw Nation Division of History and Culture has taken an increasingly active role in preservation, interpretation, and repatriation issues ongoing in their Northeast Mississippi Homelands. Many of these efforts have been in concert with local historians, collectors, landowners, and community leaders, federal and state agency staff, and the professional services and academic communities. This paper will update you on the archaeological survey and excavation projects, collection recording and donations, and historic records preservation projects that are ongoing in Northeast Mississippi and also in Oklahoma.

Pam Lieb (Mississippi Department of Archives and History)The Race is On: Mississippi Archaeology TodayDue to one unnamed natural disaster that affected Louisiana and Mississippi, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) has had an unprecedented opportunity to collaborate with several other state and federal agencies over the past few years. This partnership has led to increased funding for archaeological projects throughout the state. In addition to overseeing the Section 106 work in the state, MDAH is now developing a new GIS, a Mississippi Archaeological Heritage Trail Web site and an intern and volunteer program and has funded five large archaeological remote sensing and excavation projects on the Coast, which will begin field work this year. This paper will discuss all of this and more exciting work in the state, including MDAH’s goals for the future.

Rob Mann (Louisiana State University)Plazas and Power: Canary Islanders at Galveztown, a Spanish Colonial Outpost, ca. 1779-1825During the late 18th century the Spanish sent several hundred Canary Islanders (Isleños) to serve as soldiers and settlers in their Louisiana colony. Galveztown, located in the Isle d’ Orleans territory of Spanish Louisiana, was a planned settlement consisting of a small fort and adjacent village. Partially laid out and built prior to the arrival of the Isleños, Galveztown was meant to be a highly structured colonial community designed to promote social control on the periphery of Spanish territory. In this paper I examine how Spanish colonial town planning functioned as a form of social control. I argue that town plazas were the materialization of Spanish efforts to use the cultural landscape as a means of social control.

Jason Maywald (PBS&J)Test Excavations at a Late Prehistoric site in Northeast LouisianaThis presentation details the 2009 NRHP eligibility testing at archaeological site 16FR323 in Franklin Parish, Louisiana, conducted by PBS&J archaeologists under contract with Regency Intrastate Gas, LLC. Investigators identified 46 subplow zone anomalies in three of four mechanical scrape areas located within the project area. Four radiocarbon assays returned dates that range from A.D. 1440–1630. The work performed at 16FR323 contributes significant information relative to the archaeological record of late Prehistoric and Protohistoric occupations in the Boeuf Basin of northeast Louisiana. The site, which first appeared as an innocuous scatter of prehistoric artifacts in a cultivated field, was found to contain an encapsulated record of aboriginal occupations whose primary components are derived from Late Prehistoric occupations, particularly those dating to the Mississippian and Protohistoric periods.

Rita McCarty (Mississippi National Guard)Welcome to Camp Shelby! Life in the Trenches of Southeast Mississippi: 1917-1919Although having a long life history, present day Camp Shelby does not resemble its 1917 forbearer and only one original structure survives intact. For years, the exact footprint of 1917 Camp Shelby, in comparison to present day, was not known. Recently, camp layout maps from 1917 have been located. These maps have enabled the then and now to come together to reveal archaeological features relating to the World War I occupation. These historic artifacts and features, coupled with first hand soldier accounts, are revealing a glimpse into the life of the 38th Division American Doughboy at Camp Shelby.

Chip McGimsey (Louisiana Division Archaeology)The State of Louisiana Archaeology and the Comprehensive Archaeological PlanA brief overview of important happenings in Louisiana archaeology during 2009 from the perspective of the Division of Archaeology. During this year, the Division also received funding to develop a new comprehensive archaeological plan for the state – some issues regarding this plan will be discussed and information from the LAS membership sought.

Patricia Miller-Beech (Mississippi Department of Archives and History)MDAH Volunteer Services and Intern Programs: An Effective Way to Weather the Economic StormThe Mississippi Department of Archives and History is the 2nd oldest Archives and History Department in the United States. MDAH has a long history of volunteer services extending back to its inception in 1902. One of the missions that MDAH strives for with its volunteer program is “a community-based resource” that is “diverse, knowledgeable, talented, and skilled” (http://mdah.state.ms.us/volunteer/index.php). To that end, MDAH is proud to offer new volunteer and internship programs within the Historic Preservation Division. This presentation will discuss the history of MDAH, the Volunteer Program, and the new opportunities that are currently being offered; as well as what to do if you or someone you know is interested in participating in either of these new programs.

David Palmer (University of Louisiana at Lafayette)Archaeological Evaluation of Hurricane Gustav Damage at Marksville (16AV1)Hurricane Gustav struck Louisiana and moved northwest through the state on September 1, 2008. Fifteen trees at Marksville State Historic Site (16AV1) were uprooted by the storm. A sample of exposed surfaces in archaeologically sensitive areas was evaluated by the regional archaeology program with LAS member, UL Lafayette, LSU and other volunteers. Exposed areas investigated were located on Enclosure A and to the northeast of Mound 2. Several previously unreported sherd types and varieties, a pit feature, and a stone bead pre-form were discovered in the course of the evaluations, and the work also contributed further data about the stratigraphy of Enclosure A and other areas of the site.

POSTERPalmer, David (University of Louisiana at Lafayette)Archaeology of African American Life at Alma and Riverlake Sugar Plantations, Louisiana, c. 1870-1940: economic and other strategies used to maintain and express dignity in everyday life.Archaeology, when used in conjunction with other methods and available data sets, is a valuable approach for the study and interpretation of African American lives in the more recent past. Our understanding of African American life during the Jim Crow era, although somewhat documented and within the memory of people still-living, is still incomplete and biased. Archaeological approaches are able to provide local scale information that contributes to a more nuanced understanding of African American lives during that time.This poster is a presentation of the findings of such a research project, an investigation of African American lives at Alma and Riverlake sugar plantations, Louisiana, from the last few years of Reconstruction into the Jim Crow era. Evidence of everyday practices to maintain and express dignity and increase economic independence found in the course of the project contradict portrayals of rural southern African Americans of this time as passive until roused by Civil Rights workers from the northeast. These everyday practices have histories that extend back to the first enslaved Africans brought to the New World but were also influenced by early 20th century racial uplift or self-improvement programs promoted by Booker T. Washington’s Tuskegee Institute

Evan Peacock (Mississippi State University)A Really Cool Batch of Shell from a Prehistoric Site on the Lower Tombigbee River Recent excavations at 1CK56, a Late Woodland-period site on the lower Tombigbee River in Clarke County, Alabama, produced a large assemblage of freshwater mussel shell.  Analysis of this material provided several interesting results, including range extensions for a number of species.  One surprise was the presence of a brackish water species, Rangia cuneata, a find that represents the northern-most occurrence of this species to date.  The implications of this discovery for paleoenvironmental modeling are discussed.

George Riser (Louisiana Archaeological Society)Backwater Flooding in the Ohio Valley: The Rise and Fall of Adena and HopewellArchaeologists working in the Eastern Woodlands, after incrementally accumulating evidence for well over a century, confront a problem far more challenging than that traditionally faced by Mesoamericanists: explaining why the earliest complex cultures to appear—Poverty Point, Adena, and Hopewell—all disappeared without forming civilization. Just as backwater flooding at the confluence of the Red and Mississippi Rivers seems to have been a factor favoring the development of Poverty Point Culture on the floodplain of Northeastern Louisiana, backwater flooding at the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers may have been a factor favoring the development of Adena and Hopewell Cultures on the floodplain of the Ohio River. Large scale backwater flooding, perhaps associated with fluctuations in the ancient sea level, may have been a factor in the rise and fall of Adena and Hopewell Cultures. Floods that frequently covered large parts of the Eastern Woodlands before the middle of the twentieth century seldom occur today. If opening the Old River Control Structure helped stop backwater flooding across the floodplain of Northeastern Louisiana, construction of over sixty hydroelectric dams that now block the downstream flow of the Tennessee River may have helped stop backwater flooding across the modern floodplain of the Ohio River. Evidence from floods known to have occurred in the Eastern Woodlands during 1874, 1913, 1927, 1932, and 1937 will be presented.

Joe Saunders (University of Louisiana at Monroe)So you want to build a mound?A show and tell about our efforts to build a 50% scale replica of the "Great Mound" of Troyville (16CT7). Work in progress. Final results pending.

Stacy Ann Scott (University of Southern Mississippi)Recent Bioarchaeological Data from the Shady Grove Site: Possible Trends in health and mortuary practicesA portion of the Shady Grove site (22QU525), that was previously occupied by a small mound, was excavated in 1975 by MDAH archaeologists John Connaway and Sam Brookes. Unit 10S-10E showed evidence of a Mississippian Period human ossuary intruding into a Late Woodland Period shell midden. Recent evaluation of the 1975 skeletal collection has revealed an MNI of 21 individuals (juveniles and adults) with few signs of growth disruption or poor health present. Ongoing excavations at the site have revealed a second possibly later Mississippian Period human ossuary containing over 50 burials, which is similarly intruding into the Late Woodland Period shell midden. Initial findings suggest higher rates of dental pathology and infection as compared to those seen in the 1975 ossuary. Possible explanations will be explored.

POSTERJessica C. Stanton, Nicholas P. Herrmann, Rocco de Gregory and Barrett B. Burnworth(Mississippi State University)Quantifying the fragments: bioarchaeological methods for commingled remainsDetermining the minimum number of individuals is a crucial step in bioarchaeological investigations of commingled human remains. Although several methods are available to derive MNI, nearly all approaches are based on observed bone segments. Highly fragmented remains pose a methodological challenge for bioarchaeologists because of the high diversity in fragment morphology. Two highly fragmented human burial samples are examined for this study, the Walker-Noe Site (15GD56) and the Morton Shell Mound (16IB3). We present the quantification methods used for the remains at Walker-Noe. The approach, initially developed within zooarchaeology, has been customized for the analysis of fragmented human bone. For the analysis of Walker-Noe, a Middle Woodland crematory in Kentucky, two quantification methods are used to document the severely fragmented remains. One approach is based on bone landmark analysis and another employs geographic information systems (GIS) to aid in the quantification of cranial fragments. The landmark analysis is used to determine the frequency of predetermined traditional and non-traditional anatomical landmarks per element. The GIS-based analysis calculates the number of overlaps thus determining the minimum number of elements (MNE). The two methods are highly correlated and appear more appropriate for fragmented remains as compared to traditional coding systems. The two analytical methods refined at Walker-Noe will be utilized in the assessment of the Morton collection from Iberia Parrish, Louisiana. The Morton burial sample likely dates to the late Coastal Coles Creek period. Robbins (1976) reports an MNI of 275 derived from a sample of approximately 24,000 fragments. We present our preliminary analysis, which suggests that the total fragment count is an underestimate raising questions about Robbins’ MNI estimate. Future analyses of Morton will assess MNI, examine demography, and map pathological conditions.

Dena Struchtemeyer (Ft. Polk Army Base)Fort Polk Heritage Family CollectionIn 1940 and 1941, over 250 families were displaced from their homes on what is now Fort Polk. In leaving, they not only left their communities, homes, churches and schools behind, but left a distinct culture behind as well. Their sacrifices paved the way for over 500,000 to be trained for the European and Pacific Theatres during World War II at Camp Polk.Our mission is to recognize and honor the sacrifices made by these families while understanding and documenting their way of life. The Fort Polk Heritage Family Collection is currently comprised of over 5,000 photographs and documents well as over thirty oral history interviews. In order to facilitate access to these documents, we also maintain a heritage website www.polkhistory.org, which will eventually serve as a database for all heritage information. The Cultural Resource Management division at Fort Polk has also made great progress in the location and identification

of unmarked burials as well as improving cemetery access for Heritage Family members. In all, the efforts for documentation and research will ensure that the sacrifices made by these families will never be forgotten.

Peter Van Dyck, Jr. (University of Southern Mississippi)The Case for Elite Feasting near the End of Winterville’s ReignRitual feasting has increasingly been looked at for the role that it played in maintaining the prestige of the elite during the Mississippian Period. At Winterville Mounds, the center of one Mississippian polity located in northwest Mississippi, recent investigations have documented evidence of such feasting at different times in its history. Feature 5, a mound-related trash pit dating to near the end of the mound center’s occupation (circa AD 1500), is thought to have been a result of ritual feasting on or adjacent to Mound F. The contents of this pit reveal information about the political and ritual lives at the end of the Winterville Chiefdom, particularly with respect to the animals consumed during feasting events.

Andrea White (University of New Orleans)Preliminary Results of Archaeological Investigations at the Perilliat House Site, a Colonial Site in the Vieux Carré of New OrleansSponsored by the Historic New Orleans Collection, archaeologists from Earth Search, Inc. and the Greater New Orleans Archaeology Program conducted excavations at the Perilliat House Site. Located in the historic French Quarter (Vieux Carré) of New Orleans, the site sits on one of the earliest blocks developed in the city by the French. To the delight of archaeologists, the existing Perilliat House was built in 1825 and essentially sealed the colonial deposits underneath its floors. The archaeology and material culture documented from the site reflect an intense domestic occupation dating to the French and Spanish colonial periods and provide comparative data to aid in the interpretation of the colonial lifeways in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. This paper will highlight the results of the investigation and outline the direction for future analysis.