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Northernmost Precontact Maize in North America

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Matthew Boyd  and
Clarence Surette
Matthew Boyd
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Rd., Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1 (matthew.boyd@lakeheadu.ca)
Clarence Surette
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Rd., Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1
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Abstract

Corn (Zea mays ssp. mays) was a key economic plant in the Americas, yet little information exists on the northern limit of maize consumption before European contact. Based on the analysis of carbonized food residue on pottery for plant microfossils (phytoliths and starch granules) from 58 precontact archaeological sites, we report the first evidence of maize consumption in the subarctic boreal forest. Recovery of maize microfossils from several widely distributed Laurel phase (Middle Woodland/Initial Shield Woodland) vessels indicates that the diffusion of corn into this region was surprisingly early (ca. A.D. 500) and may have initially spread through long-distance exchange networks linking temperate and boreal North America during the Woodland period. After A.D. 1000 maize was a widespread component of diet and was consumed by every major Late Woodland culture in the region. These results have profound implications both for the history of this cultigen and for small-scale human societies in northern North America.

Resumen

Resumen

El maíz (Zea mays ssp mays) fue la una de las plantas económicas más importantes de las Américas. Sin embargo, existe muy poca documentación sobre el limitado consumo de esta planta en el norte antes del primer contacto con Europa. En este artículo presentamos las primeras evidencias del consumo de este gramíneo en el bosque boreal subártico. Estos resultados están basados en el análisis de residuos de alimentos carbonizados en vasijas de barro durante la búsqueda de microfósiles de plantas (fitólitos y gránulos de fécula) en 58 sitios arqueológicos precolombinos. La recuperación de microfósiles de maíz de varias vasijas de la Fase de Laurel (Woodland Medianero/ Escudo Inicial de Woodland) y que están ampliamente distribuidas indican que la difusión del maíz en esta región ocurrió sorprendentemente antes del primer contacto (N.E. 500), y puede que haya sido a través de redes de intercambio a larga distancia uniendo así América tropical y boreal durante el periodo de Woodland. Después del año 1000 (N.E.) el maíz ya era un fuerte componente de la dieta y cada grupo cultural grande de los Woodland lo consumía. Por consiguiente, estos resultados tienen profundas implicaciones tanta para la historia de este cultivo como para sociedades pequeñas en el norte de Norteamérica.

Type
Articles
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 75 , Issue 1 , January 2010 , pp. 117 - 133
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2010

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