Gender and historical archaeology: Eastern Dakota patterns in the 19th century

Abstract

The investigation of gender in the past has finally begun to receive serious attention from archaeologists. Because of the infancy of the study, however, many theoretical and methodological questions have yet to be resolved concerning the kinds of gendered questions that can be asked of archaeological data and the ways in which archaeological information can inform one about past gender systems. Historical archaeology, because of the availability of historic documents and ethnographic information, can provide crucial information about the ways in which gender is represented in archaeological deposits. This is illustrated in an examination of mortuary data from a 19th-century Dakota cemetery, the Black Dog Burial site. Thirty-nine individuals were interred in 24 different burials with a wide variety of historic Dakota and Euroamerican artifacts. Simple sexto-artifact correlations revealed little evidence of sex-linked artifacts although age-specific artifact categories were found. However, factor analysis did reveal patterns of artifact clusters which may reveal gender categories that are not ascribed on the basis of biological sex. Archaeological and ethnohistoric evidence indicates a more fluid system of gender construction, consistent with Dakota cultural traditions, in spite of intense pressure from Euroamericans to adopt Western gender roles.