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Ceramic Tablewares as a Means
of Comparison
• Ceramic tablewares were chosen as a
means of comparison because they
often comprise a large percentage of
historic assemblages and are an
aspect of material consumption and
dining habits that can be measured
archaeologically.
• We assume that the preference for
traditional tablewares indicates a
persistence of traditional foodways,
whereas the acquisition of Euroamerican tablewares indicates some degree
of cultural adaption. However, the limited research to date indicates that other
contextual factors are at least equally as important as cultural tradition in
producing distinctions between consumption patterns of Asian migrant
groups (Ross 2010).
• In this poster, we examine how one factor, market access, effects material
consumption patterns in order to better understand cultural change and
continuity as reflected in the archaeological record of pre-WWII Japanese sites.
Site 35MU225, Gresham, Oregon
• In 2012, WillametteCRA conducted test excavations at 35MU225, a pre-WWII
(1920s and 1930s) Japanese-American truck farming site in Gresham, Oregon.
• The 35MU225 assemblage, recovered from a plowed agricultural field, contains
historic domestic and agricultural refuse. Most notable is the large quantity of
porcelain and the prominence of Japanese decoration and forms in the ceramic
assemblage.
• Because so little archaeology has been conducted at similar sites in Oregon, our
study compares the ceramic assemblage from 35MU225 with other pre-WWII
overseas Japanese sites from California, Vancouver, B. C., and Tinian in the
Northern Mariana Islands representing a variety of site types (e.g., truck farms,
cannery, fish camp, and homestead).
• This study examines the relationship between distance to market centers and the
proportion of Japanese wares to Euroamerican wares within a site. We discuss
whether differences in proportion reflect cultural change or whether it is a direct
result of availability.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Leland Bibb for his classification of Japanese forms and analysis
of select artifacts from 35MU225, Julia Costello for providing us with a copy of her
report, Dick Sakurai for sharing his knowledge of the area, and the Port of Portland for
providing us with the opportunity to conduct archaeological excavations at 35MU225.
We would also like to thank David Ellis, Paul Solimano, and the crew at WillametteCRA.
References
Bibb, Leland E.
2013 Japanese Ceramics From a Japanese-American Farmstead in Gresham, Oregon. Prepared for
Willamette Cultural Resources Associates, Ltd. Leland E. Bibb, El Cajon, California.
Costello, Julia, Judith Marvin, Scott Baker, and Leland Bibb
2001 Historic Study Report for Three Historic-Period Resources on the Golf Club Rehabilitation Project on U.S. 395
Near Bishop, Inyo County, California. Foothill Resources, Ltd., Mokelumne Hill, California.
Dixon, Boyd, and David J. Welch
2002 Archaeological Survey of the West Tinian Airport Improvement Area, Island of Tinian, Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Island. International Archaeological Research Institute, Inc., Honolulu, Hawai'i.
RECON Environmental, Inc.
2012 Results of the Archaeological Monitoring Program for the Restaurant Depot Project. RECON
Environmental, Inc., San Diego, California.
Ross, Douglas Edward
2009 Material Life and Socio-Cultural Transformation Among Asian Transmigrants at a Frasier River
Salmon Cannery. Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Anthropology, Simon Frasier University, Burnaby,
BC, Canada.
2010 Factors Influencing the Dining Habits of Japanese and Chinese Migrants at a British Columbia
Salmon Cannery. Historical Archaeology 4(2):68-96.
Japanese Culture Change: An Archaeological Perspective
Renae Campbell, Kanani Paraso, and Michael Daniels
Willamette Cultural Resources Associates, Ltd.
Measuring Cultural Adaption through Proportions
and Market Access
• Our analysis of the assemblage from 35MU225 used form, material type, and decoration to classify ceramics into three
categories (Japanese, Euroamerican, and Unknown). We also calculated MNI and NISP counts for the ceramic assemblage.
• Selection of other overseas Japanese sites for comparison was dictated by availability of reports and accessibility of data.
• We calculated the proportion of Japanese and Euroamerican
ceramics at each site and compared these to market access
rankings.
• We assigned sites to three general rankings: Low, Intermediate, or
High market access based on distance of the site to the nearest
market center, available transportation networks, and the
purchasing power of the site occupants (e.g., size of the
community, ability to order in bulk).
Conclusions
• Our data shows that the proportions of
Japanese ceramics at sites varies
considerably and that higher market access
appears to correlate with higher percentages
of Japanese wares.
• Proportions of Japanese and Euroamerican
ceramics alone cannot be considered a
measure of cultural practice or change.
• The data suggests that other contextual
factors must be considered; for example, how the vessels were used rather than what
vessels are represented (e.g., using oral history to understand how Euroamerican
goods and foods may have been preferentially selected to substitute
for Japanese items that were inaccessible).
Comparison of Ceramic Assemblages and Site Types
This table presents the five
sites compared in this poster
along with dates of occupation
and site type.
We used MNI rather than NISP,
as MNI provides greater
information on individual
vessels and was more readily
available.
Historical
Photos
are Reproduced
From:
Mershon,
Clarence E.
2006 Along the
Sandy: Our
Nikkei
Neighbors.
Guardian Peaks
Enterprises,
Portland,
Oregon.
Site 35MU225 CA-INY-5657/H CA-SDI-20,232 Ewen Cannery: Don
Island TN-4-685
Deposit Dates 1916-1942 1910-1927 1925-1930 1901-1930 1926-1944
Activities Truck Farm Truck Farm Fish Camp Cannery Homestead
Ceramics MNI % MNI % MNI % MNI % MNI %
Japanese 18 66.7 2 33.3 10 50.0 379 86.3 18 100.0
Euroamerican 9 33.3 4 66.7 10 50.0 60 13.7 0 0.0
Totals 27 100.0 6 100.0 20 100.0 439 100.0 18 100.0
Proportions of Japanese and Euroamerican Tablewares
This graph depicts the relative
proportions of Euroamerican
and Japanese ceramic tablewares
at the five sites.
Proportions of Japanese wares
range show considerable
variability across sites (from 33
to 100% of ceramic tableware
assemblages).
Proportion of Japanese Ceramics at Sites by Market Access Rankings
If we exclude sites TN-4-685 and
CA-SDI-20,232 that are influenced
by other contextual factors (noted
to left), higher market access appears
to correlate with a higher
proportion of Japanese wares at sites.
This suggests that market access is
an important factor in producing
distinctions between consumption
patterns at overseas
Japanese archaeological sites.
Notes on Data
a This site includes trash deposits
from an American-style restaurant,
making Euroamerican ceramic
counts higher than would be
expected.
b Although Tinian is considered
Intermediate access to Japanese
wares, it has Low access to
Euroamerican wares.
Dick Sakurai,
local informant,
examines
recovered
artifacts at site
35MU225 and
helps to put
them in a
cultural
context.