STONEWATCH

NEWSLETTER of the GUNGYWAMP SOCIETY

Written & Edited by the Board Members of the Gungywamp Society

Vol. 22                          ISSN 0892-1741                                 2005

The Indian Ledge Shelter

by Paulette J. Buchanan

with contributions from articles written

by Sharon Mason and the late David P. Barron

Indian Ledge Shelter.  Photo by Steve Hart

            The Indian ledge shelter in the northeast Gungywamp (on private property owned by the Vogt family) was first discovered by Dave Barron in 1979.  Excavations at the site began in 1980.

            The Indian ledge shelter is located on a slight hill up from the major stream that runs through the Gungywamp area.  The ledge shelter is a natural cave feature at the bottom of a towering rock ledge, overlooking a rather appealing "water front" area that was ideal for fishing.  As with many other streams in the area, the Gungywamp stream would have been a broader stream in centuries past, with far more volume of water running through it.  Development in the area over the past two centuries has significantly reduced ground water, which has in turn reduced the volume of water running through above ground streams.

Excavations begun in 1980 uncovered roughly 95 centimeters of compacted soil before bedrock was uncovered and demonstrated that there was serial occupancy by Native Americans that spanned thousands of years.  Within the compacted soil were found Indian artifacts which range in date from 1600 AD near the surface to artifacts dated at being 4,000 +/- years old at the lowest level of excavation.

            The artifacts found at the 1200-1600 AD level (25 cm) consisted of Late Woodland Iroquois-styled pottery, and cedar stakes most likely used to prop up animal skins in front of the cave to provide additional shelter and living space. Early Woodland projectile points, pottery, and animal bones were unearthed inside the top layer of soil directly inside the cave.  At the 35 to 50 cm level, older forms of pottery, projectile points, hammer stones date from 770 to 500 BC.  The projectile points found at this level appear to be Susquehanna-styled points, which range in their use from 1500 to 500 BC.  Charcoal found at the 35 +/- cm level dates to 770 BC.  The level nearest to the bedrock (95 cm) revealed only the crudest of stone flakes that had been chipped off from the making of projectile points, stone scrapers, and fire-exposed hearth stones.  Connecticut State Archaeologist Dr. Nicholas Bellantoni has given an estimated date of 1500 to 2000 BC for the bedrock level.

On the left, hammer stone with carved notches for finger grips.  Points (arrow heads) upper right.  Pottery sherds under points and to right of hammer stone.  Photo by Paulette J. Buchanan

Who Were the Native Americans In the Gungywamp Area?

The Paleo Period

            Archaeological evidence indicates that the Paleo Indians settled in New England around 11,000 years ago, following migrating herds of large Pleistocene animals (mastodons and mammoths).  The region was still cool, and plant life consisted of low-growing shrubs in the post-glacial tundra.  As the region began to warm, the larger Pleistocene animals migrated to the cooler north, and some may have been hunted to extinction in the New England area.  Hardwood forests began to emerge about a thousand years later and more animals, such as caribou, moose and deer, migrated into the area.  Increasingly more nomadic Paleo Indians migrated into the area to take advantage of the good hunting conditions, and temporary fishing and hunting camps have been found along river and coastal areas.  By 7000 BC it appears that a few smaller Indian groups were becoming semi-nomadic or completely settled.

The Archaic Period

            Between 4600 to 2000 BC -- the Archaic period -- Native Americans in the New England region were largely nomadic and some semi-nomadic.  Some Indian settlement sites from this time period have been found along river and coastal regions.  Shellfish, fishbone and turtle shell debris have been excavated in these settlement sites, along with stone sinkers used with fishing nets.  Based on the archaeological evidence, deer was the primary animal hunted during this period, although the bone fragment evidence also indicates that birds and domestic or wild dogs were used as a food source.  Archaic Native Americans also fed on the local vegetation, such as hickory nuts, seeds and berries.  Stone projectile points, hammer stones and bone needles and other tools have also been found in various Archaic period Indian sites in coastal New England.  It is believed that Indians developed the dug-out canoe during the Archaic Period.

The Transitional Period

            The Transitional period crosses over from the Archaic to the Woodland Periods, emerging roughly around 1000 BC.  Most Indians of this time period remained nomadic hunter-gatherers.  The less nomadic Indian groups settled along river and coastal areas and ate primarily seafood.  Pottery techniques and styles were developed in this period of time.  Burial sites indicate that elaborate rituals developed during this time period and became more important to settled Indian groups.  Many artifacts have been found placed within grave sites, suggesting that the Native Americans in the New England area had a strong belief in life after death.

The Woodland Period

The Pequot, Mohegan and other Indian tribes of the Southeastern Connecticut region belong to the Woodland Indian Period.  This period of time began around 1000 BC and lasted into the time of European settlement.  During this long span of time, Indian groups were still largely nomadic or semi-nomadic.  In the latter stages of the Woodland Period, the Indian groups began to establish permanent settlements and villages and became known by their tribal affiliations.  The Algonquin language developed over this time period.  Tribal territories and dynasties were established as tribes sought dominance over each other.  Agriculture became a major source of food, and culturally the Indians developed more advanced tools, decorative pottery, clothing and housing.  The early Europeans recorded elaborate Indian religious customs and folk tales that were passed down orally through the generations.

The Pequot and Mohegan tribes were originally one tribe which had migrated from the Hudson River Valley in present-day New York circa 1500 AD.  The Mohegans broke away from the Pequots in the early 1600s due to a power struggle between leaders within the tribe.  The Mohegans and other Indian tribes in the region later allied themselves with the English against the Pequots during the Pequot War of 1636-37.

            In the Algonquin Indian language, "Pequot" comes from pekawatawog or pequttoog, meaning "destroyer."  Algonquin dialects are shared by the Mohegans, the Niantics, the Narragansetts, and the Montauks and Shinnecocks on eastern Long Island.

            In 1620 the combined Pequot/Mohegan population had numbered roughly 6,000.  During the winter of 1633-1634, the Pequots were decimated by a small pox epidemic, and by the end of the Pequot War in 1637 the Pequots numbered less than 1,500.  Most of the captured Pequot warriors were executed, but a number of surviving male Pequots were sold as slaves to regional Indian tribes and to European plantations in the West Indies.  Women and children Pequots were given to English settlers in the area as domestic servants.

References:

http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/palecol.html

http://www.tauntonriver.org/paleo.htm

http://www.garviespointmuseum.com/IAOLI.php

http://www.colonialwarsct.org/1637_pequot_history.htm

Repair of the Large Chamber

            The 2003-04 winter was a tough one, and parts of the stonework around the large chamber's entrance had collapsed as a result of the harsh winter.  Scott and Paulette Buchanan and husband and wife Steve Hart and Hope Ball repaired the entrance of the large chamber, and then enjoyed a wonderful afternoon in the Gungywamp hiking, meeting up with other hikers, and touring the various archaeological sites.  Many thanks go to Steve and Hope for the great photographs and for their help with the repair work!

Photos by Steve Hart