the archaeology and physical anthropology of the ec row site

THE ARCHAEOLOGY AND PHYSICAL

ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE E. C. ROW SITE: A

SPRINGWELLS PHASE SETTLEMENT, ESSEX

COUNTY, ONTARIO

Paul A. Lennox and J. Eldon Molto

The proposed construction of the E.C. Row

Expressway - Highway 3 interchange in Wind-sor by the Ontario Ministry of Transportationinvolves the disturbance of lands adjacent tothe Lucier Site (AbHs-l). Lucier, excavated byWintemberg in 1935, produced cultural materi-als and burials pertaining to the Late Wood-land Western Basin Tradition. Although theextent of the site had not been determined atthat time, later archaeological survey of thearea to be impacted by construction identifieda second; spatially discrete occupation andburial area designated the E. C. Row Site(AbHs-7). This report describes the survey andthe results of salvage excavations undertakenat the E.C. Row Site. The site appears to be awarm season settlement attributed to theSpringwells Phase of the Western Basin Tradi-tion. We consider Wintemberg's investigationsand the relationship between E.C. Row and theLucier Site. The number of burials recovered atthe two sites help to illustrate a pattern whichis unique to the Western Basin Tradition. Com-parisons with contemporary Iroquoian sites tothe east help in determining the bioculturalaffinities of the E.C. Row Site occupants. Whileour results are not definitive, they stronglysuggest that there are distinct bioculturaldifferences between the Springwells Phase ofthe Western Basin Tradition and the southernOntario Iroquoians.

INTRODUCTION

Location

The E.C. Row Site is located in the extremesouthwestern part of the Province of Ontario,within the City of Windsor, approximately fourkilometres from the Detroit River. As indicatedin Figures 1 and 2, the E.C. Row Site is located

on a low sandy knoll adjacent to Turkey Creek.The creek's mouth, on the Detroit River, liesabout five kilometres to the southwest of thesite. The low sandy rise on which the site islocated is one of many in the area. At 183 mabove sea level, it appears to be an abandonedshoreline feature, and is part of a muchbroader, unnamed sand plain at the modemtown of La Salle.

Sandy soils are a rare feature of the EssexClay Plain. There are two similar areas locatedimmediately north of Point Pelee and in thevicinity of Harrow. These "islands" are well-drained soils with associated Carolinian floraland faunal communities in the midst of thepoorly-drained Essex Clay Plain (Chapmanand Putnam 1966), which is characterized as ablack ash swamp (Finlay 1978). These condi-tions undoubtedly led to prehistoric concentra-tions of populations at such "island" centres.

History of Investigations

Any discussion of the E.C. Row Site (AbHs-7)must also include an understanding of thenearby Lucier Site (AbHs-1), otherwise referredto as 'The Windsor Mound Site", 'The Torontoand Betts Streets Indian Mound Site", 'Wintem-berg's Windsor Site", "Marentette Site", and the"Lancaster Site" (Wright 1976:13). Attention wasfirst directed to this area in the early 1930swhen the Betts Avenue and Toronto Streetroad allowances were being graded to service aproposed housing development (Figure 2). Thehousing project did not materialize and theroads were never completed, although thegraded intersection is clearly visible on early airphotographs and the road allowances stillappear on various subdivision plans. At thetime of discovery several perforated skulls wererecovered along Betts Avenue (Wintemberg1935,1936; Wright 1976) and these led to

LENNOX AND MOLTO ... THE E.C. ROW SITE ... 5

6 ONTARIO A R C H A E O L O G Y No. 60, 1995

excavations in July of 1935, undertaken by W.J.Wintemberg of the Anthropological Division,National Museum of Canada, and assisted byJ. C. B. Grant, Professor of Anatomy, Universityof Toronto.

Unfortunately, Wintemberg passed awaybefore reporting on his findings at the site and,aside from a short statement in American

Antiquity (Wintemberg 1936:17), the only re-

cord of this excavation is found in a set ofWintemberg's (1935) field notes on file at theMuseum of Civilization. Attempts to reconstructWintemberg's findings from his field noteshave met with limited success and, while it isdifficult to reconstruct his grid, burial types andpositions, as well as other details, can be

inferred. Wintemberg's excavations apparentlyfocused on the intersection of Toronto Streetand Betts Avenue and resulted in the discoveryof 19 burials containing an estimated minimumof 25 individuals. The site was briefly investi-gated again in 1967 when the Hiram WalkerMuseum opened a test trench at the northeastcorner of the same intersection; this producednegative results (Wright 1976:12).

In 1975, Phillip Wright, then Historical Re-sources Co-ordinator (Southwest Region) ofthe Ministry of Culture and Recreation, as-sisted by his wife Mary and the senior author,conducted an archaeological survey of the sitevicinity in response to the Ministry ofTransportation's proposal to build the E.C. RowExpress-way. This survey uncovered a fewpieces of prehistoric cultural material in thevicinity of Wintemberg's investigations, but thearea had since seen numerous disturbanceswhich led Wright to conclude that much of thesite had been destroyed (Wright 1976:5).

Wright's 1976 report includes valuable infor-mation gleaned and/or transcribed fromWintemberg's notes; he was also able to con-duct an analysis of materials collected byWintemberg. This previously unpublishedmaterial has proved very useful in our ownstudy.

In 1978 the Caldwell Band of Essex County(with the encouragement of the propertyowner), succeeded in temporarily haltinghighway construction and, after five months ofnegotiations between the band, various gov-ernment ministries and the City of Windsor,another archaeological investigation wasconducted in the proposed construction zoneimmediately southwest of the Toronto Streetand Betts Avenue intersection. This investiga-tion, by Peter Reid of the University of Windsorinvolved a search for subsoil features andburials through extensive manual trenchingand mechanical stripping. Reid (1978) identi-fied several small, prehistoric features andretrieved a few pieces of cultural material, butdid not locate burials. Interestingly, Reid al-luded to a brief interview he had with JohnDickson, who had worked as a labourer forWintemberg during the 1935 excavations.Dickson stated that, in addition to Wintem-berg's primary investigations, some burialswere excavated from a low mound located 500to 600 feet (150 to 180 m) to the west, in thevicinity of the Beaver Gasoline Station - a

structure that was still in use at the time of theinterview (Reid 1978:4).

In 1984 Lennox was asked to review the nextstage in the completion of the E.C. Row over-pass of Highway 3 and the construction of aninner loop in the northeast quadrant of thatintersection (Figure 2). In light of Dickson'sobservation, such construction had the poten-tial of disturbing additional portions of a pre-historic burial component.

Survey Strategy

The area to be examined in 1984 wasinitially defined as all right-of-way to beimpacted by the proposed construction,including the west-ern extension of the E.C.Row Expressway and the circular ramp orinner loop located in the northeast quadrantof the Highway 3 intersection (Figure 2). It wasdecided that an intensive sampling procedurewas appropriate and that the constructionzone should be stripped in search of subsoilfeatures. Several bulldozers were contracted tostrip the proposed right-of-way, beginning onthe eastern portion of the inner loop closest tothe Lucier Site (Figure 2). This was a closelysupervised endeavour, and the last pass of thedozer cut only a few centimetres into thesubsoil. No early historic or prehistoric artifactsor features were encountered in this area.

The first area examined was bounded on thesouth and the north by existing fill conditions.The large fill area to the south, encompassingthe southern portion of the inner loop and theE.C. Row Expressway, had been covered inprevious years to a depth of approximatelyfour metres. Any archaeological remains lyingbeneath this fill will remain undisturbedindefinitely. Fill conditions and modemdisturbances were also discerned in a testtrench located on the west edge of the overpassfill. On the northeast portion of the inner loop atemporary topsoil pile covered a portion of theconstruction zone (Figure 2). Originally, it hadbeen decided to move this material to exposethe underlying ground, but the strippingoperation adjacent to this area revealed amottled dark grey, silty clay (indicative of aformer wetland) and the plan was abandoned.These subsoil conditions persisted along thenorth and northwest portions of the inner loop,where test trenches revealed almost a metre ofclay fill and modern debris on top of theoriginal soil


8 ONTARIO ARCHAEOLOGY No. 60, 1995

profile. The York Motel and parking lot hadbeen built on this fill, as is indicated by theanomalous contour configuration (Figure 2).

The western portion of the inner loop, adja-cent to Highway 3, may have been a favour-able location for settlement during prehistorictimes, but this area has seen considerableactivity during the present century, and is nowcharacterized by asphalt parking lots, ruins ofbuildings, a swimming pool, septic tanks andutility trenches. Several test trenches in smallundisturbed sections of this area produced no

cultural materials.Prehistoric features were recognized along

the southern section of the inner loop, betweenthe north edge of the existing overpass fill andthe back slope of the proposed ditch line (i.e.,the limit of construction requirements). Thisarea included part of the slight knoll behindthe Beaver Station that Dickson identified as asecondary focus of Wintemberg's excavations.

The area excavated in 1984 (Figure 2) was

provided with a new Borden number (AbHs-7)

and was designated the E.C. Row Site, to

distinguish it from the Lucier Site (AbHs- 1)materials. It was reasoned that the distance ofapproximately 150 m and the unknown rela-tionship between Wintemberg 's main excava-tions and this "secondary" locus warranted adistinction at that time.

Excavations

Most of the intensive survey, as outlinedabove, consisted of the mechanized removal oftopsoil/ploughzone and a search for undis-turbed prehistoric subsoil features. Moredetailed excavation strategies were adoptednow that cultural evidence was encountered.The excavation of the E.C. Row Site proceededmore cautiously, with the dozer operatorsinstructed to remove topsoil only to within a fewcentimetres of the subsoil interface. The dis-turbed topsoil was examined numerous timesbut produced very few pieces of prehistoricmaterial.

A five-metre grid was established for record-ing purposes with grid north parallelling thealignment of Highway 3. The grid was used forthe horizontal (triangulation) mapping of fea-tures and postmoulds. Excavations proceededusing hand shovels to remove the remainingtopsoil and to "shovelshine" the topsoil-subsoilinterface. Post moulds and other subsoil fea-tures were identified, mapped and profiled.Aside from bulk soil samples collected from allfeatures for flotation, the fill from features anda sample of post moulds was sieved through 6mm mesh screens.

The first few five-metre squares excavatedcontained features with a dark fill that waseasily contrasted with the light yellow or beige,sandy subsoil. Post moulds, however, werevery faint and, at first, formed no apparentpatterns. Many "posts" had good plan views,but no profiles. The systematic sectioning ofthe first few units revealed profiles of postmoulds that had not been recognized in planview.

As excavations proceeded from east to west,along the southern half of the area excavated(Figures 2 and 3), posts were more easilyidentified and several east-west oriented postpatterns emerged. These posts were aligned in asingle row reminiscent of Iroquoian palisadeposts, rather than the staggered or paired postpattern most typical of Iroquoian longhousewalls. After plotting the posts, however, it

became apparent that some of the rows wereparallel and spaced 8 to 8.5 m apart - a rea-sonable longhouse width. Nevertheless, theareas between the walls were virtually devoidof pits, hearths, or structural features. Excava-tions were extended to the west and northwestbut, after following the "walls" for some dis-tance, they were found to have been obliter-ated by extensive historic disturbances. A briefanalysis of the oil cans and multicolored trian-gular flags fastened together on a long nylonstring suggested that we were close to theformer Beaver Gasoline station.

Attention was directed toward the northernhalf and eastern end of the excavations. Herewe encountered a large rectangular feature(Feature 24), measuring 1.8 m wide, 12.3 mlong and 15 to 20 cm deep, with nearly verticalsides and a flat bottom - in short, a previousexcavation trench. In defining the limits of thisfeature, small pieces of pottery and humanbone were noted and these became morefrequent as we screened the contents of theformer trench from east to west. At the westernend we encountered a small circular area(Feature 25) that was packed with disarrangedand broken human bone representing parts ofsix individuals. To the north, within a smallprojection of the trench, was a second concen-tration of disturbed human bone (Feature 43).Several undisturbed burials were also discov-ered just beyond the northern limits of thetrench (Figure 3).

In light of Dickson's recollection thatWintemberg had excavated some humanremains from a low mound in the vicinity of theBeaver gasoline station, as well as the factthat we had a rectangular feature (about 5 by40 feet) containing human remains, it wasconcluded that this was one of Wintemberg'strenches. It remains a mystery however, whyWintemberg's otherwise meticulous field notesfail to mention these excavations and why someof the human remains were reinterred.

The assumption that Feature 24 (Figure 3), islinked to Wintemberg's investigations isstrengthened by the identical orientation of thistrench with our excavation grid. Our grid wasoriented parallel to Highway 3, while Wintem-berg's excavations may have been oriented toBetts Avenue which is parallel to Highway 3.Other rectangular disturbances appearing tothe south of Feature 24 have the same orienta-tion and may also be attributed to Wintem-



berg 's investigations (Features 14, 17, 20 and26 in Figure 3). These disturbances werescreened producing small pieces of ceramicand lithic debris.

One of our last field operations prior to

backfilling in 1984 was the removal of the

human remains. These were initially pedes-

tailed, mapped and photographed. Afterconsultation with William Fox (at that time, theSouthwest Regional Archaeologist for theMinistry of Citizenship and Culture), and Ab-original people of Walpole Island, it wasagreed that the remains should be removedfrom the construction zone, but that they

should be immediately reinterred. The remains

were excavated, analyzed and reburied the

same day on an adjacent piece of property.What remains of the site north of our excava-

tions is to be protected from disturbance dur-ing the highway construction and subsequentmaintenance phases. Site boundaries, delin-eated by a dashed line in Figure 2, were ob-tained in 1989 and 1990 through the excavationof .5 m test units placed at 10 m intervals.

SETTLEMENT PATTERN

Site Size

Assuming that E.C. Row and the adjacentLucier Site are similar but not contemporane-ous, the size of E.C. Row may be roughly esti-mated as .3 to .4 ha or about one acre.

Houses

All posts recorded are presented in Figure 3.Despite the problem of post definition alludedto earlier, and the fact that major portions ofthe site may be beyond the limits of excavation,beyond the area required for constructionpurposes, beneath areas of existing fill, orobliterated by nineteenth or twentieth centurydisturbances, we believe that portions of fourhouses are recognizable (Figures 2 and 3). Thefollowing describes the location, length, orien-tation and relationship of the recognizablehouse walls.

Wall 1. Extending westerly from Feature 51,Wall 1 is superimposed by Features 10 and 52.This wall intersects Wall 2 and continuesbeyond an historic disturbance where it re-emerges. This 30 m-long wall has no othersparallel to it and may belong to the southernside of a house located primarily in the unex-cavated area to the north. There is no evidencefor an end wall.

Wall 2. This 18 m wall intersects Wall 1 westof Feature 52 and continues easterly to within ametre of the ON5W grid co-ordinate. At thispoint the wall appears to turn in a southerlydirection to a large corner post and a series ofend wall posts.

Wall 3. This 16 m wall is parallel to, and 8 mfrom, Wall 2. Eight posts of this wall, and fiveadditional posts located east of Feature 45,include fire-reddened soil and ash. This mayinvolve redeposited hearth materials from a

(since destroyed) central hearth of the house

defined by Walls 4 and 5.Wall 4. This wall is oriented east-west and is

superimposed on Features 13, 15 and 45. Therecorded section of the wall measures 13 m inlength. It is parallel to, and 8.5 m from, Wall 5and likely represents the northern sidewall ofthe same house.

Wall 5. This 6 m length of wall is orientedeast-west and is located between Features 56and 58. It is parallel to, and 8.5 m south of Wall4. The two walls provide a minimum houselength of approximately 25 m.

Wall 6. This wall is unrelated to any of theother three structures. It is roughly 3 m north ofWall 5. That this wall represents the northeastcorner of a house is suggested by a slightcurvature at the eastern end, where a largepost, similar to the one on the east end of Wall2, is apparent.

House Summary. Portions of four houses areidentifiable at E.C. Row. The fact that two of thestructures overlap two other structures indi-cates structure replacement, perhaps duringsubsequent occupations or reoccupations.Since the houses cannot be distinguishedaccording to their relative age of construction,and since associated materials do not suggestthat a long time period is represented, thehouses will be described as part of the sameassemblage.

All houses are oriented nearly east-west and

are recognizable by aligned rows of sidewall

posts. These posts are spaced on average 30

cm centre to centre (range from 10 to 40 cm),

have diameters of 4 to 10 cm (X = 6.9, S = 1.1),

and have depths of 6 to 30 cm ( X = 14.9, S =

5.3). Two houses exhibit slightly rounded cor-

ners and square ends. Two house widths are

measurable at 8.0 and 8.5 m. This is slightly

wider than most Iroquoian longhouses (Dodd

1984:259). Unlike many Iroquoian longhouses,

which have sidewalls converging slightly

toward the house ends in association with

storage areas (Dodd 1984:248,271), the E.C.

Row houses appear to maintain a constant

width throughout their length. No house pro-

duced a complete measurable length, but

minimum lengths of 30, 25, 18 and 7 m indicate

that the structures were relatively large.House floors are exceptionally clean. A few

central hearths are apparent, but other fea-tures such as storage pits, partitions, bunklinesand interior support posts are lacking. Since


such features are common in Iroquoianhouses, especially at this time in their develop-ment (Dodd 1984), this suggests an alternateuse for the E.C. Row houses. This may havebeen a short term or seasonal occupation - ahypothesis strengthened by the scarcity ofcultural materials on the site as a whole.

Middens

Excavations at E.C. Row produced no evi-dence for the presence of middens. The lack ofany appreciable quantity of refuse anywherewithin the excavations suggests that the occu-pation was not intensive or of long duration.

Palisade

While the evidence is not overwhelming, apalisade may be represented toward the eastend of Feature 24 (Figure 3) where a shortalignment of posts was uncovered. Two addi-tional posts, one at the east end of Feature 24and another immediately to the south of thisfeature, were also identified. It is conceivablethat the pattern of palisade posts was missedduring our first encounter with settlementpatterns on the site (on the east end of the areaexcavated, south of feature 24) and that, as webecame accustomed to the soil conditions, thepost moulds were more easily recognizable.Further investigation at the site is needed toconfirm the existence of a palisade.

Features

A total of 56 features were excavated at theE.C. Row Site. While only about half of thesefeatures were prehistoric in origin (shaded inFigure 3), many of the historic features in-cluded traces of prehistoric material in their fill.This is especially true of those features attrib-uted to Wintemberg's excavations, and wesuggest that the area was likely ploughed atthat time and that his excavations were placedover concentrations of cultural materials in theploughzone.

For the most part, the prehistoric featuresare shallow and basin shaped in profile, andcontain topsoil, subsoil and charcoal as fill.Most have limited quantities of ceramic, lithicand bone refuse.

Several hearths were also found. Feature 11

consisted of a scatter of fire reddened subsoil,

and was probably a shallow hearth that hadnearly been destroyed by the plough. Fire-reddened soil was also found in several postsof Wall 3, immediately east of Feature 45. Thisoccurrence likely represents redepositedhearth soil from a feature that had been lost tothe ploughzone (probably a central hearthbelonging to the house represented by Walls 4and 5).

Features 24, 25, 37, 38, 39, 42 and 43 con-tained human remains and are discussed inmore detail below.

ARTIFACT ANALYSIS

Lithics

The E.C. Row excavations uncovered anunusually small number of tools and debitage.This may have been related to a scarcity ofraw materials and the short duration of theoccupations. The broad range of chert types,high incidence of nodular cortex, small size ofdebitage, and use of the bipolar techniquesuggest that pebble cherts derived from localtill sources were utilized.

Fire-cracked rock was present in mostfeatures excavated, although accumulationsgenerally were limited to a half a dozen pieceswith a volume of .5 litres or less.

Debitage. Fifty-nine pieces of chipped lithicdebitage represent a broad range of materi-als. Twelve specimens (20 percent) exhibitwaterworn nodular cortex characteristic ofsecondary source materials such as local tillpebbles. An unmodified pebble (measuring 26by 20 by 7 mm) of Kettle Point chert found inFeature 2 may represent an unused piece ofraw material.

Table 1 provides a breakdown of materialtype and debitage morphology (see alsoLennox 1982:17, 1984:59, 1986). A large inci-dence of unidentifiable chert is attributed tothe small size of the debitage and to thermally-altered materials. Despite a high incidence ofprimary flakes, the debitage is characterizedby small flakes derived from pebble coresprincipally through the bipolar technique.

Cores. All 5 cores recovered are small and

bipolar (Table 2). Three of the specimens

exhibit nodular cortex, attesting to the small

size of the original pebble and their secondary

source derivation (Figure 4:3-6).

1 2 O N T A R I O A R C H A E O L O G Y No. 60, 1995

Point. The base of a small, unnotched, trian-gular point from Feature 26 has an estimatedmaximum length of 25 mm. It measures 14 mmin maximum (basal) width and 3 mm in maxi-mum thickness. The basal edge is straight,while the lateral edges are slightly convex. Haftwear is extensive on both faces. The material

is a grey banded chert of unknown origin

(Figure 4:2).Denticulate/Spokeshave. A large primary

flake of Selkirk chert, also from Feature 26,shows signs of distal ventral retouch resultingin a coarsely denticulated edge with threepoints along its 26 mm length. Edge rounding



Table 1. E.C. Row Chipped Lithic Debitage

Material Type Morphology Total

P Bi S Sh F f %

Selkirk 3 - 1 2 1 7 11.9

Onondaga 4 1 4 1 3 13 22.0

Kettle Point 1 - 3 1 - 5 8.5

Bayport 2 1 1 - - 4 6.8

? 8 1 7 4 5 25 42.4

Slate 1 - - - - 1 1.7

Quartzite 3 - - - - 3 5.1

Quartz 1 - - - - 1 1.7

Total f 23 3 16 8 9 59

Total % 39.0 5.1 27.1 13.6 15.3 100.1

Abbreviations: P - Primary, S - Secondary, F - Fragments, Bi - Bipolar, Sh - Shatter, ? - Chert of unknown type orburnt.

Table 2. E.C. Row Bipolar Core Descriptions

Provenience Material Type Length(mm)

Width (mm) Thickness(mm)

Core* Type

F-2 Kettle Point 34 30 10 Ridge-Point

F-2 31 15 11 Opposing Ridge

ON20W pm-54 Bayport 20 15 8 Ridge-area

F-25 Selkirk 20 11 6 Ridge-area

Surface ? 26 12 8 Ridge-area

after Binford and Quimby (1963)

Table 3. E.C. Row Bodysherd Surface Treatment

Surface Treatment f

Roughened 140 79.6

Plain 22 12.5

Smooth-over-cord 9 5.1

Ribbed Paddle 5 2.8

Total 176 100.0

is focused on the projections of this edge. Thelateral edge configuration forms a broad (14mm), shallow (3 mm), concavity that exhibitswear, perhaps produced during use as aspokeshave (Figure 4:1).

Utilized Flake. A very large quartzite flake,measuring 71 mm long, 76 mm wide and 17mm in maximum thickness, has a straightdistal edge, 69 mm in length, that is roundedfrom use. Recovered from Feature 6, this speci-men is probably a cutting implement.

Pre-Late Woodland Materials. Two bifacesand a point can be attributed to a pre-LateWoodland occupation. One, recovered fromthe topsoil-subsoil interface in square 5N25W(N.W. co-ordinate of 5-metre square), is acoarsely flaked, ovate biface measuring 49 mmlong, 29 mm wide and 9 mm thick. It is wedgeshaped in transverse cross section. One lateraledge presents a cortical or limestone matrix"backing", while the opposite lateral edge isunifacially retouched and is rounded throughuse, suggesting use as a scraper. The surfaceis heavily patinated (Figure 4:9).

The other biface fragment of Onondaga

chert is broad (25 mm), thin (4 mm) and well

made; it resembles a tip fragment from what

may be a Meadowood cache blade (Figure

4:8). The complete piece would have measured

in excess of 44 mm in length. It was recovered

from Feature 24.A projectile point of Upper Mercer chert, the

only example of this material from the site, maybe a reworked or resharpened Early ArchaicNettling Point (Fox 1980). Such reworking mayhave removed most of a formerly serratededge and has left only traces of the obliquecorner-notches typical of the point type. Thispiece was recovered from Feature 40, a featurewhich also included some iron nails in the fill(Figure 4:7).

Hammer-Anvilstones. One hammerstoneand one hammer-anvilstone were recoveredfrom Feature 24. The latter fragment has, inaddition to hammering facets, a concentrationof peck marks on a flat face; hence, it may alsohave been used as an anvil.

Abrader. A surface find from 5N5E, in theform of a large cobble of fine-grained sand-stone (78 x 68 x 47 mm) has 7 linear grooves (1mm deep and up to 20 mm long) suggestinguse as an abrader.

Ceramics

The ceramics recovered at E.C. Row may bedescribed as coarsely made. Sherds are thickand friable, and are tempered with grit ofgranitic origin (principally angular fragmentsof feldspar, quartzite and hornblende), withparticle sizes occasionally as much as fivemillimetres in diameter. Variable firing hasresulted in homogeneous buffs and grey-buffcross sections, as well as poorly fired exam-ples with superficial buffs and dark grey-blackinteriors.

Vessel form, as inferred from the smallfragments derived from the site and compara-ble assemblages of larger vessel segments,consists of elongate vessels with round bot-toms, long sloping shoulders, slightly con-stricted necks and outflaring rims.

Bodysherds. A total of 176 body sherds,which are more than two centimetres in diame-ter, are large enough to identify exterior sur-face treatment. Some of these are exfoliatedsherds. Approximately 300 microsherds areunanalysable.

Four types of vessel surface treatment wereidentified (Table 3). Most common (79.6 per-cent) are roughened surfaces. This surfacetreatment was described by Greenman asbeing "apparently the result of washing beforefiring, with a consequent rough surface formedby extrusion of fine tempering fragments andby angular depressions left by temperingfragments that were detached in the process"

(Greenman 1939:13).At E.C. Row this roughened surface treat-

ment is often accompanied by finely striatedsurfaces (Figure 5:13,14), possibly resultingfrom wiping the vessel bodies with grassduring the washing process. Plain or smoothsurfaces, cord roughened surfaces that aresmoothed over, and ribbed paddle surfacetreatments are also present in small numbers.Bodysherd thickness ranges from 4 to 11 mmwith a mean thickness of 7.6 mm. There is nosignificant variation in bodysherd thickness inrelation to surface treatment type.

Shouldersherds. No shouldersherds weredistinguished in the E.C. Row assemblage.This is likely a result of the small sherd sizeand the indistinct profile of the gently slopingvessel shoulders during this period.

Necksherds. Twelve necksherds and threevessel necks associated with rimsherds all


possess roughened and undecorated surfaces.The roughening of vessel necks is generallynot as pronounced as on vessel bodies.

Rimsherds. The rims of eight vessels arerepresented in the E.C. Row collection.

Vessel 1 is represented by several sherdsfrom Features 2 and 5 (Figure 5:1). The areadecorated is 59 mm in height. The vessel rimhas a straight interior and slightly convexexterior profile. The rim may have a weak orincipient collar that decreases in thicknessfrom the base of the decorative zone (9 mm) tothe lip (6 mm) (Figure 6:1). The exterior rimsurface was originally cord roughened andhas also been washed. The rough texture is notas pronounced on the rims as on the vesselbodies. The decorative techniques includelinear cord impression and plain tool impres-sion. The linear cord impressions are parallel,oblique and opposed, leaving triangularspaces between adjacent rhomboidal plats.The triangles are filled with horizontal Rows ofoblique, linear tool impressions and in otherinstances (not shown in Figure 5) are filled withoblique, linear cord impressions. The vessel lipis decorated with parallel oblique, linear stamp(possibly cord) impressions while the interior isundecorated.

Vessel 2 is represented by a single rimsherdfrom Feature 20. It has an incipient collar (52mm in height), although the decorated zoneincludes only the upper 38 mm. The collarexterior is convex while the interior is concave,being thickest at the base (11 mm) and thinnestat the lip (6 mm) (Figure 6:2). The exterior collarsurface is slightly roughened and is decoratedwith fine cord wrapped stick impressionsarranged into triangular or rectangular plats(Figure 5:2). The lip is decorated with the sometool, impressed along a single line, parallellingthe lip edge.

Vessel 3 is represented by a single sherdfrom Feature 2. The collarless rim has a con-cave exterior and convex interior profile thatthickens slightly from the lip (8 mm) to the baseof the sherd (9 mm) (Figure 6:3). The decoratedexterior and lip of this vessel has been im-pressed obliquely with a dentate stamp. Thelower end of the decorated zone appears tocoincide with the broken edge of the rimsherd34 mm below the lip (Figure 5:3).

Vessels 4 and 5 are represented by incom-plete rim fragments from Features 2 and 5.These vessels exhibit similar motif-technique

combinations. Both are decorated with hori-zontal bands of oblique, plain linear stampimpressions (Figure 5:4).

Vessels 6 and 7 are represented by a dozensmall rim fragments from Features 24 and 26.Both have opposed oblique or parallel obliquecord-wrapped stick impressions. A lip frag-ment from Feature 24 likely belongs to one ofthese vessels and is similarly decorated (Fig-ure 5:5,6).

Vessel 8 is represented by a rim fragmentthat has an exterior motif composed of at least4 horizontal bands of circular impressionslikely executed with a hollow bone or reed(Figure 5:7). The fragment was recovered fromthe nineteenth century cellar (Feature 45), yetthe motif, technique and details of the toolutilized are identical to those on a rimsherd(Figure 11:6) recovered by Wintemberg from"general digging, east side of Betts Avenue"(quoted in Wright 1976:B30).

Juvenile Ceramics. Four juvenile vessel rims(Figure 5:8,9,10) from Features 5 and 24, aswell as several fired clay ball fragments fromFeature 45 are attributed to the work of chil-dren. Three of the rims are plain and anotheris decorated on its exterior with a horizontalband of small punctates and on its lip withfingernail impressions.

Pipes. Three pipe fragments from E.C. Rowinclude an undecorated mouthpiece-stemfragment (Feature 45) with a circular crosssection and plain or smooth bore, a plainelbow fragment from Feature 18, and a bowlfragment from Feature 24. The latter is deco-rated with horizontal bands of small circularimpressions produced by a small hollow boneor reed (Figure 5:12).

FAUNAL REMAINS

Despite extensive screening and flotation,little faunal material was recovered from E.C.Row. What was recovered was small andfragile, most pieces measuring between twoand five millimetres in size and few beinglarger than 10 mm (Prevec 1985:1). Only 35specimens could be identified below class.Table 4 lists the identified faunal remainsaccording to zoological taxa, but omits intru-sive historic specimens and unidentifiablelarge mammal (likely human) bone fragments.

The identifiable assemblage is dominatedby fish. According to Prevec (1985:1),"The fish -


Figure 5. E.C. Row Ceramics: 1. Vessel 1, Rimsherd, linear cord impressed and plain tool impressed motif (F-2 and 5). 2. Vessel 2, Rimsherd, cord-wrapped-stick impressed (F-20). 3. Vessel 3, Rimsherd, dentate stamp(F-2). 4. Vessel 4, Rim fragment, plain linear stamp (F-2). 5 - 6. Vessel 6 and 7, Rim fragments, cord-wrappedstick impressed (F-24). 7. Vessel 8, Rim fragment, hollow bone or annular punctates (F-45). 8 - 10. JuvenileVessel fragments. 11, 12. Pipe mouthpiece and bowl fragment. 13, 14. Roughened Bodysherds. 15. Bodysherd,smoothed-over-cord.



drtrca

arhCwro

rayethlaraanin

plancoge

Fi

um, Stizostedion sp. (walleye or sauger), andout sp. (lake or brook trout) - were most likelyught during the warm, ice free months."

Passenger pigeons once migrated to theea in the spring to nest and stayed until fall;

ence, they are a useful seasonal indicator.lams are also available during warmeather, but shells can be gathered yearund (Prevec 1985:1).The two identified mammalian species,ccoon and deer, would have been availablear round. Since the raccoon canine matchese size and development of a six month oldboratory specimen (Prevec 1985:1), and sinceccoons are born between the middle of Aprild the middle of May (Banfield 1974:315), thisdividual was likely taken by early November.

FLORAL REMAINS

A total volume of 140 litres of flotation sam-es were taken from 16 prehistoric pit featuresd five post moulds. Light fractions werellected using 6.3 mm and .59 mm meshological sieves. Both the light and heavy

fractions were examinedusing a binocular micro-scope with 8X to 40X mag-nification. The following issummarized from Murphy(1985).

A small quantity of hick-ory (Carta sp.) and black

walnut (Juglans nigra)shell fragments were re-covered from Features 2and 5 respectively. Singleexamples of raspberry/blackberry (Rufus sp.)seeds were recovered fromFeature 57 and also from asmall soil sample takenfrom the vicinity of the "A"cluster of calcined bone inFeature 37. The limited nutshell fragments and tworaspberry/ black-berryseeds suggest that theprocessing of avail-ablewild plants may not havebeen a focus of activity atthe site.

Corn (Zea mays) was theonly cultigen identified. Theevidence included 29 kernelfragments (.3 gm) and 7cupule fragments (.06 gm)

from Features 2,3,5, and 7. These remainswere too fragmentary to identify the variety.

Twenty grams of charred wood was recov-ered from Feature 2. The predominance ofspecies which prefer well drained or driersoils, including oak (Quercus sp.) (31 percent)

followed by white ash (Fraxinus americana)

(16 percent), beech (Fagus sp.)(13 percent)

chestnut (Castanea sp)(7 percent) and hickory

(Carta sp.)(4 percent), reflect the sandy soils

on which the site is located, while the lesser

abundance of elm (Ulmus sp.)(24 percent),

black ash (Fraxinus nigra)(4 percent) and

willow/poplar (Salix/Populas sp.)( 1 percent)

suggest that fuelwood was also gathered fromthe poorly drained soils which are found imme-diately adjacent to the site area.

E.C. ROW BURIAL FEATURESAND SKELETAL REMAINS

Six features (25,37,38,39,42, and 43) contain-ing human bone and interpreted as burials

gure 6. E.C. Row Rim Profiles.

Table 4. E.C. Row Faunal Identifications

Identification NISP

Salvelinus sp. Trout sp. 1

Stizostedion sp. Walleye or Sauger 1

Aplodinotus grunniens Drum 14

Unidentified Fish sp. 45

Ectopistes migratorius Passenger Pigeon 3

Unidentified Avian sp. 8

Procyon lotor Raccoon 1

Odocoileus virginanus White-tailed deer 1

Elliptio sp. Clam 1

Unionidae sp. Clam 4

Class Uncertain 113

Total 192

were located in a cluster at the east end of theexcavations and outside the limits of any iden-tifiable house walls. All burials were pedes-talled, photographed and removed for furtherexamination and photography. In the course ofone day, the remains of 23 individuals wereexhumed, studied and reburied in accordancewith an agreement between the Ontario Gov-ernment and the people of Walpole Island.Despite these compromising research condi-tions, some useful information on this poorlyknown population was obtained.

The primary focus was on preliminary ageand sex determinations, key morphological

traits (nonmetric cranial morphology) andimportant pathological conditions (dentalpathology for dietary reconstruction and seria-tion). The research was undertaken by thejunior author. The sample had considerablepathology which precluded craniometric ornonmetric infracranial data collection. A smalltape recorder proved useful in the process ofquickly gathering important information.

Only features 25 and 42 were visible in planand profile, while the other feature outlines areapproximated in Figure 3 based on the distri-bution of their contents. The burials wereshallow (within the top 15 to 20 cm of subsoil)


20 O N T A R I O A R C H A E O L O G Y No. 60, 1995

and no grave goods were associated with any

of the remains.

Feature 25

This feature was identified during the re-excavation of the trench (Feature 24) attributedto Wintemberg. Scattered human bone frag-ments within the trench fill became morefrequent as excavation proceeded from east towest. Feature 25, measuring approximately 40cm in diameter, had been excavated deeperthan the general level of the rest of the trenchand was packed with mixed and badly frag-mented bone representing the partial remainsof six individuals. Why Wintemberg's crewwould have reburied these remains is unclear.Given the condition of the feature and thelimited time frame, the determination of theminimum number of individuals was the princi-pal task undertaken.

Burial 1 is a child with a dental age of 4-5years. Burial 2 is a child approximately 12years old; the 2nd molars in the maxilla hadjust emerged prior to death. Burial 3 is a youngadult female likely 20-25 years old. Burial 4 is ayoung adult male with attrition indicating aperson in his late 20s or early 30s. Burial 5 is anadult male with huge mastoids. His age couldnot be estimated. Finally, burial 6 is an adultmale likely in his early 20s.

Two tibia from different individuals showdiffuse striated, reactive periostitis. The boneswere not thickened, and there were no lyticfoci. Also recovered was an adult parietal boneexhibiting a conically drilled hole severalmillimetres in diameter. Striations, apparentlycaused during the drilling process, border theperforation and the absence of any signs ofreactive changes suggest that this was apostmortem modification (Figure 7).

Feature 43

This feature was located within a small

northern extension of the trench attributed to

Wintemberg's investigations and was appar-

ently disturbed and redeposited in a fashion

similar to Feature 25. It was not possible to

associate infracranial and cranial remains.

Three adults and a child were identified. Two

adults were clustered together, while the other

individuals were dispersed throughout the fill.Burial 7 is a 3 to 5 year-old child, repre-

sented by maxillary and mandibular fragmentsfrom the left side, and a few long bone frag-ments. All the deciduous teeth had erupted.The crowns of the permanent canines were 75percent developed, while those of the perma-nent Ml's were fully formed but were still in theintra-alveolar. An interesting anomaly in thisburial is the absence of premolar tooth buds.All the deciduous teeth (10) are present withslight dental attrition (polishing) being the onlyevidence of dental pathology.

Burial 8 is an adult female likely in her early20s. She is represented by a left mandibularfragment with Ml and M2, a maxillary dentitionless the incisors, a right zygoma and maxilla,a fragmentary left maxilla, a partial left supra-orbital ridge, a right temporal bone with tym-panic and mastoid portions, and several frag-mentary long bones. The gracile nature of thebrow ridge, the mastoid process and the facialtubercles (molar, marginal and zygomaxillary)were used to establish sex, while age wasestimated by the slight degree of dental attri-tion, the partial eruption of the third molars inboth the mandible and maxilla and the fusionof all long bone epiphyses. There is no evi-dence of dental caries (0/12), antemortemtrauma (0/12) or alveolar abscesses (0/14),although a periapical abscess likely of anendogenous etiology occurs on the maxillaryright PM2. Enamel hypoplasias occur on allteeth. These defects are particularly wellexpressed on the canines, with marked trans-verse striations occurring near the cervicalthird of the crown. The stress inducing eventlikely occurred in her third or fourth year of life.In addition, her maxillary incisors were all lostantemortem. Judging by the degree of resorp-tion of the alveolar bone (there were no rootsockets evident), the incisors were likely lostlong before death (Figure 8). Considering heryoung age, and the healthy state of her re-maining teeth, this tooth loss is likely due toaccident or ritualistic ablation. A number ofnonmetric traits were noted. Those presentinclude a right Os Japonicum, a right infraor-bital suture, and a right zygomatico-facialforamen.

The long bones and cranial fragments of two

adult males representing burials 9 and 10 were

clustered in the same area, but assigning

bones to each individual was not possible. Sex

was established from the moderately robust

brow ridges, mastoid processes and occipital

Figure 7. E.C. Row Drilled Cranium Fragment (Feature 24).

muscle markings, as well as the large size ofthe long bone articular areas (two right femo-ral heads measure 495 and 497 mm). All longbone epiphyses had fused indicating bothindividuals were adults. A healthy left maxillary1st molar with slight dentin exposure suggestsat least one male was a young adult. Cutsoccur on the diaphysis and neck of a left proxi-mal femoral fragment. Inflammatory changesare evident on two tibia (a right and a left) fromdifferent individuals. The left tibia has a zone of

slight 'plaque-like' reactive periostitis near themedial mid-shaft. There is no evidence ofthickening or trauma. The right tibia showsreactive changes in two areas on the medialsurface. The midshaft has slight reactiveperiostitis, while a sequestrum with surround-ing reactive periostitis and a 'pseudo- cloaca'characterizes the other lesion. This infection islikely a sequel to trauma, as an elongatedpuncture lesion is found in the infective zone.The degree of medullary change could not be



assessed in the absence of radiographs. This

bone, however, was not thickened.

Feature 39

Located just beyond the limits of Feature 24and immediately north of Feature 43, this burialhad been partially disturbed by the plough.Two adult females and a child were identified.

Burial 11 is a young adult female repre-sented by a relatively complete skull anddentition, an atlas vertebra and several brokenlong bones. Sex was inferred from the verygracile nature of the brow ridges, mastoidprocesses and nuchal region. Attrition is slighton all teeth, while the third molars likely erup-ted just prior to death. The pattern of attrition issimilar to that found in Burial 8 and suggests

an age range of 20-25 years.While the mandible and maxillaare present they had been badlybroken and many of the teethwere scattered and also broken.There are no caries present inthe anterior teeth (0/12), whilesmall pit and fissure cariesoccur on two mandibular M2's.The overall prevalence of dentalcaries is 7.1 percent (2/28 - notincluding the 3rd molars). Thereare no peri-apical abscesses(0/32), ante-mortem trauma(0/32), calculus (0/32) orevidence of periodontal disease.

Burial 12 is represented by apartial left maxillary fragment.Dental age is 2-5 years.

Burial 13 is represented by afragmentary skull and longbones of a young adult female.Sex was inferred on the basis ofgracile mastoid processes andsupraorbital ridges. The first andsecond molars have moderatedentine exposure on all cusps,the alveolus shows some slightevidence of parodontitis, andsome teeth were lostantemortem. Thesecharacteristics suggest she waslikely between 25 and 35 yearsold. There was no ante-mortemenamel fractures, and pit andfissure lesions occur on the 1stand 2nd right mandibularmolars.

Feature 38

This feature contained the bundled remainsof a young adult female (Burial 14) representedby a reasonably complete (but badly broken)skull, a complete mandible, all the long bonesand several articulated cervical vertebrae. Thelatter articulation (and the pattern of cutmarks

described infra) suggests that she had notbeen long dead prior to being bundled forsecondary burial. The slight to moderateattrition with dentine exposure on the mandib-ular 1st and 2nd molars, and slight enamelpolishing of the 3rd molars suggests a person25-30 years old. The gracile mastoid pro-

Figure 8. Inferior and Frontal View of Maxilla from E.C. Row, Feature43, Burial 8, Exhibiting Possible Ablation.

c

i

(pl(ctnfrcw

Tsfpaenfetcmt(spmtthmTocrbdaridtiapeut

esses, and lack of brow ridge development

dentify the sex.Dental pathology is characterized by caries

2/15 teeth), slight calculus build up, 1st degreeeriodontal resorption, and antemortem toothoss. Antemortem trauma (0/15), hypoplasia0/15), periapical abscessing (0/15) and dentalrowding are absent. Caries which occur onhe right maxillary M3 and the left M2, areoteworthy in that they are both large pit and

issure lesions on the buccal surfaces of theirespective crowns. The M2 lesion has, in fact,ompletely destroyed the crown and the toothould have soon been lost had she survived.Her left arm shows considerable pathology.he distal end of the humerus, inferior to theuperior border of the coronoid and radialossae, is missing, as is the most proximalortions of the ulna and radius. As the bonedjacent to these areas of destruction in thelbow shows considerable reactive periostealew bone and the soil contained numerous

ragments of 'infected bone', it appears that thelbow was the focal point of a massive infec-ion at the time of death. That the infection washronic is illustrated by thickening of the proxi-al ulna and radius. Cuts are also present on

he regions surrounding the infected areadistal humerus and proximal radius and ulna)uggesting that, in the preparation of thiserson for secondary burial, an attempt wasade to cut around the infected area. Her left

ibia, however, also shows evidence of infec-ion, characterized by thickening of the distalalf of the bone plus surface changes involvingixed osteolytic and osteoblastic lesions.

here is no cloaca or sequestra, which (in lieuf radiographic analysis) is suggestive of ahronic infective process that appears to beestricted to the cortical bone. The right armones, the right tibia and the ectocranial vaulto not show signs of infection. As time did notllow a detailed description of the lesions andadiographic analysis was not conducted, it ismpossible to present a systematic differentialiagnosis. It is perhaps possible that the pa-hology in her arm is a sequel to trauma andnfection. Whether the infectious process in therm is part of the same disease process thatroduced the changes in the tibia is an inter-sting possibility. If so, a good candidatenderlying these skeletal changes is one of thereponemal diseases.

Feature 37

This feature was one of the least disturbedand most complex burials excavated at E.C.Row. Unfortunately it was also one of the lastremoved. The time remaining for its examina-tion was limited to one hour (4:00 to 5:00 P.M.)and lighting compromised photography. Fea-ture 37 contains a total of nine burials (15-23),five adults, two subadults and two late fe-tal/neonates. At least five crania and longbonebundles could be distinguished, and hadapparently been laid side by side. Concentra-tions of calcined human bone fragments (cre-mations) were lying on top of bundle burials ateither end of the row. No feature outline wasvisible, although the close association andalignment of these bundles, within an area 90cm long and 65 cm wide, suggest that theywere interred at the same time. Hence, thismultiple secondary burial technically consti-tutes a small ossuary.

Based on the small mastoid processes andgracile brow ridges Burial 15 is an adult fe-male. Burial 16 is a young adult female. Themoderate levels of attrition suggest that shewas in her mid-twenties. Cuts are present onher right proximal femur.

Burial 17 is an adult of unknown sex andage. There is an infection of the left tibia whichinvolved periosteal new bone, cortical thicken-ing and a cloaca indicating medullary involve-ment. The right mastoid region of the craniumhas considerable erosion due to mastoiditis.Burials 18 and 19 are two older adults, asindicated by considerable tooth loss andarthritis. As their robusticity characters wereintermediate sexing was not possible. Burial 20is a child with a dental age of 2-3 years, whileBurial 21 is a child with a dental age of 2-6years.

A cluster of calcined bone located in thesouthwestern sector of the feature containedonly one readily identifiable osseous element, aright petrous portion of temporal. The smallsize and developmental status suggest theseremains represent a late fetus or newborn. Theother cluster, located in the northeast sector ofthe feature, contained over one hundred cal-cined bone fragments. The centra of two verte-brae, a cervical and a thoracic, plus a part ofthe left petrous element of temporal, suggestthat this burial is also a late fetus or newborn.


Table 5. Incidence of Corn Recovered by Flotation

Tradition/Site (component) Litres Floated Frequency of Corn

Total Corn/Litre

Western Basin

La Salle-Lucier

Younge Phase 588 54 .09

Springwells Phase 550 98 .18

E.C. Row 140 36 .26

Iroquoian

Wiacek

Late Middleport 2011 5906 2.94

Data from Lennox, Dodd and Murphy (1986), Lennox and Dodd (1991), and Murphy (1985).

Table 6. Demography of the E.C. Row Site

Adults Subadults

Feature Males Females ? Adol. Children Infants Total

25 3 1 - 1 1 - 6

37 - 2 3 - 2 2 9

38 - 1 - - - - 1

39 - 2 - - 1 - 3

43 2 1 - - 1 - 4

Total 5 7 3 1 5 2 23

Feature 42

This oval feature is adjacent to Feature 37. Itmeasures 39 cm long, 24 cm wide and 10 cmdeep. Included in the fill were approximatelytwenty bone fragments. One fragment is identi-fiable as the left portion of a frontal bone likelybelonging to an adult male. Another fragment isthe proximal portion of a humerus. This featuremay represent remains that had been displacedfrom Feature 37.

Interpretation of the Physical Remains

Despite the short period of time available to

examine the physical remains, several obser-

vations are noteworthy and allow some tentative

interpretations.The temporal span of each feature, or of the

composite sample, cannot be reasonablyestimated. Nevertheless, similarities in mortuarycharacteristics, and the spatial propinquity of theburial units suggests they are likely from acommon local deme. While the sample is probablynot proportionally representative of a

24 ONTARIO ARCHAEOLOGY No. 60. 1995

society, all components of a population(including fetal remains) are represented. Nosegment of the population appears to beexcluded from the secondary burial ritual. Theindividual features may represent kingroupings, al-though this is not testable withthe data collected.

The demographic information is summa-rized in Table 6. Subadults, all in the prerepro-ductive cohort, comprise 34.8 percent of thesample. Among the adults (65.2 percent) whosesex was inferred, the sex ratio is balanced. Thepresence of fetuses or newborns (cremated),subadults (cremated), subadults and elders, aswell as the balanced sex ratio, shows a con-cern to have all members in the populationreinterred in a similar manner. Given the fieldcircumstances, it is unwise to interpret thedemographic data further.

The skeletal elements represented by thesecondary burials were highly selective, andfor the most part only included skulls and longbones. There are no hips, scapulae, hands orfeet present in the E.C. Row burials. Vertebraeare also usually excluded from bundle burials,although articulated cervical vertebrae werefound with Burial 14. These were likely severedwith the skull during the preparation of theremains as cuts appear on the spinous pro-cess of C2 and C3. While cuts are commonthroughout the sample and likely representattempts to remove fibrous or ligamentousconnections in the preparation of bundles,those in the elbow region of the individual inBurial 14 appear to represent an attempt toremove damaged tissue.

The parietal bone of an adult in Feature 25has evidence of an intentional drilling. Drilledskulls and other examples of post-mortemalterations to skeletons have been noted else-where, and are particularly common duringthe Younge and Springwells Phases of theWestern Basin Tradition as summarized byMurphy and Ferris (1990:267). A number ofinterpretations concerning the functional andritualistic significance of such alterations areplausible (see Murphy and Ferris 1990:270 fora review).

At the E.C. Row site cremation appears to bereserved for the very young. The bodies appearto have been burnt in the flesh as osseouselements from the whole skeleton are repre-sented. The differential treatment of individualsis a recurrent pattern (e.g., Lennox and Dodd

1991:40). The association of cremated fetal ornewborns with females may be a response todeath during childbirth, a common complica-tion.

The hypothesis that the separate burialfeatures at E.C. Row represent familial/kinshipgroupings can only be tested by determiningintragroup genetic relationships. If we assumethat the features were contemporaneous, thenthere was an obvious attempt to keep groupsof individuals separate. If the population usedthis area for secondary burial ceremonialismover time, then the representation may reflectbroader, extended lineage sampling.

Bone infections in 40 percent (6/15) of theadults suggests a population that is experienc-ing considerable nutritional and/or diseasestress. Without a detailed analysis of the le-sions and their patterns in the skeletons adifferential diagnosis is impossible. In at leasttwo cases (individuals 9/10 and 14) the reactiveskeletal changes may be a sequel to trauma.Individual 14, however, shows a systemicinfection, possibly a treponematosis.

Dental pathology is age progressive forvirtually every category of dental disease (e.g.,caries, antemortem trauma and periodontaldisease). In order to make a general assess-ment of the E.C. Row dental pathology it isnecessary to deal with individuals within givencohorts. The best represented cohorts in thissample are the young adults and children. Ofthe 56 permanent teeth of young adults, 11(19.6 percent) are carious and 5 (8.9 percent)have antemortem trauma. Seven of 82 teeth(8.6 percent) were lost antemortem, althoughfour of these, the maxillary incisors of Burial 8,were likely caused by either ritual ablation ortrauma. After excluding these, the prevalenceof antemortem tooth loss in young adultsinterpreted as a sequel to "normal masticatory"processes in this sample is 3.8 percent. Interms of the pattern of dental caries, 91 per-cent (10/11) occur on molars with 87 percent ofthese being pit and fissure lesions. While mostare small, there are examples where the entirecrown has been destroyed by caries. All casesof antemortem trauma are chips; not one toothwas fractured. None of the 19 deciduous teeth(12 of which were molars) had caries or ante-mortem trauma and tooth loss did not occuramong children.

Collectively these data indicate that the E.C.

Row diet was not abrasive and likely had a


moderate carbohydrate content. The etiologyof antemortem tooth loss appears to be morethe result of caries than trauma, although inyoung adults dental health was, in general,good. The rate of carious lesions in the E.C.Row sample is substantially lower in bothadults and children than at the contemporane-ous Iroquoian Bennett Site, where the figuresare 13.6 percent deciduous and 30.2 percentadult (Patterson 1984), although they havecomparable rates of antemortem chipping.This suggests that E.C. Row culture was lessdependent on carbohydrates.

The Iroquoian or Algonquian status of theWestern Basin Tradition is a contentious sub-ject (McKenzie and Blank 1976, Murphy andFerris 1990; Stothers 1978). Obviously the E.C.Row morphological data are too limited toaddress this matter definitively. It should benoted, however, that contemporaneous Iro-quoian populations are characterized by a highprevalence of tympanic dehiscence, ahypostatic morphogenetic, which serves as amarker trait for the evolving Iroquoian deme(Molto 1983). Among 14 large samples of LateWoodland Iroquois in which the individual wasused as the unit of observation this trait rangedfrom 31-63 percent with a mean incidence of47.4 percent (339/715). At E.C. Row tympanicdehiscence was absent in the 10 (14 sides)adults (4 males and 5 females) and 2 subadults(0/2 sides) that were analyzed. The probabilityof selecting 12 individuals from an Iroquoiansite without tympanic dehiscence using thebinomial distribution is P<.01. These provi-sional data are highly suggestive of distinctbiological differences between the E.C. Rowsample and Iroquoian populations.

Additional unpublished data from the Luciersite (Mullen and Glencross 1990) shows thattympanic dehiscence was present in only one(adolescent from burial 4) of eight skulls (12.5percent). The fact that it was absent from twoother adolescents and three females is alsonoteworthy, since among Ontario Iroquoiansthis variant has a higher incidence in bothsubgroups (Molto 1983). Collectively theseprovisional morphological data suggest distinctbiological separation of the Western Basin andthe Ontario Iroquoian samples at circaA.D.1400.

THE LUCIER SITE

The E.C. Row Site (AbHs-7) has been associ-ated with the Lucier Site (AbHs- 1) in severalways. The sites are close spatially, separatedby only 150 m of slightly lower ground, andthey also appear to be closely affiliated cultur-ally, as is suggested from an examination ofthe Wintemberg collection.

In the absence of a site report or map of the1935 investigations, reconstruction of Wintem-berg's excavations is only possible, at least tosome degree, from his field notes. Attempts byseveral researchers have placed Wintemberg'sexcavations at the intersection of the TorontoSt. and Betts Avenue road allowances (Wright1976, Reid 1978) but have not identified theoriginal grid. Clues may be found in negativesin the National Museum files and a series ofphotos taken at the site in 1935, now housed atthe Hiram Walker Museum in Windsor. One ofthese photos, reproduced here as Figure 9,shows Wintemberg, Grant, and other crewmembers (presumably including Dickson)during excavations at the site. Wintemberg 'sexcavations may also be seen next to theformer road cuts on 1942 air photographs.

Wintemberg's notes describe 19 burialfeatures containing 25 individuals in four burialmodes. These include two complete skeletonsrepresenting primary burials; one skeleton thatappears to have been rearticulated; nine torsoburials (the remains of primary burials afterthe longbones and skulls had been removedfor reburial as bundle burials); 11 bundleburials representing the secondary intermentor reburial of longbones and skulls removedfrom torso burials; and two cremations(Wintemberg 1935; Wright 1976).

Two of the primary burials are complete,articulated skeletons buried in a flexed posi-tion at depths of 30 and 32 inches (75 and 80cm). One had a complete, albeit broken, vesselnear the skull. The vessel is described byWintemberg (in Wright 1976:A8) as high andnarrow with a simple stamped decoration andmay be the complete Parker Festooned vessel"excavated by Wintemberg at Windsor" (Lee1958:17,18) and illustrated by Lee (1958:Figure7) and by Murphy and Ferris (1990:219). It is 11inches (28 cm) high, 5 1/2 inches (14 cm) widethrough the body and flares to 7 inches (18 cm)in diameter at the lip.


Table 7. E.0 Row Prehistoric Features

A third, relatively complete skeleton is de-scribed as "partly dismembered" (Wintemberg1935; Wright 1976:A17) with femora and tibia inposition, stretched out full length, skull oppo-site the right knee, left humerus with distal endon hip, right ulna with proximal end near hip,and head of left ulna resting on the left shoul-der. This burial lay at a depth of 29 inches (73cm)(Wintemberg 1935; Wright 1976:A17), andmay represent an attempt at rearticulation.

Nine burials described as torso burialsusually included the articulated axial skeleton(without the skull) and miscellaneous bones ofthe hands and feet. Torso burials were neverassociated with grave goods. In one instance atorso burial was found below some crematedremains. Torso burials ranged from 15 to 28inches (37 to 70 cm) in depth, although onewas (mistakenly ?) reported at a depth of eightfeet seven inches (Wintemberg 1935; Wright



1976).Eight bundle burials are described. Three

include parts of at least two individuals andanother has a cremation on top. In four in-stances scapulae are associated with bundleburials; Wintemberg suggests these may havebeen used in the excavation of burial pits. Nograve goods are reported and depths rangefrom 10 to 30 inches (25 to 75 cm) (Wintemberg1935; Wright 1976).

One bundle, containing parts of twoindividuals, included two modified skulls. Onewith the occipital missing had a lenticular cut,about three inches (7.5 cm) long and 3/8-inch(1 cm) wide, sawn transversely across thesagittal suture penetrating the brain cavity.The other skull was "perforated" (presumablydrilled), through the sagittal suture(Wintemberg 1935; Wright 1976). Theseexamples are illustrated in a published articleby Wintemberg (1936). It is notable that oneskull lay face down and the other on its side(both with mandibles in place) and that the"soil under the skulls looked like a mixture ofclay and sand" (Wintemberg 1935; Wright1976:A5). Could these have been examples ofclay masking or of facial cavities packed withclay (cf. Greenman 1937:57, Fitting 1965:75,Spence 1992:14)?

Two cremations include a probable infantfound on top of a bundle burial and anotherlocated above a torso burial. Apparently nograve goods were found with cremated humanremains. Burial depths of 15 inches (37 cm) andless than 30 inches (75 cm) are reported.

A summary of Wintemberg's findings indi-cates that five of the skulls have a hole drilledthrough the sagittal suture near the bregmaand another has a lenticular cut, about 3inches long and 3/8-inch wide (apparentlymade by sawing with a knife made of chippedstone), which extends transversely across theparietals and penetrates the brain cavity. Oneof the bundles of long bones included anartificially perforated humerus and femur(Wintemberg 1936). The apparent discrepancyin the number of modified crania from the sitemay be explained by Wintemberg's field noteswhere it is recorded that "A man namedThrasher who laid out the streets of the subdivi-sion (Toronto Street and Betts Avenue] foundseveral skeletons. All the skulls were perfo-rated. He gave some of the bones to the lateFred Neal of Sandwich but does not rememberwhat subsequently became of them" (Wintem

berg 1935; Wright 1976:A2).Phillip Wright (1976) provides a description

of the cultural material in the Wintembergcollection from the National Museum. Exam-ples of rimsherd and pipe fragments from theWintemberg collection are provided in Figures10, 11, and 12. The collection includes twoflakes and two cores of quartzite, a groundstone adze and pipe stem, a large bone splinterawl, six ceramic pipe fragments and parts of19 vessels represented by 60 rimsherds andrim fragments. Wright (1976) describes thevessels and provides an attribute analysis. Thevessels are primarily self-slip ("roughened" inthis analysis) with three vessels exhibiting asmoothed-over-cord surface treatment andanother being fabric impressed. Rimsherdprofiles indicate that about half of the vesselspossess collars, although many are weaklydefined. With respect to exterior rim motifs, thelargest portion of the sample consists ofoblique and opposed oblique motifs executedwith either a dentate stamp or cord wrappedstick. There are also several plain vessels,several examples with horizontal linear cordimpressions (Macomb Linear) and one with atrailed zig-zag motif applied over a cordroughened surface. A rimsherd photographed byWright from the National Museum collection hashorizontal bands of circular impressionsidentical to those on a rimsherd fragmentfound during the 1985 excavations (Figure 5:7cf. Figure 11:6).

SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION

Excavations at E.C. Row have provided newinformation concerning the occupation and useof the site and the biocultural characteristicsof its occupants. Our conclusions aresomewhat restricted in scope since our exca-vations were limited to areas that were to beimpacted during construction. Nevertheless,the new information contributes to a growingbody of knowledge on the Western BasinTradition (Murphy and Ferris 1990).

The E.C. Row and Lucier Sites are not onlyphysically close to one another, but havestrong cultural similarities in artifacts, settle-ment pattern and burial practices. However,contrary to suggestions that they are one andthe same site (Murphy and Ferris 1990: 249,267,269), we believe that the distance betweenthem warrants treating them as distinct occu-


Figure 10. Lucier Site Ceramics from the Wintemberg Collection, N.M.C. (photograph courtesy of P. Wright).

3 0 O N T A R I O A R C H A E O L O G Y No. 60, 1995

pations.Elongated vessels with subtle shoulder

contours, roughened body surfaces in associa-tion with minor frequencies of corded andplain surfaces, the array of decorative toolsused, including plain linear stamp, dentatestamp, cord-wrapped-stick impression, linearcord impression and circular impressionoccurring on incipiently collared or uncollaredvessels, all suggest that E.C. Row and Lucierhave affinities with the Springwells Phase ofthe Western Basin Tradition (ca. A.D. 1200-1400)(Fitting 1965, 1975; Murphy and Ferris 1990).

Some of the vessels from both sites may beconsidered Mixter wares (Shane 1967). It hasbeen suggested that the occurrence of Mixterwares in southwestern Ontario span the transi-tion between the Springwells Phase and thelater Wolf Phase (Murphy and Ferris 1990) asthey do immediately to the south of Lake Erie,in Ohio (McKenzie and Blank 1976).

Tool impressed oblique decorationcontinues to be present throughout theSpringwells Phase. This style of vessellikely reflects the direction ceramictrends take toward the end of theSpringwells Phase, during which timehorizontal linear motifs are largely re-placed by more elaborately decoratedoblique tool-impressed rims. Theseappear closely related to contempora-neous Mixter wares of northern Ohiobetween the Maumee River and Cleve-land.

[Murphy and Ferris 1990: 213]

The prevalence of these ceramics at Luciertogether with a few instances of Parker Fes-tooned-like rims suggest that Lucier is late inthe Springwells Phase or perhaps transitionalbetween the Springwells and Wolf Phases.Hence, the carbon date of A.D. 1450 ± 125obtained from charcoal recovered by Wintem-berg and submitted by P. Wright (Fox 1982)may be considered an acceptable date for theLucier occupation.

Based on our sample, E.C. Row seems toexhibit less of a Mixter ceramic influence and,with no evidence of Parker Festooned ceram-ics, may be slightly earlier than Lucier. Never-theless, the superimposed structures at E.C.Row suggest this site may have been used overan extended period of time.

Although the pipe fragments from E.C. Row

are fragmentary and undiagnostic, two piecesrecovered from Lucier by Wintemberg (Figure12:9,10) are typeable from an Iroquoian per-spective and may be distinguished from twoother Lucier pipe fragments (Figure 12:7,8)exhibiting very fine dentate and cord-wrappedstick impressions typical of the Western BasinTradition. The Iroquoian types include anIroquois Ring Pipe (Emerson 1954:47) and aflared conical (cf. Lennox et al. 1986:60) ortrumpet form, both of which suggest lateMiddleport or early Late Prehistoric affinitiestoward the east.

The longhouse-type architecture present atE.C. Row is, at first glance, reminiscent ofIroquoian longhouses. On the other hand,such attributes as straight or aligned wall postpatterns, excessive house widths, clean interi-ors, and the scarcity of associated refuse, arenot typically Iroquoian but are traits shared bymost Western Basin Tradition structures(Greenman 1937, Lennox and Dodd 1991,Murphy and Ferris 1990).

Wintemberg did not report any structures atLucier, although this is not unusual for excava-tions conducted in the 1930s when the recogni-tion and recording of post moulds was in itsinfancy. This is also understandable in light ofthe poor definition of post moulds at E.C. Row.In our opinion, structures existed at Lucier aswell but were not recognized at the time.

Unfortunately, stable isotopic data frombone samples are not available to assist inaddressing dietary questions. The informationfrom dental caries, however, corroboratesarchaeological evidence that the people at E.C.Row used maize, although they may have usedless of it than their Iroquoian neighbours to theeast (Table 5).

The identified wood charcoal from E.C. Rowprovides an indication of the well drained ordry soils of the immediate site area as well asthe likelihood that fuel wood was also obtainedfrom areas immediately adjacent to the areaoccupied. These wet areas were apparent inthe soil profiles during our initial investigations,appearing toward the periphery of the slightknoll on which the site is situated.

The identifiable faunal assemblage is smallbut includes a relatively wide range of fishspecies likely taken from nearby Turkey Creekor the Detroit River. Deer remains are alsopresent, and the remains of Passenger pigeonand raccoon suggest use of the site during the


Figure 11. Lucier Site Ceramics from the Wintemberg Collection, N.M.C. (photograph courtesy of P. Wright).


warm season and into the fall. This is consis-tent with the suggestion that burials occurprimarily at warm season occupations (Murphyand Ferris 1990:266).

The E.C. Row burial pattern provides newdata on the treatment of the dead amongpeople of the Western Basin Tradition. Whileburials are relatively common at E.C. Row,when compared with most other sites of theWestern Basin Tradition, this is consistent withthe size of the site and the apparent length ofoccupation or reoccupation as is suggestedfrom the reconstruction of houses there. It hasbeen suggested that E.C. Row was a specialpurpose ceremonial or burial site (Murphy andFerris 1990:249); however, we believe thatactivities unrelated to mortuary practices werealso undertaken at the site.

Bundle burials and cremated infants werethe only form of interment observed at E.C.Row. A broader range of burial types, includ-ing primary interments, torso burials and apossible attempt at rearticulation were alsoobserved at Lucier. It is, of course, possiblethat further investigations at E.C. Row mightreveal a similar range of burials. Alternatively,the primary burials and torso burials at Luciercould represent earlier stages in the sequenceof mortuary practices which, at E.C. Row, mayhave taken place at another location in thesettlement or at another site. The incompletenature of the interments at E.C. Row is likelythe consequence of secondary bundle burialduring which skulls and longbones were se-lected for reburial. As summarized by Murphyand Ferris (1990) the range of burial modesrepresented by the Western Basin mortuarypattern may be a result of the curation ofindividuals prior to final interment. It should notbe assumed that primary burial was simply amethod of defleshing skeletal elements. At E.C.Row, the evidence of cutmarks and the articu-lated cervical vertebrae in association with askull seem to suggest that the time betweenprimary and secondary burial was not neces-sarily lengthy.

An interesting mortuary custom found atLucier and La Salle-Lucier, is the primarycremation of perinatal deaths. This differentialtreatment, which did not involve "in situ" crema-tory episodes, but rather entailed the packag-ing and placing of the burnt bones with adult(probably female) bundle burials, appears tohave had ritualistic significance. This pattern

may be compared and contrasted with those ofthe Historic Hurons and Neutrals. According toseventeenth-century accounts among theHurons, the souls of the very young and veryold were considered too weak to make thejourney to the land of the dead and were treat-ed in a different manner. Among both Huronsand Neutrals the burial of newborns or thevery young often occurred in longhouse floorswhere their souls were thought to have had theopportunity to be reincarnated (Fitzgerald1979; Kapches 1976; Thwaites 1896 (10):273;von Gernet 1994).

From a demographic perspective the skeletalremains at E.C. Row (Table 6) appear torepresent a cross section of a local deme, inthat all age groups and both sexes are repre-sented. In our opinion, the high rate of infectionwas not caused by an epidemic, although thepopulation does seem to be rather "unhealthy".The relatively large number of burials maysimply be a reflection of the population size,the duration of individual occupations, orreuse of the same site for subsequent habita-tion and burial purposes.

If we assume that the burials represent asingle event, the separation of individuals intovarious features may point to the recognitionand maintenance of social divisions (extendedfamily, lineage, etc.) after death. Alternatively, ifwe assume that the site was reoccupied for anextended period of time, each feature mayrepresent the secondary burial or reintermentof individuals who had passed away since thelast burial episode. Since the graves arepredominantly bundle burials and cremations,rather than primary interments, there appearsto have been a planned time and place forsecondary burial. -

At E.C. Row and Lucier, the skeletal ele-ments represented by the secondary burialswere highly selective and, for the most part,included only skulls and long bones. Therewere no hips, scapulae, hands, or foot bonespresent in the E.C. Row burials. Vertebraewere usually excluded from bundle burials, butarticulated cervical vertebrae were found withBurial 14. These were likely severed with theskull during the preparation of the remains, ascutmarks appear on the spinous process of C2and C3. While cutmarks are common through-out the sample and likely represent attempts toremove fibrous or ligamentous connections inthe preparation of bundles, those associated


Figure 12. Lucier Site Rimsherds and Pipe Fragments from the Wintemberg Collection, N.M.C. (photographcourtesy of P. Wright).


with the elbow of Burial 14 may have resulted

from an attempt to remove damaged tissue.The drilled parietal bone at E.C. Row, as well

as the five perforated crania and other post-mortem alterations at Lucier, are similar toother Western Basin interments attributed tothe Younge and Springwells Phases (Green-man 1937; Murphy and Ferris 1990:267).

One E.C. Row individual has evidence ofablation, the intentional removal of the teeth byforce for ritual, decorative or social reasons. Asimilar occurrence is reported for the probableSpringwells Phase, Stag Island burial (Spence1992). There the premortem loss of the twomedial incisors appears on a maxilla of afemale roughly 25 to 40 years of age. Unlike theE.C. Row example, where resorption wasadvanced, the incisors in the Stag Islandexample appear to have been lost shortlybefore death. Spence points out, however, thatresorption may be a rapid process with asocket being filled only a few months followingthe loss of the tooth (Spence 1992:17).

The settlement at E.C. Row is similar in someways to the Springwells Phase component atthe La Salle-Lucier Site (AbHs-8), which islocated near the Detroit River about sevenkilometres to the southwest of E.C. Row(Lennox and Dodd 1991). Here several portionsof house structures were apparent within asingle row of palisade. The palisade enclosedan area estimated at .1 ha and the location ofseveral house walls suggest that rebuildinghad occurred. Two disturbed burials includedone bundle with the cremated remains of aninfant and several fragments of another inter-ment (perhaps another bundle) located somedistance away. The ceramic assemblageplaces this occupation early in the SpringwellsPhase. The limited faunal remains suggest awarm season, riverine oriented economy, andthe presence of corn suggests that horticulturealso played an important role (Lennox andDodd 1991). While the settlements at La Salle-Lucier, E.C. Row and perhaps Lucier follow asimilar pattern, it must be kept in mind thatnone of these investigations involved completeexcavations.

La Salle-Lucier exhibits many similaritieswith the E.C. Row Site. Both may be attributedto the Springwells Phase and both appear tohave been used, perhaps intermittently, overan extended period of time. Both appear tohave been warm season occupations in areas

that offer diverse natural environments with theadvantages of an oak-hickory forest or oaksavanna, together with enclaves of prairiegrassland nearby (cf. Kenyon 1976; Lennoxand Dodd 1991). A single row of palisade postsencompasses an area of about 1000 squaremetres at La Salle-Lucier and a similar struc-ture may have existed at E.C. Row. Finally,both sites produced evidence of bundle burialsand cremations. On the other hand, E.C. Rowis about three times the area of La Salle-Lucier. The size of Springwells Phase nucle-ated warm season occupations is likely to haveincreased through time as settlement subsis-tence strategies focused on the use of culti-gens - a pattern characteristic of the WesternBasin Tradition in general (Murphy and Ferris1990).

La Salle-Lucier is near the banks of theDetroit River, where land based resourcescould have been supplemented by the richriverine resources. During the early Spring-wells Phase, when the first sizeable summersettlements appear, the range of local re-sources available may have offered stability inthe food quest.

Settlement-subsistence strategies during theSpringwells Phase (A.D. 1200-1400) in south-western Ontario have been viewed as a contin-uation of a pattern established during theearlier Younge Phase (A.D. 1000-1200). It isthought that group coalescence during thewarm season was followed by cold seasondispersal to provide for the extraction ofseasonally-available resources by group sizesappropriate for the particular season andresource (Murphy and Ferris 1990). During theYounge Phase this seems to have resulted in abroad range of site types and sizes. Whilehorticulture was practiced, there appears notto have been a strong focus on the establish-ment and maintenance of cultivated fields. Themost notable change during the Springwellsphase is an increased commitment to cultiva-tion and sedentism, as suggested by largersites and more substantial dwellings. Undoubt-edly, special purpose extractive camps of asmaller size continued to be used during allseasons of the year.

Springwells Phase house structures arereminiscent of the longhouses of contempora-neous Iroquoians to the east, although theabsence of internal structures such as bunk-lines, end of house storage areas, storage pits


and hearths suggest that seasonally-occupiedIroquoian cabin sites are more appropriateanalogies. As is the case with Iroquoian cabinsites, the accumulation of refuse appears tohave been limited. These attributes suggestthat the length of occupation of the E.C. Rowand La Salle-Lucier houses was limited, withmost activity occurring during the spring andfall (perhaps during the planting and harvest-ing of crops).

The cold weather occupations of the Spring-wells Phase are thought to parallel those ofearlier phases (Murphy and Ferris 1990:224). Ifthis is true, the suggested dispersal of familygroups may be contrasted with the settlementsubsistence pattern of the more eastern Iro-quoians. The villages of the Iroquoians wereoccupied on a year round basis and, althoughnumerous special purpose cabin sites andcamps were associated with these largersettlements (Lennox 1995), the village sitesappear to have been the centre or focus ofsettlement and subsistence throughout theyear. As a result Iroquoian villages are moresubstantial and refuse is much more abundant(Dodd et al. 1990; Lennox and Fitzgerald 1990;Noble 1975; Wright 1966).

The construction of large storage pits in

Iroquoian houses allowed an accumulation of

foodstuffs and occupation of the village

throughout the cold season. During the Spring-

wells Phase there appears to be a trend to-

ward warm season coalescence in villages, but

the absence of storage pits, intensively used

hearth areas and an accumulation of refuse,

suggests that these settlements continued the

earlier pattern of winter dispersal (Murphy and

Ferris 1990).

The evidence from physical anthropology

suggests that the people of E.C. Row are bio-

logically distinguishable from Ontario Iroquoi-

ans. We believe similar distinctions can be

made on the basis of settlement pattern, mortu-

ary pattern and material culture. Whether

these differences reflect distinct ethnic and/or

linguistic divisions remains a problem for

future researchers to resolve.In this report we have tried to present our

findings at the E.C. Row Site and comparethese to what is known about the previousinvestigations at the nearby Lucier site. It ishoped that this has contributed to a betterunderstanding of the Western Basin Traditionin southwestern Ontario.

Acknowledgments. The authors are mostgrateful to the following individuals and institu-tions for their contributions to the E.C. Rowsalvage excavation, analysis and resultingreport. The project was made possible throughthe support of the Ontario Ministry of Transpor-tation, through the office of C. Hilsden and D.Wake, Senior Environmental Planners, South-west Region. Field and laboratory assistancewas most capably provided by C. F. Dodd, G.A. Warrick, D. Hohnstein, W. A. Fox, I. T.Kenyon, and J. Fox. Floral and faunal analysiswere provided by C. Murphy and R. Prevec.Negotiations concerning the removal anddisposition of human remains were handled byW. A. Fox, then Regional Archaeologist for theOntario Ministry of Citizenship and Culture,Archaeology and Heritage Planning Branch.Laboratory facilities were also provided by thatoffice, the University of Toronto and LakeheadUniversity. Thanks are also extended to T.Guardipee, N. Shognosh and L. Sands, repre-sentatives of the Walpole Island People, fortheir interest in the project and for administer-ing reburial rites for the physical remainsuncovered.

We would like to thank: the National Muse-

ums of Canada for providing copies of portions

of Wintemberg's field notes and prints of some

of his photographic negatives; the Hiram

Walker Museum, particularly A. Douglas, for

access to their collections, notes and negatives

from photos taken during Wintemberg's Lucier

excavations; P. Wright and P. Reid for provid-

ing comments as well as copies of their reports

on work in the site vicinity; and M. Spence for

his review and comments on the report on the

physical remains. Finally, we thank the peer

reviewers for their constructive criticisms and

A. von Gernet for his editorial suggestions.

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J. Eldon MoltoDepartment of Anthropology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1.


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