Archaeology of Culture Contact at Ft. Ross, CA: The Investigation of Metini Village

在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，肯特·莱特富特博士和他的同事们将继续在位于加州北部海岸110公里处的罗斯堡殖民地进行考古研究。旧金山湾北部。罗斯堡由俄美公司（Russian-American Company）于1812年建立，该公司是一家商业垄断企业，代表俄罗斯在利润丰厚的北太平洋毛皮贸易中的利益。在1841年被出售并解散之前，它曾是沿加州海岸捕猎海獭和海海豹的集结地，也是一个种植庄稼和饲养牲畜的农业社区。公司在罗斯堡集结了一支国际化、多民族的劳动力队伍，分为四个主要阶层或阶层：“俄罗斯人”、“克里奥尔人”、“阿留申人”和“印第安人”。从阿留申群岛引进的阿留申人主要担任猎人，而“印第安人”主要由当地部落Kaashaya Pomo组成。这些波莫人承担着各种各样的任务——放牧牲畜，在农田里干活，为制砖运输粘土。每个群体都住在罗斯堡附近自己的居住区，莱特富特博士目前项目的目标是研究这个波莫社区的社会组织和行为模式。在一年的支持下，莱特富特博士和他的同事们将为更大规模的挖掘奠定基础。他们将进行档案研究，并采访罗斯堡居民的波莫直系后裔。该小组将对该地点进行地形调查，以确定丘堆和其他表面特征。这将通过地球物理调查来确定地下对应物的位置。将进行密集的地面收集，并在有希望的地区进行有限的挖掘。了解文化如何运作的最好方法之一是观察它们如何适应新的环境，而罗斯堡提供了一个很好的情况来利用这种方法。史前的波莫人有很好的考古记录，通过罗斯堡的挖掘，可以看到在一个独特的多民族背景下，哪些文化习俗是如何被选择性地保留、放弃或修改的。以前的研究主要集中在俄罗斯和阿留申部分的遗址上，而这次波莫的研究将提供有价值的比较数据。该项目涉及包括Pomo在内的许多参与者，并将发挥重要的培训作用。

With National Science Foundation support Dr. Kent Lightfoot and his colleagues will continue their archaeological research at the Fort Ross Colony, located on the coast of northern California 110 km. North of San Francisco Bay. Fort Ross was founded in 1812 by the Russian-American Company, a mercantile monopoly that represented Russia's interests in the lucrative North Pacific fur trade. It served as a staging area for sea otter and fur seal hunts along the coast of California and as an agricultural community for raising crops and livestock until 1841 when it was sold and disbanded. The Company assembled an international, multi-ethnic workforce at Fort Ross that was divided into four major classes or estates: `Russians,` `Creoles,` `Aleuts,` and `Indians.` The Aleuts, imported from the Aleutian Islands served primarily as hunters while the `Indians` consisted primarily of Kaashaya Pomo, a local tribe. These Pomos performed a variety of tasks - tending livestock, working in agricultural fields and hauling clay for brick production. Each group lived in its own habitation area near Fort Ross and the goal of Dr. Lightfoot's current project is to examine the social organization and behavior patterns of this Pomo community. With one year of support, Dr. Lightfoot and his colleagues will lay the groundwork for a larger scale excavation. They will conduct archival research and also interview lineal Pomo descendants of Fort Ross inhabitants. The team will carry out a topographic survey of the site to identify middens and other surface features. This will be augmented by a geophysical survey to locate subsurface counterparts. Intensive surface collection will be conducted and limited excavations made in promising areas. One of the best ways to understand how cultures function is to observe how they adapt in new contexts and Fort Ross provides an excellent situation to utilize such an approach. The prehistoric Pomo are well documented archaeologically and through excavation at Fort Ross it will be possible to see how what cultural practices are selectively maintained, dropped or modified in a unique multi-ethnic context. Previous research has focused on Russian and Aleut portions of the site and this Pomo study will provide valuable comparative data. The project involves many participants, including Pomo and will serve a valuable training function.