Removal Period Archaeology:
The Historical Archaeology of Native American Strategies
Badin's Chapel:
Father Stephen Badin
was the first Roman Catholic priest ordained in the United States. For
several years, he lived at the Pokagon Village and ministered to the Pokagon
Band. He would eventually acquire the land that was used to found the University of Notre Dame.
He lived in a chapel located on a hill overlooking the the northern edge of the
village.
At present, this location is heavily wooded, making archaeological work
there very difficult. The chapel was a log cabin supported by
stones. The stones were removed for use in barn foundation during the
late 1800's. One can still see the impressions where the foundation
stones lay, and those were carefully mapped by the field school.
Students excavated a cross-section through one of the impressions.
As the photograph above shows, the impressions appear to be just
simple, shallow holes (the dark area that stands out from the ligher
subsoil). The pits were probably made to level the rocks used for the
foundation. A thorough metal-detector survey found only recent metal
artifacts. Several test units found only a single historic artifact in
this area - part of a stem of a white clay pipe.
Conclusions:
It appears that the chapel was mainly used for worship and as a sleeping area (as described by Father Badin in letters), but not for other domestic activities. This is consistent with its use as a sacred place. According to historic research by William Secunda, the Roman Catholic identity of the Pokagon Band was an extremely important characteristic that helped the Band avoid removal..
In 2001, we will work at Pokagon's Cabin.
Read
about prehistoric archaeology and the Goodall Tradition
project.
