Sapelo Island: Archaeological Indications of Community Structures at the Kenan Field Site

Aboriginal community structures are documented along the Atlan­ tic coast of southeastern North America in 16th and 17th century narra­ tives (e.g. Garcia 1902; Andrews and Andrews 1945). Community life and its organization for the Guale of the Georgia coast included periodic as­ semblies in council houses which were circular in shape and usually quite large. Individual apartments or cabins were elevated above the floor, lining the walls along the interior of these buildings, and in the center was an open space for a fire and activities.

Archaeological evidence of two large structures, which are perhaps Mississippian Period antecedents of the protohistoric council houses, were encountered at the Kenan Field site during the summer of 1977. Kenan Field is located on Sapelo Island, Georgia, upon an extension of land which juts out briefly along the western side of the island. Cultural features visible on the surface of the site include at least two earthen mounds, a long earthen enbankment, and 589 discrete shell middens. The site area measures 60 hectares (Figure 1).

It is my intention here to provide arguments for and a descriptive and interpretative summary of the community structures at Kenan Field. These structures were archaeologically complex, and many descriptive and methodological details are omitted for the sake of brevity. A com­ plete discussion is available elsewhere (see Crook 1978).