Climate Change Institute

Dr. Gabe Hrynick
Associate Professor of Anthropology
University of New Brunswick, Fredericton

Monday, September 21, 2020, 12noon

ZOOM – Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:
https://maine.zoom.us/j/94915919868?pwd=VWhrQzVZQmkvV3E0bTJOczl0UnB6QT09
Password: 558487

Abstract: The Far Northeast of North America experienced some of the earliest contact by Europeans of anywhere in the Americas, making this period crucial to understanding the history of subsequent Indigenous and European interactions. Despite the period’s significance to Wabanaki people and scholars, there are relatively few historical records from this Protohistoric period, and archaeological understanding of the region has focused primarily on highly visible elaborate burials, especially from Mi’kmaw territory. In contrast, the Devil’s Head site in Calais, Maine, is an example of a Late Woodland and Protohistoric period habitation site. In this talk I offer it as an example of some of the changes that may have been underway at and just before contact. I also will discuss the sea level rise, bioturbation, and visibility problems that may have obscured Protohistoric habitation sites in the region’s archaeological record. I conclude with some thoughts on next research steps for understanding the contact period in the Far Northeast, emphasizing Indigenous interactions in response to Contact.