Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Insight Into Early US Social And Subsistence Adaptation

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Due to global changes in sea level, some of the most pivotal questions in human history necessitate the investigation of archaeological sites that are now under water. These contexts have unique potentials for preserving ancient sites without disturbance from later human occupations. For example, it is extremely difficult to uncover a crucial time in US prehistory - when the nation was first inhabited by humans - because at the end of the last Ice Age when this presumably occurred sea levels were significantly lower and evidence of coastal habitation or migration routes are now under water. The Alpena-Amberley Ridge beneath modern Lake Huron offers unique evidence into early adaptation, and sites preserved on this landform are providing an unprecedented view of prehistoric caribou hunting. Under the supervision and guidance of Dr. John O'Shea at the University of Michigan, doctoral student Ashley Lemke will conduct an innovative autonomous underwater vehicle survey of the lake bottom to discover new archaeological sites and map cultural features in detail. In addition, scuba divers will collect archaeological and environmental samples to understand the social and economic organization of hunters 9,000 years ago. Recent research under Lake Huron has identified over 60 hunting features made of stone which are some of the oldest and best preserved in North America. These structures include stone lines and hunting blinds which bear similarity to those historically used in the arctic to hunt caribou. Thus far, these structures range from simple hunting blinds that could conceal a single hunter, to complex structures that would require several people or families cooperating in order to have a successful hunt. Ms. Lemke's research will further investigate known structures and conduct a survey to discover additional archaeological sites. Detailed mapping of hunting sites will provide an understanding of how prehistoric hunter-gatherers modified their environments and utilized strategic places to intercept migrating animals. This research will provide new data demonstrating that ancient peoples living in the Great Lakes region had complex economic strategies which relied on a sophisticated knowledge of the local environment and animal behavior. This research has wide ranging broader impacts. It will integrate interdisciplinary scholars and technicians with disparate archaeological, earth science, computer science, and marine technology backgrounds and promote international research collaboration between American and Canadian scholars. This integration of multinational researchers with a range of experience will test new methods for detailed underwater site mapping and documentation which will be broadly relevant to efforts at underwater research in other areas. Beyond anthropology, this project will generate data relevant to a range of questions from Pleistocene geology to contemporary changes in water levels. Results and data will be presented in peer-reviewed publications and public outreach will include lectures given at local universities and museums.