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Title
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Phase II Testing at site 1MN10X1, Claiborne Lake, Alabama River, Monroe County, Alabama
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Date
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2002
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Bibliographic Citation
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Page, James, and Joseph Charles. 2002. Phase II Testing at Site 1MN10x1, Claiborne Lake/Alabama River, Monroe County, Alabama. Report submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District. Brockington and Associates, Inc., Atlanta.
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annotates
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• Presents results of Phase II archaeological testing at site 1MN10x1, a Late Woodland transitional Mississippian shell midden located along the Alabama River in Monroe County. Originally recorded by Nielsen (1968) during salvage archaeology for the Claiborne Lock and Dam project. About 77 percent of the site was estimated to have been lost to erosion since the 1968 fieldwork.
• Fieldwork included close-interval shovel tests and two 2-x-2 m excavation units, focusing on remnants of intact, stratified (mussel) shell midden.
o Recovered materials include ceramics, lithics, and faunal remains, indicating short-term Indigenous occupation during the Late Woodland to early Mississippian period.
o No features or structures were found.
Choctaw / Ancestral Choctaw Relevance
• Choctaw are not mentioned, and no direct connection is made between site materials and known Choctaw-related occupations. However, the report references regional cultural traditions, including:
o Bottle Creek and Alabama River phases, both of which are potentially relevant to ancestral Choctaw contexts, particularly in the Lower Alabama and Tombigbee valleys.
o Ceramic types like Alabama River Plain (mentioned via Nielsen) and Wilcox Incised were observed in earlier investigations at the site and may reflect Postcontact Indigenous traditions with cultural continuity into historically recognized Muskogean-speaking groups, including the Choctaw.
• Given the site’s location within historically known Choctaw expansion areas during the 17th–18th centuries, and its Late Woodland/Mississippian character, it remains culturally adjacent, even if not directly attributable.
• Despite significant erosion due to the lock and dam, the site remains important for regional ceramic sequence confirmation.
Data Presentation / Decolonizing Commentary
• The report follows early 2000s CRM norms, with clear documentation and regional context, but lacks:
o Any discussion of descendant communities
o Consideration of Indigenous perspectives on land, shell midden use, or cultural continuity
• Describes occupation as “prehistoric” and remains focused on typology and eligibility status, without exploring broader cultural or historical meaning.
• A decolonizing approach would:
o Treat the shell midden and associated ceramics as potential markers of Indigenous persistence, not just typological identifiers.
o Suggest consultation with Choctaw or other Muskogean descendant communities before ruling out cultural significance — even at damaged or eroded sites.
o View this report as an opportunity to ask how riverine campsites and short-term occupations contribute to understanding Indigenous mobility, land use, and resilience.
CRM Utility Assessment
• Moderately useful for comparative ceramic and site-type data in the Alabama River region.
• Recommendation: Use as a contextual reference for regional sequence building, but not as a definitive source on ancestral affiliation or cultural interpretation.
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owner
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sprice@wiregrassarchaeology.com