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Title
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Some Archaeological Resources in the Dry Creek Watershed, Marengo County, Alabama
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Date
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1991
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Bibliographic Citation
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Chase, David W. 1986. Some Archaeological Resources in the Dry Creek Watershed, Marengo County, Alabama. Report submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. Office of Archaeological Research, University of Alabama, Moundville.
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annotates
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• Survey methods included pedestrian surface inspection and limited shovel testing under poor weather conditions and difficult clay soils.
• 13 archaeological sites were recorded: 1MO80–1MO92 (excluding 1MO82).
• Most sites are characterized as “small upland scatters,” but several yielded substantial artifact concentrations interpreted as late precontact or early Postcontact Indigenous farmsteads or villages, especially near proposed dam structures 4 and 5.
Choctaw / Ancestral Choctaw Relevance
• Choctaw are explicitly discussed as the most likely cultural affiliation for several sites, based on ceramic types, site morphology, and ethnohistoric context:
o Chickachae pottery is used as a diagnostic marker; it is linked to Choctaw-related assemblages in Mississippi and Alabama, following Penman (1977).
o Site interpretations include “village,” “farmstead,” and “seasonal camp”, matching previous descriptions of Choctaw settlement in the region.
• The report draws comparisons between Mississippi Choctaw sites and those in Dry Creek and Powell Creek watersheds, suggesting a shared pattern of upland farmstead occupation.
• Sites 1MO91 and 1MO80 are identified as likely Choctaw "villages" or long-term habitations based on the Chickachae ceramics, site size, and elevation/location.
• This represents a clear acknowledgment of Choctaw cultural presence in the Black Prairie interior, with implications for CRM, NAGPRA, and tribal heritage consultation.
Site Highlights
o 1MO80:~4-acre site with 137 ceramic sherds, Tallahatta sandstone tools, and Fort Payne chert blade. Chickachae pottery noted; interpreted as a Choctaw site, possibly a permanent village.
o 1MO90:Large (~15 acres) site on a terrace slope, yielding 198 sherds and multiple lithic artifacts. Described as a Choctaw village, likely pre-Removal but “prehistoric” in documentation. No historical Euro-American materials found; no features recorded, but site size and content imply long-term occupation.
o 1MO91: Multicomponent site with Chickachae pottery, cord-marked Miller ware, and preceramic lithics. Described as a large village, potentially with buried features or burials. The author stresses its archaeological and cultural importance and recommends testing prior to dam construction.
• Other sites (1Mo83, 1Mo84, 1Mo85, 1Mo86, 1Mo87, 1Mo88, 1Mo89, 1Mo92) are interpreted as "small campsites" or "sparse scatters" with minimal diagnostic material.
Data Presentation / Decolonizing Commentary
• Chase’s approach is notably more interpretive and culturally specific than most 1980s CRM work in Alabama:
o He links ceramics to named tribal groups (Choctaw) and uses historical settlement descriptions (e.g., dispersed farmsteads, hilltop villages).
o Multiple sites are evaluated for cultural significance, not just NRHP potential.
• Terms like “prehistoric,” “aboriginal,” and “Chickachae type” are used without tribal consultation or reference to descendant communities.
• A decolonizing revision would:
o Engage with the Choctaw Nation to verify ceramic typologies and site importance.
o Frame these sites as part of an enduring Choctaw landscape, not isolated data points.
o Address the possibility of burials or ceremonial features, especially at sites interpreted as villages.
CRM Utility Assessment: Highly useful
o One of the strongest CRM-era reports for identifying Choctaw-affiliated rural settlements in Alabama’s Black Prairie.
o Provides ceramic criteria, site function interpretations, and geospatial associations helpful for future predictive modeling.
• Strongly supports inclusion of upland farmstead sites in Choctaw heritage assessments and NAGPRA inventories.
• Recommendation: Use as a reference point for Choctaw-related Phase I and II investigations, and cite in consultation documentation when working in Marengo County and adjacent regions.
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owner
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sprice@wiregrassarchaeology.com