Late Pleistocene Archaeology and Ecology in the Far Northeast

Chapter I. Introduction: Toward the Consolidation of a Cultural and Environmental Framework

1 still lacking (Bonnichsen and Will 1999; Gramly and Funk 1990). The contenders, on a logical basis, should be found in the western or southwestern portion of the Far Northeast . Sites such as Bull Brook in Massachusetts, Whipple in New Hampshire, or several sites in southeastern New York were certainly among the early settlements. Although all these sites are not well dated independently with firm radiocarbon assays, the fluted point styles from these sites are close to the older Clovis prototype that was the trademark between 13,500 and 12,800 years ago farther west and south. No clear association between the extinct fauna and human occupation has been recorded in the Far Northeast , for few bones have been recovered so far. Although the proposition may seem tedious, caribou does seem to be the major prey, leading the majority of scholars to favor the caribou/tundra model of settlement subsistence during the early days and in northern latitudes. Within this perspective , the Vail site in Maine illustrates the Paleoindian capacity to explore and exploit a mountainous area around 12,500 years ago (Gramly 1982), and Debert in Nova Scotia (MacDonald 1968), dated to the same time range, could be the illustration of swift eastward mobility by Paleoindian hunters in relation to extensive caribou migration along a northeastern corridor. T he concept for Late Pleistocene Archaeology and Ecology in the Far Northeast derives from a longterm collaboration between the two of us and the desire to share the results of the past decade or so of research by the many active scholars addressing the Paleoindian era in this region. The Far Northeast is not a new concept (Sanger and Renouf 2006); it refers to a large glaciated territory that holds a particular geographic and ecological position, affording it a distinct chapter in the peopling of North America. The Far Northeast is a peninsula incorporating the six New England states, New York east of the Hudson, Quebec south of the St. Lawrence River and Gulf of St. Lawrence, plus the Maritime Provinces. This region was inhospitable before 13,500 years ago, especially in its northern latitudes. The fundamental issue for this volume focuses on the derivation of the Clovis pioneers from their eastward migration into the Far Northeast, who were distinguished by the more numerous fluted point style form variations than previously thought (Bradley et al. 2008; Morrow and Morrow 1999, 2002). The archaeological record of the Far Northeast indicates that the area was probably settled slightly after 13,000 years ago. Several sites might apply to be among the oldest sites, but decisive data based on secure radiocarbon dates are Claude Chapdelaine and Richard A. Boisvert chapter i Introduction Toward the Consolidation of a Cultural and Environmental Framework 2 Chapdelaine and Boisvert et al., Pintal), pedology (Courchesne et al.), subregional synthesis (Boisvert, Crock and F. Robinson, Lothrop and Bradley), and specific problems such as the relationship with the Champlain Sea (F. Robinson) and the existence of a caribou drive near the Bull Brook Site (B. Robinson ). With reports incorporating Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, eastern New York, Massachusetts, southeastern Quebec, and Nova Scotia, we feel that our coverage of the Far Northeast is adequate and hope that our efforts provide food for thought and stimulate a new interest in areas where archaeological research is lacking. A collection of chapters covering such a vast territory could only be eclectic, which was the case for a comparable book on the Southeast (Anderson and Sassaman 1996), and we feel it is logical to present the regional syntheses first (part I), followed by specialized studies (part II). Chapter 2, by Jonathan Lothrop and James Bradley on the Hudson Valley, covers the presumed territory from which specific groups may have entered the Far Northeast from the west, not excluding a southern entrance, and it might contain the most ancient sites of our study area. This chapter presents recent data and interpretations on Early and Middle Paleoindian lifeways during the late Pleistocene in the Mohawk/Hudson drainage basin. It provides current perspectives on late Pleistocene landscapes of eastern New York, scenarios for human colonization, and aspects of settlement, subsistence adaptations, and technology. It is thus a starting chapter for studying the peopling of the Far Northeast. The state of Vermont was first in the Far Northeast to record a Paleoindian site, with the Reagan site (Ritchie 1953), but a long silence followed that is now broken by John Crock and Francis Robinson reporting an...