Migration and Cultural Change: The Northern Iroquoian Case in South-Central Ontario

This paper explores processes of cultural change by contrasting migration scenarios with in situ cultural development. I argue that a detailed, fine-grained analysis of patterning within the archaeological record provides the means with which to distinguish between these scenarios. The archaeology of the Rice Lake–Trent River region in south-central Ontario provides a case study for the investigation of these processes of cultural change across the Middle to Late Woodland transition and in relation to the origins of Northern Iroquoians. Expectations for ceramic patterning are derived from each cultural change scenario and then evaluated against the regional database. This assessment is facilitated through the use of two statistical techniques: frequency distributions and correspondence analysis. The results clearly demonstrate both continuity and patterned change within the region, thus supporting the in situ hypothesis. I place these findings in a broader context through comparisons with contemporary developments in southern Ontario, southwestern Quebec and northern New York State.