Women and Cabin Sites: Understanding the Iroquoian Economic System

Abstract

One positive result of CRM excavations in the northeast over the last 20 years has been the increased attention devoted to smaller sites. Among those recognized because of this new focus are Late Woodland or Iroquoian cabin sites. In this article, one type of cabin site, referred to as field cabins, is examined in the context of the evolution of the intensification of Iroquoian horticulture. It is argued that field cabins represent an attempt by Iroquoian women to maintain control over crops grown in the fields and to use this control to strengthen their overall status in Iroquoian society. I argue that the interpretation offered here is consistent with what we know about Iroquoian society and culture as it has been documented in the 17th century and beyond. It is also argued that the ideas presented here allow for the generation of additional hypotheses regarding the evolution of Iroquoian culture that may be testable using a variety of lines of evidence and logic.