Archaeobotony in Michigan: Analysis of Smudge Pits found at Lyne Site (20BE10)

Smudge pits, used frequently by Native Americans, can potentially provide a magnitude of information about pit function, exploitation of plant resources, and seasons of use. A number of smudge pits have been found at the Lyne site (20BE10) located on the terrace above the Fort St. Joseph site (20BE23) in Michigan, a site containing both Native American and colonial artifacts. Radiocarbon dates on carbonized maize from a smudge pit places the deposits between AD 1660 and 1760 suggesting it’s contemporaneous with FSJ. The contemporaneity of the Lyne site with FSJ suggests an opportunity for assessing shifts in plant use related to contact between French settlers and Native Americans, especially via fur trade-related activities. Plant remains recovered from these features include corn cobs, nutshells (hazelnut), seeds (raspberry and blackberry), and wood remains (maple, hickory, ash among others). This analysis focuses on smudge pits from the Lyne within an interpretive context developed in the master’s thesis of David Martinez (2009 OSU) on FSJ archaeobotany.