Red Paint People
Encyclopedia
The Red Paint People are a pre-Columbian
culture indigenous to the New England
and Atlantic Canada
regions of North America
. They were named after their burials, which used large quantities of ochre
, normally red, to cover both bodies and grave goods. Sometimes they are known as the Moorehead Phase of the Laurentian Tradition or the Moorehead burial tradition after Warren K. Moorehead
who brought them widely to the attention of scientists. They flourished between 3000 BCE and 1000 BCE. Alternatively, they can be called by the period in which they lived, either the "Maritime Archaic
" (emphasizing a coastal and seafaring culture) or "Late Archaic" (emphasizing time and leaving open the possibility of living inland seasonally), although these terms often cover the longer period from 5000 BCE to 1000 CE. Multiple hypotheses exist as to which if any later peoples might be their descendents and there is little archaeological evidence to support any hypothesis.
Their burial culture was more elaborate than any subsequent culture in the area. In the southern portion of their range, they were succeeded by the Susquehana culture which used pottery, and no evidence of their stoneworking techniques is found in that culture.
to the New York
side of Lake Champlain
, and the culture covered most of this area.
professor and assisted by Charles Willoughby. Willoughby exhibited a scale model of the dig at the Chicago Columbian Exposition in 1893. It caught the attention of Moorehead, who did more digs and published research about them from 1912 to the 1920s. He described them as older than other cultures of the area. This was disputed until radiometric dating proved Moorehead correct. In the 1930s, one theory for their disappearance was that they had been killed by tidal waves
caused by coastal subsidence. This is no longer believed.
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
culture indigenous to the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
regions of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. They were named after their burials, which used large quantities of ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
, normally red, to cover both bodies and grave goods. Sometimes they are known as the Moorehead Phase of the Laurentian Tradition or the Moorehead burial tradition after Warren K. Moorehead
Warren K. Moorehead
Warren King Moorehead was known in his time as the 'Dean of American archaeology' ; born in Siena, Italy to missionary parents on March 10, 1866, he died on January 5, 1939 at the age of 72, and is buried in his hometown of Xenia, Ohio.-Early life:His mother died when he was quite young, and while...
who brought them widely to the attention of scientists. They flourished between 3000 BCE and 1000 BCE. Alternatively, they can be called by the period in which they lived, either the "Maritime Archaic
Maritime Archaic
The Maritime Archaic is a North American cultural complex of the Late Archaic along the coast of Newfoundland, the Canadian Martimes and northern New England. The Maritime Archaic began in approximately 7000 BC and lasted into the 18th century. The culture consisted of sea-mammal hunters in the...
" (emphasizing a coastal and seafaring culture) or "Late Archaic" (emphasizing time and leaving open the possibility of living inland seasonally), although these terms often cover the longer period from 5000 BCE to 1000 CE. Multiple hypotheses exist as to which if any later peoples might be their descendents and there is little archaeological evidence to support any hypothesis.
Their burial culture was more elaborate than any subsequent culture in the area. In the southern portion of their range, they were succeeded by the Susquehana culture which used pottery, and no evidence of their stoneworking techniques is found in that culture.
Lifestyle and technology
They lived on the coasts and rivers, fishing and hunting. Some coastal sites show evidence of year-round occupation, discrediting an older theory that they were seasonal nomads, living the summers on the coast and the winters inland. The diet included sea fish, anadromous fish, shellfish, meat, berries, acorns, nuts and roots. They had boats capable of catching swordfish, as well as stone and bone tools. No pottery or metal tools have been found in sites associated with this culture. Their trading range is known to have extended from LabradorLabrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
to the 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...
side of Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...
, and the culture covered most of this area.
Scientific investigation
The graves with red paint were known as early as the 1840s, but the first scientific examination was in 1892, led by a HarvardHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
professor and assisted by Charles Willoughby. Willoughby exhibited a scale model of the dig at the Chicago Columbian Exposition in 1893. It caught the attention of Moorehead, who did more digs and published research about them from 1912 to the 1920s. He described them as older than other cultures of the area. This was disputed until radiometric dating proved Moorehead correct. In the 1930s, one theory for their disappearance was that they had been killed by tidal waves
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
caused by coastal subsidence. This is no longer believed.