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15 chapter two The Archaeology of the Lake Michigan Coastal Zone A Perspective from the Coastal Dunes The research presented in this book is specifically directed at delineating the conditionsunderwhicharchaeologicalsitesareformed ,buried,andstratifiedwithindunes of the coastal zone of Lake Michigan. Understanding such taphonomic processes, and their variability or consistency in time and space, underpins our ability to assess whether coastal dune archaeological site populations are representative of past site populations. Are we missing some sites because they are deeply buried within dunes, or because they have been selectively destroyed by dune erosion or building episodes? Whether or not we ultimately find that the remnants of past archaeological site populations in such contexts are truly representative, an understanding of where, why, and how such populations may have been altered or destroyed provides significant corrective information, both for archaeological interpretation and for heritage management and planning. As described in chapter 1, the history of research into archaeological site formation processes, also known as site taphonomy, in the Lake Michigan coastal zone goes back half a century. Despite substantial historical interests in coastal zone archaeological site formation processes, until relatively recently detailed geoarchaeological analysis has largely been applied at the scale of the individual archaeological site. Because of the disparate geomorphological and geological training of researchers undertaking such investigations, the quality and detail of this research has also been quite variable. Given that buried and stratified deposits, which because of their potential to yield chronological information are of particular interest to archaeologists, are common in coastal dune settings, these sites have garnered the most attention by archaeological researchers. Consequently, considerable detailed information is available on the depositional histories and formation processes of a variety of dune-based archaeological sites in an arc around Lake Michigan. In Michigan, these sites stretch from Summer Island off the southern tip of the Garden Peninsula in the west, around the south shore of chapter two 16 the Upper Peninsula and then south along the west shore of the Lower Peninsula to the vicinity of Muskegon. Such idiosyncratic site-level approaches to research, however, do not provide the broad regional framework for understanding why the current population of archaeological sites is preserved, where it is preserved, and under what conditions it can best be discovered. Such a research goal requires a larger synthetic context, as well as more detailed and comparable information, and is the key issue that drives this research. That said, the cumulative historical record of information from past work is central to understanding what is known, what is not known, and what can be learned about archaeological site populations in the Lake Michigan coastal dunes. With this caveat in mind, subsequent parts of this presentation will place archaeological coastal and dune site research in a broader context, provide key summary information on coastal archaeological research, summarize the results of fieldwork conducted by this project, and conclude with some basic summary information to be synthesized with other dimensions of the research in chapters 5 and 6. Coastal Archaeology in the Context of Coastal Dunes The importance of coastal zones to the precontact inhabitants of Michigan cannot be overstated, as witnessed by the abundance of archaeological sites spanning several millennia recorded in coastal contexts (e.g., Peebles and Black 1976). Coastal zones in general, but the Great Lakes coastal zones in particular, are highly visible, important, and dynamic locations on the broader landscape. The interface of land with substantial expanses of water, aside from being dramatic, also signals substantial changes in the locations and distribution of economically important and procurable food resources. At the same time this interface allows for more efficient modes of coastal transportation than does terrestrial travel. No doubt these were all significant issues to the indigenous peoples of precontact Michigan. However, the ever-changing dynamics of coastal zones also posed both solvable and unsolvable problems to these same people over both the short and long run, that is, at different scales of time. From the perspective of the current study, these same coastal zone dynamics pose multiple archaeological problems as well. This study is directed toward understanding the impact of these processes on the formation, burial, stratification, and preservation of Michigan’s population of archeological sites. As synopsized in chapter 1 and presented in greater detail in chapters 3 and 4, the recorded dynamism of coastal zones is in large part a product of the following factors. First, the position of the coastline in geographic space has changed dramatically since the retreat of the...

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