Canadian Historic Sites: Occasional Papers in Archaeology and History No. 3

Comparison of the Faunal Remains from French and British Refuse Pits at Fort Michilimackinac: A Study in Changing Subsistence Patterns

by Charles E. Cleland

Conclusions

This study was designed to explore the subsistence patterns of three distinct cultures and to contrast the type of pattern which developed in each society. Such an approach requires that the subsistence pattern of each culture be investigated within the context of the culture of which it is a part. The entire network of relationships which link subsistence activities to other cultural activities provides the internal ordering which constitutes the subsistence pattern.

By assuming that the natural resources available in the Straits of Mackinac region remained essentially constant through time, it has been possible to attribute differences in the French and British subsistence patterns to differences in the cultures themselves. Both the French and British subsistence patterns differed from the one at the pre-contact Juntunen site because they were primarily supported by imported foods. The French subsistence scheme differed from the British in the quantity of imported food available. Since the French supply system was relatively small and intermittent, the French exploited a great many more local food resources than the British. While the efficiency of the logistic network which brought food and supplies to Fort Michilimackinac was of primary importance in the type of subsistence pattern developed by these historic societies, other factors have also been considered. Some of these include differences in social and political structure, relations with local populations, and contrasting ideologies. All of these factors were important in determining the type of subsistence patterns developed by each culture.