This dissertation investigates how ethnic identity is formed and manipulated following a migration. To reach this end, food choice is examined as a deliberate cultural symbol used to negotiate ethnic identity. This research utilizes a case study which explores food choice following the pre-Columbian migration of an Oneota group into west-central Illinois. Following a migration, social identity is often renegotiated and a new ethnic identity may be formed. Diet serves as an effective vehicle for manipulating individual and group identity; therefore, examining changes in food choice following a migration presents information regarding migrant population's physical and cultural interactions with their new environment (Fishkin 2005).The migration of Oneota people to west-central Illinois (ca. A.D. 1300) presents a unique opportunity to assess Oneota subsistence, and by proxy ethnic identity, in an area that is optimal for maize agriculture (Conrad and Esarey n.d..; King 1993; Santure et al. 1990). Archaeological investigations have revealed evidence for conflict, cohabitation, and cooperation between the migrant Oneota group and local, maize-reliant Middle Mississippian people. This project seeks to reveal if and how the Oneota altered their traditionally diverse diet to manipulate their ethnic identity as they interacted with their new neighbors. Two broad research questions were generated which focused on diet: was the Oneota diet in the central Illinois River valley different from the Middle Mississippian diet in the area, and did ethnic identity, among social categories, have the strongest impact on the west-central Oneota diet? To explore these questions, Morton Village (IAS 11F1), a Bold Counselor Oneota habitation site, and the associated mortuary site, Norris Farms 36, were chosen as the Oneota sample. Orendorf (IAS 11F107), a nearby Mississippian habitation and mortuary site, was chosen to represent local Middle Mississippians. Analysis of stable isotopes from seventy-five human bone samples from each of these two sites allowed for the comparison of consumed diet at Morton Village and Orendorf. The ä13C and ä15N values of the samples were examined as part of an intersite analysis and the isotope values from Norris Farms 36 remains were further explored as part of an intrasite analysis.The intersite analysis demonstrated differences between diets at the two sites, with significantly lower ä13C values and generally higher ä15N values at Norris Farms 36. This indicates that there were deliberate differences in food choice between the two sites which may have been used by the inhabitants at Morton Village to signal their ethnic identity to local populations. The intrasite analysis revealed a relatively large amount of variation. The lack of homogeneity at Norris Farms 36, even within groups based on sex and age, indicates that there was not a homogenous ethnic identity at Morton Village that was prioritized over other available social identities.In addition to shedding light on Oneota subsistence, this study demonstrates how the investigation of diet can reveal valuable information about ethnic identity and social interactions. In light of the evidence for positive and negative interactions in the area, the results of this study suggest that the inhabitants at Morton Village used food choice in a deliberate manner, likely using diet to invoke specific identities on a situational basis.
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