The Moccasin Bluff Site (also designated 20BE8) is an archaeological site located along the Red Bud Trail and the St. Joseph River north of Buchanan, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, and has been classified as a multi-component prehistoric site with the major component dating to the Late Woodland/Upper Mississippian period.
History The terrace between Moccasin Bluff and the St. Joseph River was home to temporary camps as early as 6300 B.C. Around A.D 500, inhabitants here traded with other groups of Native Americans from Illinois and Indiana. By A.D. 1100-1400, more permanent villages were established here, and the residents farmed the local lands.
By the late 1820s, European settlers moved into the area to log and farm the land. The US government then adopted a policy of moving the local Potawatomi out of the area and further west. This eventually led to the Potawatomi trail of death. The bluff is said to be named for Cogomoccasin, leader of one of the nearby displaced Potawatomi villages.
In 1948, the site was excavated by a University of Michigan team, which found pottery, burials and remnants of maize and storage pits. In 2002, Michigan State University excavated a wetland area at a lower elevation that had not been previously examined.
Description The Moccasin Bluff Site is located on a terrace along Red Bud Trail. The terrace overlooks a wide bend in the St. Joseph River containing a pair of islands. The site is protected by a half circle of hills to the north, west and south.
The site is significant in being one of the few prehistoric sites in western Michigan showing evidence of intensive occupation over a long time period. This has resulted in a rich midden which yields a large quantity of artifacts. The deposits are not stratified, but the artifacts themselves, supported by radiocarbon dates and comparison to other sites, are diagnostic of several periods of Native American prehistory, ranging from c. 8500 BC to the 1600s A.D. or just prior to European contact. The Archaic (c. 8500–1500 BC), Early Woodland (c. 1500-100 BC) and Middle Woodland (c. 100BC–500 AD) are represented based on the types of artifacts recovered. However, the main occupation was in the Late Woodland period (c. 500–1500 AD) with evidence of Upper Mississippian (c. 1000–1500 AD) occupation and/or influence as well.
Results of 1948 excavations
The excavations yielded pit features, prehistoric artifacts, animal bone and plant remains.
Features
There were no trace of dwellings found at the site. Nor were there post molds that might have indicated the presence of structures. The researchers concluded that the lack of structural features may be due to the fact that the main part of the site was destroyed during the construction of the Red Bud Trail Highway.
Four feature types were identified; storage pits (62), fire pits (17), hearths (19) and smudge pits (2). Three burials were located, of which only one was fully excavated.
The fire pits may have functioned as earth ovens for the roasting of the white water lily tuber. No trace of the tubers were found at the site, but in similar pits at the Griesmer site in northwest Indiana the carbonized remains of white water lily tuber were identified; and at the Schwerdt site on the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, the carbonized tubers of a similar water-lily species, American Lotus, were found in deep roasting pits.
Both smudge pits contained the carbonized remains of maize. The contents were analyzed and it was determined to be Eastern Complex maize. Based on previous ethnographic observation, the researchers concluded the features were used as a smudge to cure hides.
Animal bone
The remains of 32 species were present at Moccasin Bluff. However, when the remains were analyzed to assign pounds of meat present of each species, the results were 32% deer, 27% elk, 8% sturgeon, 6% beaver, 5% bear and 2% dog. These bones were not modified into tools like the bone tools described in the Artifacts section below, and may be considered food remains or, in the case of the dog and bear, possibly the remains of ceremonial activities. Dog sacrifice and dog meat consumption was observed to have ceremonial and religious implications in early Native American tribes. Bear worship and ceremonialism has also been recorded in the ethnological record.
Plant remains
Specimens of wood charcoal from the fire pits were analyzed and found to be primarily oak, hickory and maple, reflecting the makeup of the local deciduous forest. Some carbonized food remains were identified as acorn, walnut, Canadian plum, butternut and hickory nut. Eastern complex maize was present in the two smudge pits.
Artifacts
The following types of artifacts were recovered from the site:
Pottery - No whole or completely reconstructable vessels were found at the site. Therefore the researchers looked primarily at rim sherds and distinctive body sherds to analyze the pottery. The site yielded 534 analyzable rim sherds representing at least 424 vessels. These artifacts are discussed in more detail below. Stone Tools - 1,519 stone tools, tool fragments and flakes. Also present were hammer and anvil stones, celts, and abraiding stones. Bone tools - present were bone cylinders, beaming tools, antler tools, bone awls, elk scapula tools and turtle carapaces. A bone rasp (musical instrument) fragment was present in the Birdsell collection, a group of artifacts from the site donated by a local collector. Stone Pendants - 2 pieces of stone were recovered with holes punched in the middle and were interpreted as pendants. Pipes - 6 pipe fragments or unfinished pipe bowls made out of clay or stone. Red Ochre - 7 pieces of red ochre were in the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology collection from the site.
The non-pottery artifacts found at an archaeological site can provide useful cultural context as well as a glimpse into the domestic tasks performed at a site; ceremonial or religious activities; recreational activities; and clothing or personal adornment.
Some of the most prominent and diagnostic non-pottery artifacts are presented here in more detail:
Material Description Image Qty Function / use Comments / associations Chipped stone Small Triangular points (aka Madison points) 104 (representing 44% of all chipped stone tools) Hunting/fishing/warfare Also known as “arrowheads”; are thought to be arrow-tips for bows-and-arrows. The usage of the bow-and-arrow seems to have greatly increased during the Late Woodland, probably as a result of increased conflict. Since there is a large quantity of sturgeon bone at Moccasin Bluff, it is strongly probable that these tools were used in fishing activities. Chipped stone Ovate or double pointed blades/knives 3 Domestic function / cutting applications Some show signs of hafting. Typical of Upper Mississippian sites, particularly Huber and Oneota (Orr focus) Chipped stone Bifacially flaked end scraper 22 Domestic function / processing wood or hides Common at Oneota sites, but usually unifacially flaked rather than bifacial Chipped stone Drills 6 Domestic function / processing wood or hides 3 types are present; double pointed and expanded base, which are both common types; and T-shaped (pictured) which is usually found on Fort Ancient sites Chipped stone Thick "steep-edge" blades/scrapers 53 Domestic function / woodworking Reported from Fisher–Huber sites in Illinois Stone Abraiding stone 1 Domestic function / straightening arrow shafts Considered a typical Upper Mississippian trait Antler Spatula pieces of antler; chisel/gouge/scraper 5 Domestic function / specific use unknown Made from elk antler. Not common on sites nearby Moccasin Bluff; has been reported on Whittlesey sites in northern Ohio Bone Perforated deer bone (hole punched in the middle) 1 Possibly personal adornment function / pendant This type of artifact has been reported from the Fisher site and several Fort Ancient sites Bone Elk scapula hoes 3 Domestic function / Agricultural-horticultural or general digging tool Common at Huber and Oneota sites; sometimes this tool is made with bison scapula, especially westward toward and west of the Mississippi River; they may have been used to dig out the pit features present at Moccasin Bluff. Bone unmodified turtle carapace, Common Box Turtle, possibly used as bowl 2 Domestic function / could have been used as tobacco tray, serving bowl for food, or general food container The use of a turtle carapace as a tobacco tray has been documented among historic Central Angonkian tribes Bone Bone rasp (musical instrument) fragment 1 Ceremonial–recreational function / entertainment or use at ceremony Also found at Huber, Whittlesey and Fort Ancient sites Bone Grooved bone 1 Unknown function Not common from sites in the area of Moccasin Bluff; reported from the South Park site in northern Ohio and the Walker-Hooper Site in Wisconsin Bone unmodified deer mandibles "unusually large numbers" according to the site report Domestic function / used for scraping maize kernels off the cobs The site report does not state there is any wear on the bones to indicate their usage as a tool; but their presence in large numbers strongly implies it. At other sites they are an indicator of the presence of maize agriculture. Stone Pipe bowl fragments; stemless, vase- or bowl-shaped pipe 2 Ceremonial–recreational function / pipe smoking It has been documented among historic tribes that stemless pipes were used for recreational smoking; ceremonial pipes were stemmed Stone Unfinished pipe bowl fragments; stemless, block type 2 Ceremonial–recreational function / pipe smoking Block style pipes are known from Whittlesey and Fort Ancient sites in Ohio Clay Pipe fragments; modified tube-shaped 2 Ceremonial–recreational function / pipe smoking This type is known from sites in Wisconsin
Occupations and associated pottery types
Pottery is archaeologically useful for analyzing a prehistoric culture. It is usually very plentiful at a site and the details of manufacture and decoration are indicative of cultural progress and values.
Middle Woodland (c. 100 BC–500 AD)
A total of 20 vessels of Havana Ware pottery was collected in the 1948 excavations. The Havana Culture was thought to be a local variant of the main Middle Woodland, which was dominated by the Adena and Hopewell cultures of the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys. Middle Woodland cultures are characterized by their large burial mounds, some of which are still visible today; as well as their distinctive pottery forms, ceremonial practices, agricultural activities, and widespread trade networks.
Late Woodland (c. 500 AD–1500 AD) / Upper Mississippian (c. 1000–1500 AD)
The Late Woodland period in the Great Lakes region was characterized by the introduction of maize agriculture, which allowed for more efficient food production. This led to population increases which in turn led to increased competition for resources, resulting in more conflict/warfare. After 1000 AD, there was increased interaction and influence from the Mississippian cultures of the Mississippi River Valley, resulting in the formation of Upper Mississippian cultures in the Great Lakes area.
Based on analysis of the Late Woodland / Upper Mississippian pottery collected in the 1948 excavations, 2 distinct types of pottery wares were defined: Late Woodland grit-tempered Moccasin Bluff Ware (327 vessels) and Upper Mississippian shell-tempered Berrien Ware (48 vessels).
Moccasin Bluff ware (327 vessels)
Moccasin Bluff ware is divided into several types, some of which have variants, groups and sub-groups:
Moccasin Bluff cordmarked (97 vessels), characterized by cord marked surface treatment, subdivided into two varieties, Variety 1a and Variety 1b. Variety 1b is further subdivided into 6 sub-groups. Time period: prehistoric. Cultural affiliation: Late Woodland.