Fit for War: Sustenance and Order in the Mid-Eighteenth-Century Catawba Nation (Florida Museum of Natural History: Ripley P. Bullen Series)

In the mid-eighteenth century, the towns of the Catawba Nation were located near Nation Ford, where the main trading path that traversed the southern Appalachian Piedmont crossed the Catawba River. By serving as auxiliaries for the English colonies—particularly South Carolina—Catawba men from these communities had achieved notoriety and helped maintain the political autonomy of the Nation. However, this militaristic strategy precipitated a set of processes that transformed the conditions of daily life near Nation Ford. Two of these processes were settlement aggregation and the incorporation of native refugee communities. This book examines whether the political process of centralization through which refugees were incorporated into the Catawba Nation was accompanied by parallel changes in economic organization, particularly with regard to foodways. It also examines the impacts of settlement aggregation on the formulation of community identities. By combining information from historic documents and previously unpublished data from Catawba archaeological sites, this study provides access to the daily lives of the people living around Nation Ford during the mid-eighteenth century. Archaeological materials provide details concerning the activities of Catawba women, who played a large role in making pottery, farming, and collecting wild foods. When a food security crisis struck the Nation between 1755 and 1759, it was these women who worked to overcome the long-term effects of Catawba militarism. Ultimately, this study highlights the double-edged nature of strategies available to American Indian groups seeking to maintain political autonomy in early colonial period contexts. “Fitts combines archaeology and ethnohistory to explore Catawba strategies for retaining sovereignty and power in the colonial era. A model of interdisciplinary methodology, this book offers new insights into coalescence, colonialism, and Indigenous persistence.”—Christina Snyder, author of Slavery in Indian Country: The Changing Face of Captivity in Early America “Skillfully mobilizes a rich array of historical and archaeological evidence to recover from obscurity the decisive role that Catawba women played in guiding their society through highly precarious times.”—Daniel H. Usner Jr., author of Indian Work: Language and Livelihood in Native American History “A fascinating glimpse of the Catawba Nation during this critical period. Fitts succeeds in tracing the mechanics of individual decisions that laid the groundwork for collective change.”—William L. Ramsey, author of The Yamasee War: A Study of Culture, Economy, and Conflict in the Colonial South The Catawba Nat ion played an important role in the early colonial Southeast, serving as a military ally of the British and a haven for refugees from other native groups, yet it has largely been overlooked by scholars and the public. Fit for War explains how the Nation maintained its sovereignty while continuing to reside in its precolonial homeland near present-day Charlotte, North Carolina. Drawing from colonial archives and new archaeological data, Mary Elizabeth Fitts shows that militarization helped the Catawba maintain political autonomy but forced them to consolidate their settlements and—with settler encroachment and a regional drought—led to a food crisis. Focusing on craft and foodways, Fitts uncovers the dynamic interactions between mid-eighteenth-century Catawba communities, as well as how Catawba women worked to feed the Nation, a story missing from colonial records. Her research highlights the double-edged nature of tactics available to American Indian groups seeking to keep their independence in the face of colonization. A volume in the Florida Museum of Natural History: Ripley P. Bullen Series In the mid-18th century, the towns of the Catawba Nation were located near Nation Ford, where the main trading path that traversed the southern Appalachian Piedmont crossed the Catawba River. By serving as auxiliaries for the English colonies, particularly South Carolina, Catawba men from these communities had achieved notoriety and helped maintain the political autonomy of the Nation. However, this militaristic strategy precipitated a set of processes that transformed the conditions of daily life near Nation Ford. Two of these processes were settlement aggregation and the incorporation of native refugee communities. This work examines whether the political process of centralization through which refugees were incorporated into the Catawba Nation was accompanied by parallel changes in economic organization, particularly with regard to foodways This Study Reveals How Catawba Settlement Aggregation, Refugee Incorporation, And Political Coalescence Affected The Scale Of Interaction Networks And Communities In The Lower Catawba River Valley. It Also Defines The Crucial Strategies Employed In Response To Food Security Crises, Daily Life, And The Roles Of Both Men And Women. This Study Highlights The Double-edged Nature Of Strategies Available To American Indian Groups Seeking To Maintain Political Autonomy In Early Colonial Period Contexts. Introduction -- An Ethnohistory Of Catawba Militarism -- Carolina -- Catawba -- So Warlike A Disposition -- Foodways And Community Organization At Nation Ford -- Hilly Land -- Working Groups And Fashion Signals -- Provisioning The Nation -- Conclusion. Mary Elizabeth Fitts. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover 1 Contents 6 List of Figures 8 List of Tables 12 Acknowledgments 14 1. Introduction 18 PART I. AN ETHNOHISTORY OF CATAWBA MILITARISM 32 2. Carolina 34 3. Catawba 61 4. “So Warlike a Disposition” 107 PART II. FOODWAYS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION AT NATION FORD 140 5. Hilly Land 142 6. Working Groups and Fashion Signals 209 7. Provisioning the Nation 261 8. Conclusion 320 References 328 Index 362 A 362 B 362 C 363 D 365 E 366 F 366 G 366 H 367 I 367 J 367 K 367 L 368 M 368 N 369 O 370 P 370 Q 370 R 370 S 370 T 372 U 372 V 372 W 372 X 372 Y 372