Engendering Space at the Grissom Site (45KT301): Prehistoric Spatial Use Patterns Within the Shadow of Chelohan, an Intertribal Meeting Ground within Kittitas County, Washington
Thesis
Thesis (M.A., Anthropology) -- University of Idaho, 2016 | The Grissom site (45KT301) is a multi-component archaeological site in the northeast Kittitas Valley within central Washington State. It was originally excavated by Central Washington State College from 1967-1971 as part of their efforts to find an annual meeting ground that held a substantial food source that fed the first people within the Plateau culture area. Accounts both historically and ethnographically name known people such as the Kittitas, Taitnapam, Klickitat, Yakama, Moses – Columbia, Wanapum, and Wenatchi, the majority of whom annually visited and engaged with this landscape. The location of the meeting ground known as Chelohan (Che-lo-han) and the Grissom site rests between two language families, the Salish and the Sahaptin, who annually shared and utilized this area together. Recently rehabilitated in the 21st century, the Grissom assemblage has the potential to address the role of women as lithic creators and users, through an analysis of the unifacial tools. As such, the questions raised from this study can help identifty the role of women in prehistory. Following a technological classification of these expedient tools, the intent is to show the extent of use for these unifacial artifacts throughout the Grissom site. This thesis is a summary of my analysis and a synthesis of my findings compared to other investigations at the Grissom site.
