Classifications by historical archaeologists and eighteenth century Montreal merchants and military personnel in New France: Emic and etic approaches

Standard or universal classifications based on formal properties of artifacts find wide currency for purposes of inter-site comparisons. Archaeologists may apply them with no other particular research question posed for their construction. The significance of the formal variables noted may not be known, though archaeologists have endeavored to glean data concerning chronology, national origin, function, manufacturing techniques and other social data from some variables of numerous artifacts.;The insider's or other's classifications have stimulated the interest of archaeologists and cultural anthropologists since the nineteenth century. These have also been variously referred to as 'emic' or folk classifications. Within historical archaeology researchers have sought to enrich their knowledge of some artifacts through examination of the way manufacturers, traders and consumers referred to various artifacts in historic documents. Devised scientific or 'etic' classifications have benefited from such studies by eliciting data concerning function and status.;This dissertation builds upon previous studies of folk classifications as revealed in historical documents. Specifically, classifications for eighteenth century artifacts recovered from archaeological contexts of sites of New France, particularly from fur trade and military posts, are focused upon here. The documents referred to as The Montreal Merchants Records and numerous military post storehouse inventories make up the body of data examined to elicit and construct two folk classifications, that of the merchants and that of the military of New France. When their structures and principles of classification have been ascertained, these are then compared to classifications of present day historical archaeologists to determine the level of concordance between these emic and the etic classifications. Where concordance does not exist, the implications for furthering understanding of archaeological classifications are explored. Where the variables used by the merchants or military differ from those recorded by archaeologists, these have been researched to determined their referents and usefulness to archaeologists for interpreting the significance of the formal variables noted in the scientific classifications. Finally, variables used in the folk classifications, but not generally in the archaeological classifications, for which referents can be determined are applied to a portion of an archaeological assemblage recovered from the site of Fort Ouiatanon, an eighteenth century fort founded by the French in present day Indiana. Such an approach allows for the testing of the usefulness of portions of the folk classifications for archaeological interpretive purposed for artifacts not currently treated in this a manner.;This dissertation is informed in part by cognitive anthropology. Also, practice theory allows for the interpretation of some folk varieties as resulting specifically from consumer choices of Native Americans and possibly French habitants. Finally, this dissertation hopes to contribute not only to a greater understanding and use of folk classifications, but also to the use of distance parity theory as seen in eighteenth century French and British sites in North America, particularly in the Upper Great Lakes region.