People of the Post (Ft. St. Joseph) - Archaeological Project WMU Series booklet #4 - Sept. 2022

 from Page 64 summation of the coverage of Historical Archaeology finds at the 

Colonial-era site / military location for several national armies ("Four Flags")

Historical documents and archaeological remains indicate

that Fort St. Joseph was occupied by groups of people who

had different aspirations and social identies, even as they

increased and shared a way of life.

Cooperation was essential for the people of the post.

They relied on and complemented each other's talents

as they maintained some degree of autonomy in the

struggle to carve out an existence on the frontier of 

"New France" (mid-North American region in 1600-1700s).

Native peoples often welcomed the newcomers and

sought to fit them into their culture and worldview.

Native Americans extended food, technology, local

knowledge, and kinship ties to the French, as they

attempted to integrate them into their daily lives,

albeit on their own terms

The French (then holding the Fort St. Joseph),

in turn, offered imported goods, religion, . . .civilized

life. . .

All segments -- Native American + French, men + women,

soldiers + priests -- mobilized material objects to express,

transform, and negotiate social identities in the 18th Century

(Timeline on page 6 of PEOPLE OF THE POST lists

1716 as date when French trade was established in the region;

1779 as date when British occupy the fort, during Rev. War era)

PUBLISHER is "Institute for Intercultural and Anthropological

Studies Western Michigan Univ., Kalamazoo, MI 49008