New materials, old ideas: Native use of European-introduced metals in the Northeast

This project is a detailed comparative analysis of the use of smelted copper and copper-alloy metals by individuals of the Wendat/Huron and Haudenosaunee/Five Nations Iroquois confederacies. This material was introduced into Northeastern North America by a series of European explorers and settlers in the form of finished kettles and sheet metal during the Early and Middle Contact periods (ca. A.D. 1480/1500--1614 and A.D. 1614--1690, respectively). Once acquired, Native metalworkers then transformed this metal into various forms of ornamental and utilitarian objects which were more meaningful to themselves and their communities.; For this analysis, 14,137 objects of this type were examined from 68 archaeological sites and two amalgamated collections, principally using visual examination techniques under low-power magnification. Using correspondence analysis, a non-parametric comparative analytical technique, the collected data were used to discuss the character of the assemblages examined. This dissertation explored (1) the manufacturing techniques used to craft these pieces, (2) the differences in manufacturing techniques used chronologically and ethnically and (3) the forms of the produced objects.; The goal of this research was to explore the technological practices of the Wendat and Haudenosaunee individuals who were working these materials. It was determined that there is a predictable difference in the manufacturing techniques used by Native metalworkers of this period and contemporary European metalworkers, which supports the hypothesis that Native individuals were manufacturing these objects rather than acquiring them all as finished objects from Europeans. Differences in both the manufacturing techniques used and forms created were observed chronologically and ethnically supporting the assertion that smelted copper and copper-alloy metalworking was a newly developed industry primarily adapting existing Native technological practices to this material rather than a complete set of practices adopted en mass from Europeans.*; *This dissertation is a compound document (contains both a paper copy and a CD as part of the dissertation).