Anthropology/FNS 2233G/001
January-April 2015
Department of Anthropology
ANTH 2233G-001
Archaeology of Ontario and the Great Lakes
Course Outline
Winter 2015
Class time: Wednesdays 7-10:00 pm
Room location: Social Sciences 2257
Instructor: Chris Ellis
Office: SSC 3409, Phone: ext. 85081
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: Wednesdays 6:15-6:50 pm;
Thursdays 11:30AM-12:30 pm
TA: Kyle Forsythe
Office: TBA
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: TBA
Prerequisite: Anth 1020E, or Anth1025F/G and Anth 1026F/G, or Anth 2100, or FNS 1020E
Anti-requisite: None
COURSE CONTENT:
This course provides an overview of the human history of the Great Lakes area (with a
focus on southern Ontario) from ca. 14,000 years ago to A.D. 1650. The emphasis will be on the
documentation and explanation of change and diversity in the archaeological record as First
Nations groups coped with changing and spatially variable environmental and social milieus.
COURSE MARKS:
Grades will be based on: a) a mid-term exam to be held in class time on February 25th,
2015 (30%); b) a final exam to be scheduled by the registrar in the final exam period from April
11-30, 2015 (30%); and c) a course paper due in class on March 18, 2015 (40%). The final exam
will only cover material after the mid-term (e.g. from March 4th to the end of the course).
Generally, the exams will consist of short, written answer, definitional-type questions and longer
essay questions.
REQUIRED COURSE READINGS:
There required readings for this course will be taken from a series of articles that
summarize developments and characteristics of particular time periods or focus on specific sites
or interpretative issues in more detail. The particular readings from these sources are all available
on-line as pdfs via the wen or the library and are listed in the course schedule below.
OTHER AVAILABLE TEXTS:
Anthropology/FNS 2233G/001
January-April 2015
Although somewhat out of date, out of print, or focused outside Ontario, or were written
for a more popular audience there are some textbooks, which the student may find of use and
interest and which are in the stacks in the library. These include:
Ontario Prehistory: An 11,000 Year Archaeological Outline, by James V. Wright, 1972,
Ottawa, National Museums of Canada.
A History of the Native People of Canada, Volumes I, II and III (part 1), by James V.
Wright, 1995-2004, Canadian Museum of Civilization Mercury Series Paper 152,
Ottawa.
The Archaeology of Michigan: A Guide to the Prehistory of the Great Lakes Region, by
James E. Fitting, 1970, New York, Natural History Press.
Indian Life in the Upper Great Lakes, by George I. Quimby, 1960, Chicago, University
of Chicago Press.
The Archaeology of New York State, Revised Edition, by William A. Ritchie, 1969, New
York, Natural History Press.
Retrieving Michigan’s Buried Past: the Archaeology of the Great Lakes State, edited by
John R. Halsey, 1999, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Cranbrook Institute of Science
Bulletin 64.
The Archaeology of Southern Ontario to A.D. 1650, edited by Chris Ellis and Neal
Ferris, 1990, London Chapter, Ontario Archaeological Society, Occasional Publication
No. 5.
Before Ontario: The Archaeology of a Province, edited by Marit K. Munson and Susan
B. Jamieson, 2013. Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press.
Archaeology of Minnesota : The Prehistory of the Upper Mississippi River Region, by
Guy Gibbon, 2013.Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
COURSE PAPER:
All students are required to submit a paper dealing with some aspect/problem of Great
Lakes archaeology. All paper topics must be approved by the instructor or his Teaching
Assistant. Papers should be at least 10-15 pages in length (typed, double-spaced) and are due in
class on March 18, 2015. These papers should be in the format for writing papers in
Anthropology. This format can be obtained by consulting any recent issue of the journals
American Anthropologist or American Antiquity in the library.
With reference to course papers I am forced to note: “Plagiarism and Scholastic
Offences: Scholastic offences are taken seriously and students are directed to read the
appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the
following website:
Anthropology/FNS 2233G/001
January-April 2015
http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
Students must write their essays and assignments in their own words. Whenever students take an
idea, or a passage from another author, they must acknowledge their debt both by using
quotation marks where appropriate and by proper referencing such as footnotes or citations.
Plagiarism is a major academic offense. All required papers may be subject to submission for
textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the
University for the detection of plagiarism. All papers submitted for such checking will be
included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of
papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing
agreement, currently between The University of Western Ontario and Turnitin.com
(http://www.turnitin.com).”
STATEMENT ON ACCESSIBILITY:
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you
require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. Western’s
commitment to Accessibility, visit:
http://wss.uwo.ca/Student%20Services%20Organizational%20Units/Accessibility%20at%20Wes
tern/index.html
Student Development Services http://www.sdc.uwo.ca/ssd/ has staff members who specialize in
assisting students with various disabilities to adjust to the university environment. These
disabilities include, but are not limited to, vision, hearing and mobility impairments, learning
disabilities, chronic illnesses, chronic pain, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders. Students
who require special accommodations for disabilities should make a formal request through
Student Development Services as early in the semester as possible.
STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES:
A range of student services is available at:
https://studentservices.uwo.ca/secure/index.cfm
Other resources include Student Support Services: http://westernusc.ca/services
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western
http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth for a complete list of options about how to obtain
help.
COURSE OUTLINE:
Days
Topics and Required Readings*
January 7
Introduction and Background.
January 14
The Great Lakes First Citizens: Paleo-Indians. Readings:
1) C. J. Ellis and D. B. Deller (1990). Paleoindians. In The
Archaeology of Southern Ontario to A.D. 1650, edited by C. J.
Ellis and N. Ferris, pp. pp. 37-63. London Chapter, Ontario
Archaeological Society, Occasional Publication No. 5. Available
on-line at:
http://anthropology.uwo.ca/cje/1990ASOPaleo-Indians.pdf
Anthropology/FNS 2233G/001
January-April 2015
This book has compiled volume references. You can access the
compiled references for the whole volume at this link:
http://anthropology.uwo.ca/cje/1990ASOReferences.pdf
2) D. B. Deller and C. J. Ellis - 2001 - Evidence for Late PaleoIndian Ritual from the Caradoc Site (AfHj-104), Southwestern
Ontario, Canada. American Antiquity 66(2): 267-284. Available
online via library.
January 21-28
Early and Middle Archaic. Readings:
1) C. J. Ellis, I. T. Kenyon and M. Spence (1990). The Archaic. In
The Archaeology of Southern Ontario to A.D. 1650, edited by C. J.
Ellis and N. Ferris, pp. 65-124. London Chapter, Ontario
Archaeological Society, Occasional Publication No. 5. Read pages
65-93 only; Available online at:
http://anthropology.uwo.ca/cje/1990ASOTheArchaic.pdf
This book has compiled volume references. You can access the
compiled references for the whole volume at this link:
http://anthropology.uwo.ca/cje/1990ASOReferences.pdf
2) W. A. Lovis, R. E. Donahue and M. B. Holman (2005). LongDistance Logistic Mobility as an Organizing Principle among
Northern Hunter-Gatherers: A Great Lakes Middle Holocene
Settlement System. American Antiquity 70:669-693. Available
online via library.
February 3
Late Archaic. Readings:
1) C. J. Ellis, I. T. Kenyon and M. Spence (1990). The Archaic. In
The Archaeology of Southern Ontario to A.D. 1650, edited by C. J.
Ellis and N. Ferris, pp. 65-124. London Chapter, Ontario
Archaeological Society, Occasional Publication No. 5. Read pages
94-124 only. Available online at:
http://anthropology.uwo.ca/cje/1990ASOTheArchaic.pdf
This book has compiled volume references. You can access the
compiled references for the whole volume at this link:
http://anthropology.uwo.ca/cje/1990ASOReferences.pdf
2) J. Conolly, J. Dillane, K. Dougherty, K. Elaschuk, K. Csenkey,
T. Wagner and J. Williams (2014). Early Collective Burial
Practices in a Complex Wetland Setting: An Interim Report on
Mortuary Patterning, Paleodietary Analysis, Zooarchaeology,
Material Culture and Radiocarbon Dates from Jacob Island
(BcGo-17), Kawartha Lakes, Ontario. Canadian Journal of
Archaeology 38:106–133. Available online via library.
February 11
Early Woodland: Ceramics and Burial Cults. Readings:
1) N. Ferris and M. Spence (1995). The Woodland Traditions in
Southern Ontario. Revista del Arqueologia (Journal of American
Anthropology/FNS 2233G/001
January-April 2015
Archaeology) 9:83-122. Read pages 83-97 only. Available online
at:
http://anthropology.uwo.ca/faculty/ferris/FerrisandSpenceWoo
dland1995.pdf
2) K. Taché (2011). New Perspectives on Meadowood Trade
Items. American Antiquity 76:41-79. Available online via
library.
February 18
Reading Week: No Class.
February 25
Mid-Term Exam.
March 4-11
Middle Woodland: Burial Mounds and Social Complexity.
Readings:
1) N. Ferris and M. Spence (1995). The Woodland Traditions in
Southern Ontario. Revista del Arqueologia (Journal of American
Archaeology) 9:83-122. Read pages 97-102 only. Available
online at:
http://anthropology.uwo.ca/faculty/ferris/FerrisandSpenceWoo
dland1995.pdf
March 18-25
Late Woodland I: Agriculture and Villages. Readings:
1) N. Ferris and M.W. Spence (1995). The Woodland Traditions in
Southern Ontario. Revista del Arqueologia (Journal of American
Archaeology) 9:83-122. Read pages 102-106 only. Available
online at:
http://anthropology.uwo.ca/faculty/ferris/FerrisandSpenceWoo
dland1995.pdf
2) J.P. Hart and W.A. Lovis (2013): Reevaluating What We Know
About the Histories of Maize in Northeastern North America: A
Review of Current Evidence. Journal of Archaeological Research
21:175–216. Available online via library.
(Note: Course papers due in class March 18th)
April 1- April 8
Late Woodland II: Appearance of Historically-Known
Societies. Readings:
1) N. Ferris and M.W. Spence (1995). The Woodland Traditions in
Southern Ontario. Revista del Arqueologia (Journal of American
Archaeology) 9:83-125. Read pages 106-125 only. Available
online at:
http://anthropology.uwo.ca/faculty/ferris/FerrisandSpenceWoo
dland1995.pdf
2) G. Warrick (2000). The Precontact Iroquoian Occupations of
Southern Ontario. Journal of World Prehistory 14(4):415-466.
Available online via library.