Numbers from Nowhere: The American Indian Contact Population Debate

Meyer, Roy W.; Henige, David

doi:10.2307/971406

The Western Historical Quarterly

1999

DOI: 10.2307/971406

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Numbers from Nowhere: The American Indian Contact Population Debate

Roy W. Meyer¹,

David Henige²

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2006

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“…However, Henige (1998:179) has argued that the occurrence of precontact or protohistoric epidemics remains "an abstract truth-probable as an inference but incapable of being demonstrated" with historic documents or archaeological research. Although others have discussed the relevance of his argument for ethnohistory and historical demography (Dobyns 1999;Galloway 1999;Lovell 2002; Mau-rer2000; Meyer 1999;Newson 2000;Noble 1999;Wesson 2000), his misgivings concerning the ability of archaeology to contribute to this discussion deserve further consideration.…”

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confidence: 99%

Pots and Pox: The Identification of Protohistoric Epidemics in the Upper Mississippi Valley

Betts

2006

Am. antiq.

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Exogenous diseases represent one of the principal agents of culture change associated with the historic period, yet the timing of their initial influence remains undocumented in many regions of North America. Settlement variables, cooking pot volume, and mortality profiles from Oneota tradition occupations are used to investigate the possible occurrence of epidemics in the Upper Mississippi River valley. Synchronous fluctuations in settlement and ceramic variables indicate that following at least two centuries of population growth a significant population decline occurred in the early seventeenth century. Several factors provide support for the role of disease in this decline, including its timing, magnitude, and the documented presence of epidemics in adjacent regions combined with substantial evidence for extensive contact with those areas. This event, prior to direct, sustained contact, is associated with the increased intensity of intergroup exchange occurring with the fur trade. The ability to identify the occurrence of such epidemics is essential for understanding protohistoric cultural dynamics as well as the transmission of disease on a continental level.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pots and Pox: The Identification of Protohistoric Epidemics in the Upper Mississippi Valley

Betts

2006

Am. antiq.

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Numbers from Nowhere: The American Indian Contact Population Debate

Cited by 1 publication

References 0 publications

Pots and Pox: The Identification of Protohistoric Epidemics in the Upper Mississippi Valley

Pots and Pox: The Identification of Protohistoric Epidemics in the Upper Mississippi Valley

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