Broken points and social cohesion in Iroquoian villages: A point refit study

Abstract

Understanding patterns of artifact mends within a site has the potential to provide insights into human behavior. In this study, we map the distribution of projectile point mends at a mid-sixteenth century Iroquoian village in western New York. It is assumed that these point fragments were once embedded in meat and were discarded when the meat was consumed. As a result, the distribution of most point mends can be explained through waste stream analysis. However, those mends that occur over long distances or between different longhouses require another explanation. We propose that in these cases meat sharing between domestic groups occurred, as one mechanism used to cement interpersonal relationships. Long distance mends between potsherds and smoking pipes require additional explanations.