Odd deposits: interpreting sweetgum use at Coles Creek mound centers

Abstract

ABSTRACT The archaeological record of the Lower Mississippi Valley represents a long history of Indigenous people making wide and variable use of the region’s exceptionally rich ecosystems. Often, archaeological interpretations of these interactions focus on subsistence and do not take into consideration non-food uses of plants and animals. Our excavations at two Coles Creek (AD 750–1000) mound centers, Feltus and Smith Creek, yielded curious concentrations of sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) in addition to the expected suite of plants. We first discuss the archaeological context of sweetgum on these sites, then outline our methods of identifying the plant in archaeological samples. We detail the process of identifying sweetgum both in-field and from flotation and water-screening samples and provide identification criteria that can be used by other analysts. Finally, we review what we know about sweetgum use from the broader archaeological, ethnohistoric, and ethnographic records. Drawing these lines of evidence together, we synthesize pre – and post-colonial ethnobotany to hypothesize about how and why Coles Creek people used this plant in ceremonial activities taking place at mound centers.