Aesthetics or function in heat-treating? The influence of colour preference in lithic preparation on the Maritime Peninsula, Eastern Canada

Abstract

Archaeological discussions of the influence of aesthetic preferences in quotidian aspects of hunter-gatherer lives, including practical procurement and preparation activities, have been limited. Lithic technological discussions of heat-treating tend to focus on a prevailing logic that heat-treating was undertaken to improve the quality or knappability of lithic material. In this paper, we discuss a small lithic site from the Lower Saint John River Valley in south-central New Brunswick, Canada where the observation of anomalies in colour patterning of a local lithic material, Washademoak Multi-coloured Chert or, Washademoak Chert, indicated heat-treating was occurring at the site. An experimental heat-treating study was conducted to test whether heat-treating improved the quality of Washademoak Chert and to understand the duration and intensity of heating; however, results suggest heat-treating does not improve the quality of Washademoak Chert. Using lithic technological data and statistical analysis, we argue that heat-treating in this context was conducted to transform the colour of Washademoak Chert to aesthetically preferable colours—ones which reflect contemporary Indigenous perceptions of colour. These results provide valuable insights into the level of influence that aesthetic and cultural decisions may have had for hunter-gatherers.