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.