Archaeology and Ethnohistory of the Omaha Indians: The Big Village Site (Studies in the Anthropology of North Ame)

For seventy years, from about 1775 until 1845, Big Village was the principal settlement of the Omaha Indians. Situated on the Missouri River seventy-five miles above the present city of Omaha, it commanded a strategic location astride this major trade route to the northern plains. A host of traders and travelers, from Jean-Baptiste Truteau and James Mackay to Lewis and Clark and Father De Smet, left descriptions of the village. Although John Champe of the University of Nebraska carried out a comprehensive archaeological investigation of the site from 1939 to 1942 (the only intensive, systematic archaeological study of any Omaha site), the results of his work have heretofore remained unpublished. Now John M. O'Shea and John Ludwickson have combined Champe's findings with the major historical accounts of the Omahas, providing significant new insights into the course of Omaha history in the preservation period.The emphasis on material culture gives a unique view of the daily life of these people and illustrates clearly the integration of European trade items with traditional technologies. Here the fur trade is seen in a fresh perspective, that of the suppliers of furs and recipients of trade goods. An examination of Omaha demography rounds out this important new ethnohistorical sketch of the Omaha Indians. Archaeology and Ethnohistory of the Omaha Indians......Page 4 Contents......Page 6 Tables......Page 8 Figures......Page 10 Plates......Page 12 Foreword......Page 14 Preface......Page 17 The Environmental Setting......Page 19 Archaeological and Ethnohistorical Investigations......Page 25 Early Investigations......Page 27 Excavations in the 1930s......Page 29 Excavations in Knox and Stanton Counties......Page 31 Excavations in Dakota and Cedar Counties: 1939-1941......Page 32 Recent Investigations......Page 33 2 Big Village and Omaha History......Page 34 The Omahas before 1775......Page 35 Big Village: 1775-1819......Page 41 The Omahas on the Elkhorn: 1820-1834......Page 55 The Last Years at Big Village: 1834-1845......Page 59 3 Excavations at Big Village, 25dk5......Page 70 Lodge 1 (Area I, XU-2, fig. 3.2)......Page 74 Lodge 2 (Area III, XU-2 and Area IV, XU-1, fig. 3.3)......Page 76 Lodge 3 (Area VI, XU-2, Feature 1; fig. 3.4)......Page 78 Lodge 4 (Area VI, XU-1, Feature 3; fig. 3.5)......Page 80 Lodge 5 (Area VI, XU-1, Feature 41; fig. 3.6)......Page 82 Exterior Storage-Refuse Pits......Page 84 Village Refuse Tests and Other Excavations......Page 85 Historic Sources on Omaha Earthlodges......Page 89 Archaeological Expression of Omaha Earthlodges......Page 92 Other Dwelling Types......Page 96 Other Village Features......Page 98 The Permanent Village......Page 99 Omaha Summer Hunt and Wintering Camps......Page 101 5 Excavations at the Big Village Cemeteries 25dk2 and 25dk10......Page 104 Feature Descriptions for 25DK2a......Page 108 Feature Descriptions for 25DK2b......Page 128 Feature Descriptions for 25DK10......Page 132 Historical and Ethnographic Accounts......Page 158 Summary of Omaha Burial Treatment at 25DK2 and 25DK10......Page 163 Comparison of Ethnographic and Archaeological Descriptions of Omaha Funerary Practices......Page 168 Summary of Pre-Omaha Funerary Treatments at 25DK2......Page 173 Glass Beads......Page 175 White Clay Pipes and Fragments (plate 1.3)......Page 184 Glass Fragments......Page 185 Iron C-Bracelets (plate 2.3-4)......Page 186 Iron Knives (plates 2.18-19, 3.10-14, 5.6)......Page 187 Hatchets and Axes with Polls (plate 6.3-5)......Page 188 Strike-a-Lights (plate 5.7-9)......Page 189 Trap Part (?)......Page 190 Nails and Spikes (plate 2.5-13)......Page 191 Flintlock Screw-barrel "Overcoat" Pistol (plate 8.8, fig. 7.1)......Page 192 Iron Gun Parts (plate 8.1-2)......Page 195 Leather-covered Wooden Cassette with Hasp Lock (plate 5.311, fig. 7.3)......Page 196 Bit (plate 5.2)......Page 199 Oval Tobacco Box (plate 2.16)......Page 200 Buckets or Pails (plate 9.2)......Page 201 Sheet Iron Bowls or Plates......Page 202 Bail Loop (plate 5.1)......Page 203 Large Brass Wire Bracelets, Plain, Open Ends (plate 10.1-2)......Page 204 Small Brass Wire Bracelets, Plain, Ends Closed (plate 10.4)......Page 205 Bracelets of Thinner Sheet Brass, Decorated (plates 11.1 and 4, 12.7)......Page 206 Arm Coils......Page 207 Brass Signet Ring (Jesuit Ring) (plate 13.23)......Page 208 Bells, Perforated Thimbles, and Conical Tinklers......Page 209 Small Spherical Cast-Brass Bells (plate 14.3-4)......Page 210 Very Small Pressed Sheet Brass Spherical Bells (plate 15.1-2)......Page 211 Perforated Brass Thimbles......Page 212 Brass Buttons (plate 12.2-4)......Page 213 Brass Wire and Wooden Dowel Hair Puller (plate 12.8)......Page 214 Sheet Brass Implements......Page 215 Brass Gun Parts (plates 8.3-7, 9-10, 12.5)......Page 216 Silver Artifacts......Page 217 Smaller Double-armed Crosses (plate 17.3)......Page 218 Large Circular Brooches (plates 18.4-8, 22.1)......Page 219 Silver Bracelets (plate 20)......Page 220 Cut Triangular Ear Ornaments (plate 21.2)......Page 221 Lead Wire Coils (plate 22.6)......Page 222 Circular Lead Brooches (plate 22.4-5)......Page 223 Tubular Shell Hair Pipes (plate 31.7-15)......Page 224 Wampum......Page 225 Leather Shoe Sole......Page 226 Felt Fragments......Page 227 Other Textile Remains......Page 228 Thick, Smooth Pottery......Page 229 Great Oasis......Page 232 Body sherds......Page 233 Small Triangular Bifaces......Page 234 Gunflints......Page 235 Other Worked Catlinite and Limestone (plate 26.6 and 15)......Page 238 Clinker Abraders (plates 27.10-14)......Page 240 Sharpening Stone......Page 242 Ground Stone Spheres (plate 26.1-2)......Page 243 "Boatstone" (atlatl weight) (plate 26.5)......Page 244 Red Pigment......Page 245 Bear Claw Pendants (plates 28.1-17)......Page 246 Incised Bone Tubes (plate 29.7-8)......Page 247 Rib Shaft Wrenches......Page 248 Pin Game Cups (plate 28.24-25)......Page 249 Bird Crania (plates 30.2-6)......Page 250 Feathers......Page 251 Other Carved Antler (plate 29.11, 13-15)......Page 253 Perforated Wooden Shafts......Page 254 Incised Plum Pits (plate 32.7-8, fig. 7.4)......Page 255 Bark......Page 257 Charred Corncobs......Page 258 Material Culture in the Big Village Cemeteries......Page 259 Material Culture at Big Village: Intrasite Comparisons......Page 265 Comparison of Material Culture: Big Village and Leavenworth......Page 274 Glass and Crockery......Page 275 Brass and Copper......Page 276 Lead/Pewter and Gunflints......Page 279 Summary......Page 281 Historical and Archaeological Views of Big Village Material Culture......Page 282 Conclusion......Page 286 9 Omaha Demography......Page 289 Methods......Page 290 Lifetable Analysis......Page 292 Demographic Comparisons......Page 300 Overview of Omaha Population History......Page 303 10 Conclusions......Page 308 Plates......Page 313 Appendix Vertebrate Remains from Big Village......Page 346 Methods......Page 349 Assemblage Description......Page 350 Large Mammals......Page 351 Other Mammals......Page 353 Discussion And Intersite Comparison......Page 354 References......Page 357 B......Page 378 C......Page 380 F......Page 381 I......Page 382 L......Page 383 O......Page 384 P......Page 386 S......Page 387 Y......Page 389