New research examines decorative practices of Native Americans in the 1700s
At a riverbank site near the North Platte River in Casper, Wyoming, archaeologists analyzed more than 5,000 artifacts to better understand Native American decorative practices in the 18th century.
The site was originally excavated in the 1970s, before the planned construction project to level the area. Even though hundreds of square meters were dug at the time, nearly 75% of the site and its potential discoveries were lost.
Nevertheless, these initial efforts determined that the site was occupied between 1700 and 1750 after the Europeans landed in North America. Preliminary analysis of certain artifacts suggests that the site may be based on the occupation of the ancestors of the Eastern Shoshone tribe, based on a combination of objects such as triangular arrow points and fatite (soapstone), which are usually identified from Shawshone sites.
Spencer Pelton and his colleagues, including Carolyn Buff, the site’s original expert, recently analyzed a complete collection of 5,000 artifacts, including bone, stone, ocher, ocher, metal, shell, shell and antler. Their research was published in Plain anthropologist At the end of last month.
Despite 30 years of inactivity, the analysis illuminates the transitional phase before and after contact with European material culture.
Some of the earliest discoveries include shell disk beads, often found in the Great Plains and other North American cultures, which could have been tied to necklaces or recovered from the dead’s neck, wrists and ankles.
Oliveira-shaped shells were also identified in small quantities and indicated some form of long-distance transactions or travels to retrieve the shells. In later periods, they were worn as necklaces, earrings and decorative shirts.
It is believed that Mollusk shells and elk ivory pendants were also found at the site from the late 1800s and 1800s, replacing Olivella around the 1830s.
There is also evidence that shell bead production may pierce holes on a given surface, a tool commonly used today. It is believed that the tool has increased the production of on-site shell decorations.
Plain Indian clothing and body decoration will indicate a person’s status, war achievements and social status.
As one of the state’s richest decor libraries, the site offers a rare glimpse at the transitional moments in history. These additional information can be used to better understand the decorative practices of Plains India and how they change from contact and trade with Europeans.
