Rethinking Delaware Archaeology: A Beginning

Abstract

A pit feature containing human remains was originally interpreted as a trash pit based on its shape, the presence of ceramic sherds, flakes, and fire-cracked rocks, and the absence of items traditionally viewed as “grave goods.” However, a cooperative reconsideration of the feature, incorporating the insights of a representative of the Nanticoke Indian Tribe, developed a new interpretation. Ethnohistoric data clearly indicate that local Indian people would not be likely to bury a body in a trash pit. Therefore, the presence of human remains signified a burial and artifacts usually viewed as “trash” could still have symbolic and ritual significance. Upon careful study, many of the feature's artifacts showed attributes which seem to distinguish them from superficially similar items found in non-grave settings. Data gathered from ethnohistoric sources, ethnographies, and linguistic analysis fit together to create a consistent cultural context for the artifacts' ritual and symbolic meaning.