Point Peninsula Complex
Encyclopedia
The Point Peninsula Complex was an indigenous
culture located in Ontario
and New York
from 300 BCE to 700 CE (during the Middle Woodland period
). The people are thought to have been influenced by the Hopewell traditions of the Ohio River
valley. This influence seems to have ended about 250 CE, after which they no longer practiced burial ceremonialism.
valleys about 300 BCE. The culture is referred to more as a system of interaction among a variety of societies than as a single society or culture. Hopewell trading networks were quite extensive, with obsidian
from the Yellowstone
area, copper
from Lake Superior
, and shells from the Gulf Coast
. In some areas Point Peninsula people buried some of their dead in mortuary mounds. Interred with the dead were exotic grave goods, including copper and silver pan pipes, marine shell gorget
s and exotic chert
s. It has been suggested that the exotic goods among the burials provides evidence for inherited status differentiation among Point Peninsula groups.
The Owasco peoples practiced different pottery techniques and were more sedentary agriculturalists than the Point Peninsula people. They cultivated a variety of types of maize
, squash and eventually beans, and lived in larger villages of several hundred to a thousand people. Warfare was prevalent, as is shown by archeology. The people built fortified villages but many still died violently. Gradually smaller bands and tribes formed into larger groups. The Owasco are thought to have eventually developed into the several Iroquoian-speaking nations of Pennsylvania
and New York
in the present-day United States. The Haudenosaunee or Iroquois Confederacy likely formed in an effort to avoid the continual warfare of years past.
Some important sites are the Rice Lake/Lower Trent River area, including the Serpent Mounds Park
, Cameron's Point and LeVescounte Mounds in Prince Edward County
.
at Rice Lake
was occupied during the prehistoric Middle Woodland Period. The burial mound was shaped like a giant snake.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
culture located in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
from 300 BCE to 700 CE (during the Middle Woodland period
Woodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
). The people are thought to have been influenced by the Hopewell traditions of the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
valley. This influence seems to have ended about 250 CE, after which they no longer practiced burial ceremonialism.
Hopewell Interaction Sphere
The Hopewell Exchange system began in the Ohio and Illinois RiverIllinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...
valleys about 300 BCE. The culture is referred to more as a system of interaction among a variety of societies than as a single society or culture. Hopewell trading networks were quite extensive, with obsidian
Obsidian
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock.It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth...
from the Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
area, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
from Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
, and shells from the Gulf Coast
Gulf Coast of the United States
The Gulf Coast of the United States, sometimes referred to as the Gulf South, South Coast, or 3rd Coast, comprises the coasts of American states that are on the Gulf of Mexico, which includes Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and are known as the Gulf States...
. In some areas Point Peninsula people buried some of their dead in mortuary mounds. Interred with the dead were exotic grave goods, including copper and silver pan pipes, marine shell gorget
Shell gorget
A shell gorget is a Native American art form of polished, carved shell pendants worn around the neck. The gorgets are frequently engraved, and are sometimes highlighted with pigments, or fenestrated ....
s and exotic chert
Chert
Chert is a fine-grained silica-rich microcrystalline, cryptocrystalline or microfibrous sedimentary rock that may contain small fossils. It varies greatly in color , but most often manifests as gray, brown, grayish brown and light green to rusty red; its color is an expression of trace elements...
s. It has been suggested that the exotic goods among the burials provides evidence for inherited status differentiation among Point Peninsula groups.
Point Peninsula Complex
The Point Peninsula people of the Middle Woodland period lived by hunting and gathering, supplemented by agriculture. Around 900 CE, Point Peninsula artifacts in New York were replaced by Owasco culture artifacts. Archaeologists believe these indicated the presence of Clemson Island peoples' spreading northward and intermingling with the Point Peninsula complex through the years of 1300.The Owasco peoples practiced different pottery techniques and were more sedentary agriculturalists than the Point Peninsula people. They cultivated a variety of types of maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, squash and eventually beans, and lived in larger villages of several hundred to a thousand people. Warfare was prevalent, as is shown by archeology. The people built fortified villages but many still died violently. Gradually smaller bands and tribes formed into larger groups. The Owasco are thought to have eventually developed into the several Iroquoian-speaking nations of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the present-day United States. The Haudenosaunee or Iroquois Confederacy likely formed in an effort to avoid the continual warfare of years past.
Some important sites are the Rice Lake/Lower Trent River area, including the Serpent Mounds Park
Serpent Mounds Park
Serpent Mounds Park is a private campground, day-use park, and a National Historic Site of Canada located in Keene, Ontario. Serpent Mounds is currently owned and operated by the Hiawatha First Nation, a historic Mississaugas people.- History :...
, Cameron's Point and LeVescounte Mounds in Prince Edward County
Prince Edward County
Prince Edward County may refer to:* Prince Edward County, Virginia, United States* Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada...
.
Serpent Mounds Park
The Serpent Mounds ParkSerpent Mounds Park
Serpent Mounds Park is a private campground, day-use park, and a National Historic Site of Canada located in Keene, Ontario. Serpent Mounds is currently owned and operated by the Hiawatha First Nation, a historic Mississaugas people.- History :...
at Rice Lake
Rice Lake
- Communities :In the United States* Rice Lake, Minnesota, a census-designated place in Clearwater County* Rice Lake , Minnesota, in Dodge and Steele counties* Rice Lake Township, St...
was occupied during the prehistoric Middle Woodland Period. The burial mound was shaped like a giant snake.
See also
- Lewiston MoundLewiston MoundLewiston Mound is a prehistoric burial mound built by the indigenous peoples of the Hopewell tradition. It is located on the grounds of the Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park, at Lewiston in Niagara County, New York....
- Hopewell tradition
- List of Hopewell sites
- Mound builder (people)
- Effigy moundEffigy moundSites in the U.S. of similar history may be found at Indian Mounds ParkAn effigy mound is a raised pile of earth built in the shape of a stylized animal, symbol, religious figure, or human figure. Effigy mounds were only built during the Late Woodland Period .Effigy mounds were constructed in many...
- Earthwork (archaeology)