Beyond Boundaries: Reframing the Archaeology of the Native New River

Limited archaeological research in the Northern Appalachian Summit has left a gap in our understanding of the Indigenous landscapes and cultural crossroads of the Upper New River. Informed by theoretical currents in Appalachian Studies, I argue that the interpretations of the region’s past result from stereotypical projections that inhibit archaeologists’ ability to consider the Indigenous people and landscapes of the Upper New River on their own terms. This thesis describes my research on an archaeological legacy collection derived from the New River Survey (1976-1981). I analyzed ceramic assemblages and geospatial data to clarify patterns of settlement, material culture traditions, and interaction during the Woodland period on the Upper New River. I concluded that the people who lived here were emplaced for millennia through braided experiences of ancestral heritage, participation in the biosphere, and active identity-making tied into the landscape.<p></p>