The Analysis Of Contact-Era Settlements In Clay, Lowndes, And Oktibbeha Counties In Northeast Mississippi
The goal of this project is to compare the spatial distribution of sites across Clay, Lowndes, and Oktibbeha counties between the Mississippi and Early Historic periods using site files from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), sites were mapped chronologically to examine change through time to investigate how people reacted to European contact and colonization. Site locations and clusters also were used to evaluate possible locations of the polities of Chicaza, Chakchiuma, and Alimamu discussed in the De Soto chronicles. Sites in Clay, Lowndes, and Oktibbeha counties were chosen due to the existence of the large cluster of sites around Starkville, and because these counties have been proposed as the locations of Chicaza, Chakchiuma, and Alimamu (Atkinson 1987a; Hudson 1993). The distribution of settlement clusters indicated possible locations for polities similar to those proposed by Atkinson (1987a:65). Based on the robust data, informed by work done by David Hally, three clusters and three potential polities have been located in northeast Mississippi. The most robust of these clusters is likely the location of the polity of Chicaza. This thesis serves as a means to direct future research in the area for both archaeological and ethnohistoric work.
Archaeology, Contact-Era, Settlement Analysis, Archaeological Anthropology
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