Browsing by Subject "Neches River"
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Item The archaeology and ethnohistory of the Hasinai Caddo : material culture and the course of European contact(2011-05) Marceaux, Paul Shawn Joseph; Wade, Maria de Fátima, 1948-; Creel, Darrell; Wilson, Samuel; Butzer, Karl; Reilly, F. K.This dissertation compiles information related to Caddo archaeology and history and examines in detail the collections from various Historic Caddo sites and Spanish missions. The study uses materials from these sites, along with the archival records from early European expeditions and colonization efforts, to try to identify archaeological correlates of the groups that constituted the Hasinai Caddo. The objective is to determine if specific attributes of ceramic style and technology reflect the position and geographical extent of the principal tribes of the Hasinai Caddo as indicated by the historical records. To accomplish this I examined numerous collections from clusters of historic period sites in the Neches and Angelina River valleys of east Texas, including sites occupied by the Hasinai Caddo and two of the three Spanish missions discovered in east Texas. The study analyzes, organizes, and characterizes distinct ceramic assemblages and other artifacts in the collections. Another goal of this research is to better define the periods of use and chronological relationships of Historic Caddo sites. Ceramic frequency seriations of established types, supported by other evidence, demonstrate chronological orderings reflected in the collections. The cultural landscape of the Hasinai Caddo, broadly characterized, consisted of sedentary groups living in dispersed farmsteads as thriving agriculturalists, organized in a complex hierarchy of social and spiritual leaders. Sustained contact with Spanish missionaries brought trade materials and technology in tandem with social objectives and policies, many aimed at replacing Caddo cultural identity under the guise of religious conversion, relocation, and trade. While the number of Caddo groups identified in the ethnohistoric record decreased as time passed, it is clear from the archives that groups of the Hasinai endured and maintained distinct affiliations during the contact period. The ceramic analyses support the historic record on this point and demonstrate how assemblages are part of well-established and persistent ceramic traditions. At the same time, the study documents distinct archaeological signatures that may represent socio-cultural, political, and/or economic differences in the Hasinai Caddo. Evidence also demonstrates how the Hasinai Caddo were both willing participants in, and at the same time rejected, the Spanish mission system.Item Freshwater Flow, Saltwater Intrusion, Paper Mill Effluent, and Fish Assemblage Structure in the Lower Neches River, Texas(2013-06-11) Pizano, Rebecca IIn 2011, Texas experienced the worst drought in recorded history. This has escalated concerns regarding environmental flows needed to sustain freshwater and estuarine systems as human needs are addressed during drought periods. In this thesis, I analyze fish assemblages and water quality variables in order to observe the effects of drought in the lower Neches River below the saltwater barrier located upstream from Beaumont, Texas. Fish and water quality samples were taken during drought conditions during fall 2011 and summer 2012, after a season of rain. During fall 2011, sites surveyed above the barrier had lower salinity but similarly low dissolved oxygen (DO) levels compared with sites surveyed below the barrier. Salinity levels during fall 2011 were relatively high (reaching up to 15 ppt), whereas salinity during summer 2012 never rose above 1.5 ppt. For gillnet samples obtained during fall 2011, fish species richness was higher in December following a series of rain events than during drought conditions in October and November. Although fish species richness was similar between fall 2011 and summer 2012, species composition varied greatly. For seine samples obtained during summer 2012, species richness was higher during May and July (when the barrier was open) than during June and August (when the barrier was closed). Species richness was lowest for sites in closest proximity to a paper mill effluent discharge pipe located below the barrier. Also, species richness was higher at sites above the barrier than at sites below the barrier regardless of whether or not the barrier was closed. Multivariate statistical analyses of gillnet samples revealed a large amount of compositional overlap among fish assemblages, regardless of time period and location; however, analyses of seine samples revealed that fish assemblages above the barrier were different than those from samples obtained below the barrier and that fish assemblages varied based on time period. Results indicate that, during periods of low flow, water quality deteriorates in the Lower Neches River below the saltwater barrier. During these periods of environmental degradation, fish assemblages have reduced diversity and sensitive freshwater species decline in abundance, with some absent from survey samples.