“Cultural Entanglement, Change, and Continuity in Southern New England Through the Woodland/Colonial Transition”

The last three decades have seen an increase in debate among archaeologists who study the ongoing effects of colonialism on Native people. While our understanding of colonialism as a phenomenon have increased during this period, some issues still deserve closer analysis. One such challenge is understanding the complexity of power dynamics throughout the “contact” and “reservation” periods. By analyzing architecture, subsistence, and settlement patterns in the North American northeast I am attempting to better elucidate the nature of cultural change and continuity across the Woodland/Colonial transition. In this talk I will discuss how indigenous people in New England altered their use of space as a reaction to the emergence of horticulture in the region after c. 1000BP, how cultural entanglement theory is a more appropriate approach than traditional oppressive colonial studies to understanding early power relations between Native people and colonial settlers of the 17th century, and ultimately how ongoing colonial interaction and changing power dynamics altered Native lifeways throughout that century.

A talk by Dr. William Farley, Southern Connecticut State University

Dr. William Farley is an Assistant Professor in the Anthropology department at Southern Connecticut State University. His research focuses on the identity maintenance and mitigation of colonial realities achieved by Connecticut’s indigenous peoples after their initial contact with Europeans.