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Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6583-2954

Date Available

4-19-2026

Year of Publication

2026

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College

Arts and Sciences

Department/School/Program

Anthropology

Faculty

George M. Crothers

Faculty

Christopher A. Pool

Abstract

For over a century, archaeological investigations in the Lower Ohio River Valley have provided extensive evidence of Indigenous Ancestors’ lifeways and practices. However, interpretations of shell-bearing sites have largely been shaped by Eurocentric and Western perspectives, often framing Indigenous actions as responses to environmental shifts rather than as expressions of dynamic social, spiritual, and ecological relationships. Within this historical context, explanations for the relatively abrupt decline of freshwater mollusk collection at the end of the Archaic Period (ca. 3000 cal yr BP) have primarily emphasized environmental change, particularly fluctuations in riverine conditions and resource availability. Yet, these explanations often overlook Indigenous ontologies that consider relationships between humans, more-than-human kin, and landscapes as interconnected and reciprocal. This study challenges dominant narratives by applying relational and reflexive frameworks to better understand the Indigenous communities that occupied the Lower Green River Valley (LGAR), highlighting the ways in which they engaged with and maintained connections to their environment.

To this end, I conducted archaeological investigations at two shell-bearing sites in the LGAR—a region that has received limited research attention compared to other areas of the Lower Midwest and Midsouth. These sites provide an opportunity to examine how Indigenous People moved within and with this landscape, forming relationships with the Animal and Plant People encountered in both aquatic and upland settings, as well as the Lands and the Waters that form these settings. Excavations at site 15HE160 revealed stratified upland deposits with multiple shell-bearing lenses, suggesting repeated episodes of occupation and collection of freshwater mussels and gastropods. Dating to the late Middle Archaic (ca. 6740-6405 cal yr BP), the spatial distribution of shell, faunal remains, hearth features, and items of cultural patrimony indicate patterned behaviors in food processing, tool production, and other maintenance activities. In contrast, as a Late Archaic (ca. 5315 to 5045 cal yr BP) site situated within the floodplain, 15HE638 contained a shallow deposit with evidence of activities oriented towards aquatic beings, including freshwater mollusk, fish, and turtles. These deposits suggest differential site use across the landscape, reinforcing the idea that shell-bearing sites were not merely refuse accumulations but places of social and ecological engagement. By situating the LGAR within a comparative framework that includes other shell-bearing sites in the Lower Midwest and Midsouth, this study expands our understanding of long-term regional land use, human-environment interactions, and relationships with wetland communities during the Archaic period. This work contributes to ongoing discussions in Indigenous archaeology, historical ecology, and archaeological theory, demonstrating the value of relational and reflexive approaches in interpreting past lifeways. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of engaging with Indigenous perspectives to more fully understand the complexity of human-environment interactions in deep time.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2026.30

Archival?

Archival

Funding Information

This study was supported by the Susan Abbott-Jamieson Pre-Dissertation Research Fund Award in 2014; the Kentucky Organization of Professional Archaeologists Research Grant in 2018; and the Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research Award in 2019. 

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