A public talk by Dr. Kenneth M. Ames
Portland, Oregon
November 18, 2010

Dr. Kenneth M. Ames is chair of the Portland State University Department of Anthropology and a recent past president of the Society for American archeology. He presented this talk, “Entangled in the Fur Trade: Or, the Archaeology of Contact on the Lower Columbia River” as the 2010 James B. Castles Lecture, November 18, 2010 at the Oregon Historical Society.

Part I – Introduction to Fur Trade Era Archaeology | Time: 11:18

Dr. Ames discusses the role of archeology in understanding the fur trade and introduces the concepts of entanglement and archaeological interpretation regarding cultural continuity.

Part II – The Metaphor of Entanglement | Time: 9:04

Dr. Ames discusses the metaphor of entanglement as it applies to interactions between groups of people and the relationship of archaeologists with contemporary Native Americans. Ames also addresses the maritime fur trade of the late 1700s and the high population numbers and densities on the Lower Columbia River.

Part III – Archaeological Sites and Communities – Middle Village, Cathlapotle, Meier, Clahclellah | Time: 8:08

Dr. Ames discusses the ways in which archaeology at each of these locations tells a different story, from the pre-contact, early contact and post contact periods.

Part IV – The Archaeology of Trash and Trade | Time: 11:15

Dr. Ames compares artifacts recovered at the Meier and Cathlapotle sites, examining what changes in trash disposal and hearth development reveal about contact.

Part V – Post-epidemic Archaeology | Time: 12:13

Dr. Ames discusses the ways that archaeology helps to inform historical understanding after the 1830s and into the present period in which archaeologists and tribes have become entangled.

Part VI – Entangled Networks of Historical Understanding | Time: 9:35

Consultation within a large, entangled network can be challenging but is necessary. Audience question and answer period explores the following: Chinese Iron Artifacts; Kennewick Man; trash disposal; Chinook burial practices.