Archeology in Oahe Downstream

In Oahe Downstream, archeologists use stone points and pottery to learn who lived in an area and when. Paleoindian hunters used different styles of stone points at different times in the prehistoric era, depending on what they hunted and whether the points were attached to a spear, dart, or arrow. As animals, hunting tactics, and weapons changed, stone points changed as well, including after the introduction of the atlatl and later the bow and arrow. The size and shape of a point reflected its purpose, with long, narrow points used on spears for hunting bison on foot and smaller, more compact points used on arrows for hunting birds or rabbits. Archeologists also analyze pottery made by American Indians and their ancestors from local materials such as Missouri River bottom clay. Because different groups decorated pots, vessels, and jugs with different designs, pottery fragments can be compared across sites to suggest whether sites were related or unrelated, and these designs can also help date sites. In this sequence, the Early Archaic period, about 10,000 to 8000 B.P., includes Palmer/Kirk Corner-Notched, LeCroy/Saint Alhans/MacCorkle Bifurcates, Bolen/Taylor/Big Sandy Early Side-Notched, and Hardin Stemmed; the Late Paleoindian period, about 10,500 to 10,000 B.P., includes Unfluted Dalton and Fluted Dalton; the Middle Paleoindian period, about 10,800 to 10,500 B.P., includes Cumberland, Beaver Lake, Quad, Simpson, Clovis Variant, and Suwannee; and the Early Paleoindian period, about 11,500 to 10,800 B.P., includes Clovis.

South Dakota · United States