Design Development Worksheets
Early Residents
6.0 Early Residents
Drawing Sheet Numbers: 6.0.0–6.3.0
Other Optional Titles:
Winds of the Past; Smoke in the Wind; Land of Many Fires;
Exhibit Description:
Three landform islands define the space and provide structure for graphics and artifact cases.
In each of the islands and against the wall, cases hold artifacts and/or reproduced specimens
of the early inhabitants’ tools, weapons, pottery, etc. A large-scale mural runs along the back
wall and flows from the Early Residents area through the Fanning the Flames area and to the
Historic Period. Iconic images of early life on the prairie are silhouetted against the mural.
Two introductory panels, one by the elevator and one off the Fanning the Flames area,
orient visitors to the layout of this story, which moves in a horseshoe pattern in the space.
Along the back wall, a rotating covered table houses a three-part model/diorama of different
types of lodges: wattle-and-daub, grass lodge, and earth lodge.
Gallery Intro Panel:
[From Fanning the Flames area]
People have lived in the Flint Hills for more than 13,500 years. During part of that time they
moved about, sometimes following herds of animals and at other times shifting between
resources according to the seasons. They gathered wild plants and collected flint and other
materials for tools. As time went on native peoples cultivated certain plants and developed
gardens to supplement their hunting and gathering of wild resources. They became the
region’s first farmers, eventually adopting corn and other garden produce. These became
essential crops for future generations of both Native and Euro-American populations.
Over the millennia societies changed and groups moved in and out of the region. In order
to understand the complex histories of these many generations of native peoples,
archaeologists study the objects these early residents left behind. Archaeological remains
and the context in which they are found provide the only clues to the past histories and ways
of living of these earliest residents.
Gallery Intro Panel:
[From the Elevator]
People have lived in the Flint Hills for more than 13,500 years. Since their appearance at the
end of the Ice Age, they have been an integral species, continually shaping the land and
being shaped by it. At times they followed herds of animals across the plains or shifted
between different areas within the Flint Hills to harvest the abundant resources this region
had to offer. They learned which wild plants to eat and managed the grasslands with fire.
They used local stone to make tools. Eventually they settled down by gardens they
maintained and used earth and grasses to make their homes. Societies changed through time
and new groups came and went. In order to understand the complex histories of these
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many generations of native peoples, archaeologists study the objects left behind by these
early residents. Archaeological remains and the context in which they are found provide the
only clues to the past histories and ways of living of these earliest residents.
Column Timeline:
To understand the various groups of people who have lived in this area over the last 13,500
years, archaeologists have designated six major periods: Paleoindian period (which occurred
13,500–9,000 years ago), Archaic period (which occurred 9,000–2,500 years ago), Early
Ceramic or Woodland period (2,500–1,000 years ago), Middle Ceramic period (1,000–600
years ago), Late Ceramic or Protohistoric period (600–200 years ago), and Historic period
(200 years ago–present).
Exhibit Description:
Drawing Sheet Number: 6.2.0
The first island off the Fanning the Flames entrance is the chronological beginning of this
story. Here a discussion of Paleoindian people is initiated. A square artifact cases is sunk into
the center of the island where non-local flint projectile points and other tools are displayed.
Theme:
Paleoindian Period (13,500–9,000 years ago)
The First Human Inhabitants of the Prairie
The earliest evidence of humans in present-day Kansas dates as early as 13,500 years ago
(before present [bp]). Informally referred to as Paleoindians, these early residents were
nomads who followed herds of Ice Age mammals onto the grasslands. They migrated to the
Flint Hills area from surrounding regions including present-day Nebraska and Colorado but
also from as far away as Wyoming and the Dakotas. After their arrival, they developed a very
successful way of living in the prairies that lasted more than 5,000 years.
The Paleoindians were hunter-gatherers. With spears and darts, they hunted mammals (such
as mammoth and bison) that roamed the area at the end of the Pleistocene Ice Age. It is
also likely that some of their diet came from scavenging large mammals (rather than hunting
and killing them). They also gathered wild plants, nuts, and berries.
The artifacts they left behind include distinctive stone tools. Many of the earliest of these
were made from stone that came from outside of Kansas. The first immigrants brought tools
with them from other regions. Much remains to be learned about these early inhabitants,
such as how individuals interacted with one another. Careful archaeological study may
reveal more about their social structure and other life-ways. Some questions, such as what
language they spoke, will likely remain unanswered.
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Topic:
What the Evidence Tells Us
Much of the evidence left behind by the Paleoindian peoples is in the form of stone tools:
spear and dart points, knives, hide scrapers, and engraving tools among others. Some of the
earliest of these objects were made from stone that is available outside the Flint Hills, some
as distant as Wyoming.
This tells us that the early immigrants traveled long distances during the end of the Ice Ages.
The earliest Paleoindians likely found nearly unlimited territory available to them in the Flint
Hills. Paleoindian tools also tell us that these people were hunters. They needed spear and
dart points to kill wild game, knives to butcher the animals, and scrapers to clean animal
hides for blankets and clothing.
The Paleoindian remains studied by archaeologists indicate that these early Americans lived
in small groups. They did not build permanent structures or villages, rather moved often
between temporary camps.
Subtopic:
The Early Holocene Climate
The climate and environment of this region were changing during the 5,000 years that
followed the last Ice Age, when the Paleoindian people inhabited the area. Generally this
area became warmer and drier, though temperatures were still cooler than today. The
environment changed from a parkland with scattered trees (such as spruce and aspen) to a
more open grassland. The large Ice Age mammals, such as the mammoth, became extinct,
while other animals changed.
Some scientists believe that the earliest people in the Americas were responsible for the
extinction of the Ice Age mammals. Paleoindians were skilled hunters who may have
overhunted animals already stressed by climatic changes. Other scientists believe that the
changing climate was responsible for the extinction of these large mammals. Perhaps it was a
combination of both.
Karen Carr, North American Pleistocene Landscape (Detail), Need to find source info for this.
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Go See It!
At the University of Kansas’ Natural History Museum & Biodiversity Research Center, in
Dyche Hall, an ancient bison skeleton (more than 10,000 years old) is on view to the public.
It was discovered in 1895 by Handel T. Martin and T. R. Overton at the Twelve Mile Creek
site in western Kansas (Logan County). A spear point was found directly with this skeleton
showing that early people were hunting bison. To learn more visit:
http://www.nhm.ku.edu/Hdocs/Visit.html.
Topic:
Tools of the Trade
Distinctive stone tools provide the earliest evidence of people in the Flint Hills. Clovis
projectile points, shaped like lance tips, were long and narrow, usually between 2–7 inches
in length. Clovis points have concave flutes on each surface near the base. These grooves
made it possible to securely attach the stone point to the wooden shaft of a dart or spear.
Clovis points were made and used between about 13,500-13,000 years ago. Although not
found with animal bones in Kansas, elsewhere Clovis points have been found with
mammoth bones, indicating that the mammoth was one of the animals hunted by these early
Americans. Small stone scraping tools with distinctive spurs or projections next to the
scraping edge were used to work hides into clothing and blankets.
Later Paleoindian peoples continued to make hunting tools of stone, but of different styles.
Folsom points, for instance, were made between about 12,000-11,000 years ago. They
continued to be fluted, but were usually smaller and thinner and exceptionally well made.
Since many of the largest megafauna had become extinct by this time, Folsom people hunted
large forms of bison that have since become extinct.
Many different types of well-made but unfluted projectile points were made by Paleoindian
peoples after 11,000 years ago. They hunted bison as they evolved into the modern forms we
know today, as well as other animals, while also collecting wild plants.
Case Study—The Diskau Site:
Drawing Sheet Number: 6.2.0
Exhibit Description:
A small artifact case is embedded in the island structure to house Paleoindian artifacts
including non-local chert spear and dart points and other early stone tools. Touchable
specimens could be mounted on pullout drawers under the rail. Graphic panels teach visitors
about the uses and importance of flint and highlight an actual site within the Flint Hills.
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Topic:
The Diskau Site
The Diskau site is located in Riley County north of Manhattan, Kansas. Artifacts reportedly
collected at this site suggest that native peoples visited this area during the Paleoindian
period approximately 13,000 years ago. Several Clovis points, spurred end scrapers, and
other stone tools were reportedly found at this site. Many of the early tools were made from
non-local flint and came from northwestern Kansas and more distant places.
Reportedly discovered by the landowner in the 1940s, over 120 stone tools were collected
from this site. They include projectile points, knives, scrapers, gravers, spokeshaves,
perforators, and drills from the Paleoindian and later periods. Because of the variety of tools,
archaeologists believe that this may have been a temporary residential camp (rather than a
kill site).
Topic:
Chert
The Indispensible Stone
For most of the time that humans have lived in the Flint Hills, chert (also known as flint)
was one of their most important resources. In fact, it was among the most significant
resources of prehistoric peoples for hundreds of generations. Why chert? Because it is a
hard, yet brittle stone that can be chipped or flaked to make tools with strong, sharp edges.
This process is called flintknapping. Chert was a vitally important resource of all peoples
of the Plains before the introduction of metals by Europeans. They chipped the stones to
make many different styles of projectile points, knives, scrapers, drills, and other tools over
thousands of years. With these tools they were able to hunt, butcher and process meat, clean
and prepare hides, cut and shape wood and other materials, and much more.
Changing flintknapping techniques, forms of tools, and type of stone used to create those
tools provide much information to archaeologists who carefully study the remains left
behind by early residents of the Flint Hills. The earliest Paleoindian projectile points found
in Kansas were made from non-local chert, which means the owners traveled great distances.
However, once in the Flint Hills, these people realized the excellent quality of the local
cherts. The predominance of stone tools made from Flint Hills cherts during later time
periods shows that later residents made this region their long-term home.
Paleoindian and Archaic projectile points were used to tip wooden darts and spears thrown
with an atlatl. It wasn’t until much later (the Late Woodland period only 1,500 years ago)
that the bow and arrow came into common use.
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Flipbook:
Flintknapping
How’d they do that?
One of the earliest technological skills developed by humans is the chipping or flaking of
stone known as flintknapping. Flintknappers used rock, antler, or bone to chip flakes from
the edge of larger pieces of fine-grained stone, such as chert or flint. They systematically
removed flakes in a planned fashion until they had made the size, shape, and sharpness they
sought for their planned tool.
The process of Flintknapping will be shown through a series of illustrations or pictures and
text. TBD.
Artifact IDs:
For Paleoindian artifacts, text TBD
Artifacts Needed:
•
•
•
Diskau site artifacts from KSU department if available or casts
Late Paleoindian points (Allen and Dalton styles) from local collectors (ask Lauren
Ritterbush for names)
If local artifacts cannot be obtained, casts from elsewhere could certainly be used
and are not that hard to obtain
[There are differing opinion about what dating system to use—years BP or B.C.E./C.E.
Some of the archaeologists area leaning towards BP for discussions with the general public
because it can easily be translated to “years ago” where as other archaeologists feel that using
B.C.E/ C.E. might be more understandable to the general public. We need to reconcile this
before label writing (as well as issues with gallery and theme titles for this area).
For now, for consistency’s sake, I’m using “years bp” and “years ago.”]
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Exhibit Description:
Drawing Sheet Number: 6.2.1
The second island off the Fanning the Flames entrance highlights the Archaic peoples of the
Flint Hills. A square artifact cases is sunk into the center of the island where local flint
projectile points and other tools are displayed.
Theme:
The Archaic Period (9,000-2,500 years ago)
During the Archaic period, approximately 9,000–2,500 years ago, people were still primarily
hunter-gatherers and individual bands defined loose territories through which they moved
and hunted in annual or seasonal cycles. They hunted smaller game and traveled over smaller
areas than their Paleoindian ancestors. Individual bands made extensive use of the wide
variety of local resources available to them within self-defined areas of the Flint Hills.
Animal bones found in Archaic sites include smaller animals such as birds, fish, coyotes,
rabbits, turtles, and others indicating a clear shift from the big game Paleoindian hunters.
Increased evidence of grinding stones indicates that Archaic peoples may have increased
their gathering habits and may have eaten more wild plant foods than their predecessors.
Likely, Archaic peoples had broad based subsistence practices, using a variety of plants and
animals available in the lowlands, floodplains, and upland bluffs where they made shortterm, seasonal camps.
Topic:
The Archaic Peoples
Changing Cultures
The Archaic period encompasses a large span of time (nearly 7,000 years) and their world
was changing—people had to adapt. From the end of the Pleistocene through the
Paleoindian period, the climate of Kansas was changing—becoming warmer and dryer, more
similar to today’s climate with emerging seasonal patterns—and promoted the expansion of
the grasslands at the expense of forests. During this time, many of the larger Ice Age
mammals were dying off, such as the mammoth, mastodon, giant bison, giant sloth, horse,
and dire wolf. Many modern species and mammals, such as bison, elk, antelope, deer,
wolves, and coyotes, became more prominent. Archaic people hunted on seasonal rounds,
relying on a larger variety of mammals and aquatic resources, and they returned to resource
rich areas repeatedly to harvest seeds and nuts and to collect chert for tool making.
Some of the most obvious changes during the Archaic period in the Flint Hills were
technological. For example, the first fired clay artifacts are found at Archaic sites in the Flint
Hills. These include two interesting clay head figurines and one clay bead. They were found
at two different Flint Hills archaeological sites dating to about 5,000 years ago.
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Locally available Flint Hills cherts were used to make the stone tools during the Archaic
rather than stone from outside Kansas as Paleoindian peoples had done. Different styles of
projectile points were developed at different times and in different parts of the Flint Hills as
local bands developed their own identities.
New forms of tools were also used during the Archaic. Chipped stone axes and wedges
indicate increased wood-working activities. Grinding stones were also used, probably for
grinding wild grass seeds and other plant foods of increased importance during the Archaic
Period. In the northern Flint Hills, a distinctive style of knife, called a Munkers Creek knife,
was made from local chert.
Subtopic:
The Early–Middle Holocene Climate
The earth experienced a steady increase in temperature and decrease in precipitation after the
Pleistocene. The period during which these peaked is called the Altithermal or Hypsithermal.
This long period of drying lasted for approximately 3,000 years and reached its peak between
8,000 and 5,000 years ago. This change in climate led to changes in the abundance and form
of plants and animals. There may have been a decrease in human population as well. Arid
conditions (including long-term drought) likely led Archaic peoples to move between stable
water sources, such as rivers, streams, and springs. Shellfish, fish, amphibians and reptiles
were collected as foods, in addition to waterfowl and other mammals that were hunted.
Seeds, nuts, and root plants (such as onions, turnips, potatoes, and garlic) were added to the
diet as gathering practices intensified in both the upland grassland habitats and the forested
stream areas in the lowlands.
Topic:
What the Evidence Tells Us
Because the Archaic period is so long (over 6,000 years) archaeologists have divided this
period into regional and temporal (time) phases. One phase defined in the northern Flint
Hills is called the Munkers Creek phase and occurred around 6,000 years ago. Three
Munkers Creek phase sites in the Flint Hills have been well studied: the William Young site
near Council Grove Lake, the Coffey site near Tuttle Creek Lake, and the Cow-Killer site
near Melvern Lake. These sites are temporary camps of hunter-gatherers who repeatedly
returned to stream valleys rich with plants and animals. Their stone tools are made of local
Flint Hills chert. These sites were likely used by small bands of people who moved
seasonally through the Flint Hills. Though many of the Archaic sites are deeply buried in the
Flint Hills (because of their location in floodplains and low-terrace areas), a few sites have
been exposed by erosion or construction activities.
During this period they also experimented with making fired clay objects including beads
and effigies. Two shaped and fired pieces of clay from the William Young site appear to
have facial features formed in them. A fired clay bead was found at the Coffey site. The
practice of firing clay appears to be limited, but is significant because these Flint Hills
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artifacts represent the oldest modeled human figures in North America. They also represent
deliberate and successful experimentation with shaping and firing clay. Later in the
Woodland period, this practice resumed in the forming and firing of clay pots.
Munkers Creek knife
From the William Young Site
Munkers Creek effigy head
From the William Young Site
Case Study—The William Young and Coffey sites:
Exhibit Description:
A small artifact case is embedded in the island structure to house Archaic artifacts including
non-local chert spear and dart points and other early stone tools. Touchable specimens
could be mounted on pullout drawers under the rail. Graphic panels teach visitors about the
uses and importance of flint and highlight an actual site within the Flint Hills.
Topic:
Munkers Creek Phase
A long period of extremely dry conditions existed in the central Plains between about 8,000–
5,000 years bp. Despite the harsh climatic conditions, bands of mobile hunters and gatherers
continued to live in the Flint Hills. They traveled between temporary camps in well-watered
areas. One example of this is the Coffey archaeological site along the Big Blue River in
Pottawatomi County, Kansas.
The Coffey site dates to approximately 5,270–5,055 years bp and consists of seasonal base
camps (likely used during the late summer/early fall) where inhabitants could utilize the
nearby upland, woodland, and aquatic habitats. Nineteen hearths were found at this camp
and a number of chipped stone tools made from the readily available chert from the area.
A comparable site, the William Young site near the confluence of Munkers Creek and Short
Creek in Morris County, dates of approximately 5,400 years bp. Found buried 2–7 feet
{meters?} under a terrace outcropping, were 16 hearths, 6 pit hearths, 4 post molds, and
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many stone tools. In addition, this site contained the earliest examples of modeled and fired
effigies.
*Need to reconcile some of these facts between KSU powerpoint (presented by LWR) and
entry in Encyclopedia of Prehistory, Vol. 6: North America.
Artifact IDs:
For Archaic artifacts, text TBD
Artifacts Needed:
These should include various forms of projectile points, chipped stone axes and
wedges/chisels, and Munkers Creek artifacts:
• Williams Young site effigy heads—One of these effigy heads is on display at the
Kansas Museum of History (KSHS).
• Other Munkers Creek artifacts: The artifacts from the Munkers Creek site are
curated by the Kansas Historical Society in Topeka (contact Bob Hoard, state
archeologist)
• Projectile points and other stone tools from the Coffey site—the Coffey site artifacts
are curated at the University of Kansas Archaeological Research Center (associated
with the Biodiversity Center/Natural History Museum). The curator to contact is Dr.
Mary Adair.
• Archaic projectile points, reproduction or illustration of atlatl.
Topic:
Finding Local Chert?
Certain Permian-age limestones in the Flint Hills contain nodules or bands of chert. Today
these can be seen in road cuts as narrow layers of bluish gray stone in the paler limestone.
In the past, ancient people found chert exposed along eroding slopes of the Flint Hills.
Here they could easily collect this valuable material. In some areas they chose to dig shallow
quarry pits using stone, bone, and antler digging tools to access high-quality chert.
People who did not live in the Flint Hills also valued this material and obtained it through
travel and trade with local populations. In exchange, people outside this region provided the
residents of the Flint Hills with other goods and materials, including sandstone from the
Smoky Hills to the west. Later inhabitants of the Flint Hills preferred this sandstone for
paired abraders that were used to shape arrow shafts.
[Comment by Lauren Ritterbush: I believe we can get a photo (or the actual artifact) of an
antler digging tool found in an archaeological excavation of one of the few known chert
quarries in this region from the Kansas Historical Society if needed for exhibit materials.]
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Flipbook:
Throwing an Atlatl
How’d They Do that?
The use of the atlatl—a flexible wooden shaft used to throw spears or darts over long
distances with great accuracy and strength—became commonplace during the Archaic
period and continued into the Woodland period (2500–1000 years ago).
Like the flipbook on flintknapping, this short flipbook could show how the atlatl was
constructed and used through illustrations and text.
Atlatl
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Exhibit Description:
Drawing Sheet Number: 6.2.1
The second island off the Fanning the Flames entrance (the island nearest the elevator)
highlights the Woodland period of the Flint Hills. A square artifact cases is sunk into the
center of the island where pottery and other artifacts are displayed.
Theme:
The Early Ceramic or Woodland Period (2,000–1,000 years ago)
The Woodland people inhabited the grasslands of Kansas, and contrary to what their name
might suggest, did not live wholly in the woods. The term “woodland” was applied to those
people because they were culturally similar to the woodland people living in forests in the
eastern U.S. Therefore archaeologists sometimes refer to the western group as “Plains
Woodland Indians” to avoid confusion. Like the Archaic and Paleoindian peoples before
them, the Plains Woodland Indians utilized the resources in the grasslands, woodlands, and
aquatic habitats. The climate and environment of the Flint Hills during the Woodland period
was much like it is today—perhaps a bit cooler with more precipitation and a shorter
growing season. The plants and animals included mostly those that exist today.
Also referred to as the Early Ceramic period, the Woodland period is characterized by the
first appearance of pottery. For the first time, native peoples who had been collecting (and
possibly encouraging the growth of certain) wild plants for thousands of years began
cultivating certain locally available plants. These people continued to use the spear and atlatl,
but eventually developed the bow and arrow. By the end of the Woodland period, the bow
and arrow was the primary hunting tool.
Topic:
Beginnings of Native Gardening
The Plains Woodland were still hunters and gatherers (like the Archaic and Paleoindian
cultures before them) but they were also budding gardeners and made use of some cultigens.
They were experimenting with domesticated plants such as the sunflower, marshelder (or
sump weed), and goosefoot, which all had been important plant foods in their wild forms.
Tobacco was also domesticated by the Late Woodland period. Along with meat (in the form
of deer, rabbit, other small mammals, fish, freshwater clams and turtles) and wild plants,
cultivated plants added to the rich and varied diet of the Plains Woodland people.
The presence of pottery vessels suggests a higher reliance on plant foods, both wild and
cultivated, and new ways of processing those foods. Pottery and the practice of gardening
also suggest a somewhat more sedentary lifestyle. Base camps were established in resourcerich areas near streams. The mobile hunters and gatherers likely returned to these base
camps to plant and later harvest seeds from these early gardens. The variety of foods hunted
and harvested provided a stable, varied, and healthy diet, which in turn allowed them to live
in larger groups for longer periods of time. Gardening became even more relevant following
the Woodland period when the domesticated grass corn (or maize) was introduced.
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Subtopic:
Burial Practices
One of the most distinctive archaeological features of the Plains Woodland period in the
northern Flint Hills is burial mounds or cairns. These features show that individuals were
often buried atop prominent bluffs overlooking stream valleys. The body was sometimes
cremated before the remaining bones and ashes were buried under a low mound of earth or
stone. Usually the burial sites were chosen with care and afforded beautiful views of the
valleys in which the bands lived.
Topic:
Bluemont Hill
At the top of Bluemont Hill, just north of old Manhattan (recognizable now as the hill that
says Manhattan on it), a well-known Woodland period burial mound was found. The
remains of multiple burials, both primary burials and cremated bodies, were discovered
within the mound that once topped this bluff. The deceased were buried with funerary
objects including bone and shell beads, a bone fishhook, pottery, projectile points and other
stone tools.
Bluemont mound was destroyed in the late 1800s through unprofessional excavation and
construction of Manhattan’s first water reservoir. Other similar features once existed on the
other bluffs in and around Manhattan. The families of the deceased did not live on these
mounds but in campsites in the nearby valleys. One such campsite (the Macy site) was
partially excavated in the early 1990s where the present Kansas Highway 177 bridge was
rebuilt over the Kansas River, near this museum.
Need to find source for this image (contact Lauren Ritterbush).
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Caption:
Burial sites, like cemeteries of today, are special, even sacred sites, monuments to the people
who made this region home many generations ago. As such they deserve our respect and
protection. The Kansas Unmarked Burial Sites Preservation Act requires that these and
other burial sites be protected and undisturbed.
Case Study—Macy Site:
Exhibit Description:
A small artifact case is embedded in the island structure to house Archaic artifacts including
non-local chert spear and dart points and other early stone tools. Touchable specimens
could be mounted on pullout drawers under the rail. Graphic panels teach visitors about the
uses and importance of flint and highlight an actual site within the Flint Hills.
Topic:
The Macy Site
During the Woodland period, people lived in stream valley camps. One location repeatedly
used was the Macy site, located across the Kansas River from this museum. Woodland
people used this site at least five different times. The chips and flakes of stone found here
show the flintknapping techniques of the Woodland people.
They used spear points and sometimes reworked these into other tools, such as a drill. An
arrow point found in the later levels of this site shows the transition from using the atlatl and
spear to the bow and arrow. Bones of deer, bison, fish, and other animals indicate the wide
variety of animals used for food. Potsherds remain of the large and small pots these people
made and used.
Artifact IDs:
For Woodland period artifacts, text TBD
Artifacts Needed:
•
•
•
Artifacts from the Macy site, including a spear point, a drill (reworked from a spear
point), an arrow point, flintknapping debris, and potsherds from this site could be
used in this exhibit. They are curated by the Kansas Historical Society. (Contact
state archeologist Bob Hoard.)
Woodland period spear and arrow points, as well at other tools/ornaments
Comment by Lauren Ritterbush: I know some good examples of stone tools and
potsherds in the collections of private individuals who may be willing to donate/lend
their artifacts. The KHS has some from the Macy site as noted above. I believe we
have some in the KSU archaeology collections, but not large sherds or pots.
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Topic:
Pottery
The practice of creating ceramic pots developed early in the Woodland period. Prior to using
ceramics, containers were made from animal hides and organs, as well as dried gourds;
carved from wood; and possibly woven of plant materials (baskets). These containers were
used to store, carry, and serve food and water and were well suited for mobile hunters and
gatherers. They were not, however, well suited for cooking. Ceramic vessels allowed people
to boil or stew foods easily. This was especially useful for cooking dried seeds (for example,
marshelder and goosefoot seeds) and meat. Pots are fragile and fairly heavy so may have
been made and used most commonly at base camps.
Differences or similarities in the type and design of pottery help archaeologists to
distinguish: changes in time; indentify regional, group, and individual differences; and
understand connections between those different groups. The size, shape, and decoration of
the pot all differ according to who made it and for what purpose. How a pot was decorated
was often its most distinguishing feature. Distinctive Woodland period decorations include
lines drawn across the clay when it was still soft to form cross-hatches, curved impressions
made by rocking the edge of a shell or other tool across the clay’s surface, and punctates
formed by pressing a stick or other implement partially into the clay from the outside or
inside of the container. Impressions of grass cords were sometimes used to roughen the
surface of the pot.
Late Woodland Jar
Flipbook:
Pottery
How’d they do that?
There were two main methods of forming pottery during prehistoric times in North
America: lump-molded shaped pots or coiled pots. Lump-molded shaped pots are created
from a raw mass of clay. The clay is either flattened and molded over an object such as one’s
fist or another bowl or it is manipulated with fists and fingers to form a rounded, hollowed
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out shape. The sides are then smoothed, the pot dried and then fired at high temperatures to
bake the clay into ceramic.
To create a coiled pot, the clay divided into multiple lumps. One lump is flattened to form
the base of the pot and the other lumps are rolled out into long “snakes” of equal thickness.
The first “snake” is wrapped around the base and subsequent “snakes” are coiled on top of
one another in a spiral fashion and pinched together to bond them. Then the coils can be
smoothed out on the inside and the outside. Again, the pot is dried and fired.
Perhaps need to add in here a third technique using straps of clay (as suggested by Donna
Roper). More research is necessary.
Woodland pottery is often tempered with crushed stone and sand to ensure even drying.
During formation, it is important to keep the clay moist by mixing it with water.
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Exhibit Description:
Drawing Sheet Number 6.2.3
At this point the narrative chronology wraps around to the back wall and begins just off the
elevator. A small case houses gardening tools, ceramic pots, and other artifacts. LWR
suggests that we include images of CPt sites and possibly bones of various animals found at
the site.
Theme:
The Middle Ceramic Period (1,000–600 years ago)
The First Famers
About 1,000 years ago, the native peoples of this region began to build semi-permanent or
permanent homes along the stream valleys where they planted their small gardens and
hunted and collected a wide variety of wild plants and animals. Corn was introduced into this
area at about this time. This domesticated plant, as well as beans, was added to the native
plants already grown. These included sunflowers and squash, as well as other native
domesticates. As in earlier times, the native peoples during this period used an extremely
wide variety of locally available resources. In addition to domesticated plants, wild plants
were still collected for food and other uses. Many different mammals, birds, turtles, fish,
and freshwater clams were hunted, trapped, collected, or otherwise captured for their meat,
hides, bones and shells.
Archaeologists use the term Central Plains tradition to refer to archaeological remains
from the northern Flint Hills that date between about 1,000 and 600 years ago. Similar
remains are found throughout northern Kansas, Nebraska, and neighboring parts of Iowa
and Missouri. These reflect a shared way of living among the many different families that
lived throughout the central Plains during this period.
Topic:
On the Hunt
Often when one imagines Plains Indians, the image that comes to mind is Native Americans
on horses hunting vast herds of bison. While this may have been true for later native
peoples, the Central Plains tradition people did not follow this practice. First of all, horses
had not yet been reintroduced to the Americas. Second, bison was not the primary source of
meat as there were many other animals more readily available. The archaeological remains
from Central Plains tradition sites do not include lots of bison remains. Individual bison
were occasionally hunted, but were only one of many different animals that were important
to the Central Plains tradition families.
Third, most large herds of bison preferred to graze further west in the shortgrass prairies of
western Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska, but because of the rocky outcroppings of the
Flint Hills, shortgrasses grew in abundance in the Flint Hills as well as tallgrasses, which
drew bison into the area (albeit in smaller numbers). The bow and arrow was used almost
exclusively at this point while spears, darts, and atlatls had faded from use.
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The people of the Central Plains Tradition hunted large game including elk, deer, pronghorn
and bison but they also hunted smaller game as well such as rabbit, raccoon, squirrel, birds
(both prairie birds and water fowl), turtles, and beaver. They also fished and caught
freshwater clams in the stream near their homes and gardens. They relied on the many
locally available resources.
Topic:
A Place to Call Home
The people of the Central Plains tradition lived in scattered farmsteads along stream valleys
where the rich soil grew abundant wild plant foods and supported cultivated crops such as
corn, beans, squash, and sunflower. These areas were rich in small fauna and fish that
provided ample meat sources. The stream valleys also provided plenty of clay for ceramic
vessels and plaster for the walls of their houses.
Each farmstead was centered on a single household. Each family lived in a wattle and daub
lodge. These small structures were rectangular, square, or sometimes circular in outline.
Four large central support posts and a variety of smaller perimeter posts provided a frame
for the lodge. Wooden beams and smaller stringers were laid between the posts and beams
formed the roof and walls. These, in turn, were covered with a mixture of clay and grass
(daub). There was an opening in the roof above a central fireplace, and an extended covered
entryway. These houses probably served as year-round homes but were occupied for a
relatively short duration, probably between five and ten years. There were no fortifications
around these scattered farmsteads, suggesting that they enjoyed a rather peaceful existence.
Case Study—The Griffing Site:
Exhibit Description:
Drawing Sheet Number 6.2.3
A case embedded in the wall provides space artifacts relating to the Central Plains tradition.
[Comment by Lauren Ritterbush: The Griffing site excavated by the Smithsonian Institution
in the 1930s or the nearby 14RY401 lodge excavated by KSU in the 1960s would be suitable
for a case study. Actually, both of these sites and other (unexcavated) lodge sites along
Wildcat Creek valley in Manhattan would be a great case study in which the scattered nature
of the households could be emphasized along with the house form and artifacts. We have a
lot that would be needed for creating exhibit materials around this here at KSU.]
Information regarding this case study requires more research.
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Subtopic:
Tool Kit
The Central Plains Tradition peoples developed tools that suited their emerging agrarian
society. They created garden hoes from bison scapulae (shoulder blades) and large
clamshells, picks from bison tibia (leg bones) to till the land, bone and shell tools to remove
corn kernels from the cob, limestone or sandstone grinding stones to process seeds, nuts,
and other plant foods, and ceramic vessels to cook and store food. A wide variety of other
tools were used for other activities. Paired sandstone abraders were used to shape arrow
shafts. These shafts were tipped with small arrow points formed from flakes of chert. The
broad end of thicker stone flakes was chipped to form scrapers to clean hides. Chipped
stone knives were used for cutting tasks, such as butchering.
Bison scapula at KSU
[Additional tools can be discussed here if there are artifacts available to put on display]
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Topic:
Planting a Seed
We take for granted that if you plant a seed and care for it, a plant will emerge from the soil.
But who were the first people to discover that connection? Early peoples harvested wild
seeds, fruits, and roots for food. Over generations of trial and error they figured out which
plants could be eaten. More importantly, they discovered that if you plant the seed of a
desired plant that not only will it grow, but its productivity can be increased. Archaeologists
find evidence of these “domesticated plants” in the form of seeds that are fortuitously
preserved (often by partial burning or charring) at archaeological sites (such as those of the
Woodland period and Central Plains tradition). Many of these plants were domesticated
further east but their use spread to inhabitants of the grasslands.
Gardens were usually planted near streams where the soils were rich and well watered.
Sunflowers, marshelder, goosefoot, and gourds and squash were some of the earliest plants
to be domesticated in the Americas, as early as the Woodland period. However, during the
Central Plains tradition a very important domesticated grass was introduced in North
America: corn (maize). Along with corn, native peoples cultivated squash, beans, and
sunflowers. These three crops together with other plants formed the basis of Native
American diets for years.
Wild plants were also used by native peoples, often for medicinal purposes.
Flipbook:
The Three Sisters Gardens
How’d they do that?
Native peoples used a system of gardening called by some the “Three Sisters” system. By
planting corn, beans, and squash close together the plants benefit from one another. Each of
the plants has a different root depth and requires different nutrients from the soil. This
keeps the soil healthy, similar to the way natural prairie grasses, forbs, and wildflower
cohabitate and share resources. The maize also provides a solid structure for the beans to
climb while the squash spreads along the ground, blocking weed growth. This successful
cohabitation gardening system, called a “polyculture,” provided the variety of nutrients
needed for a healthy diet while also maintaining the integrity of the soil and environment.
Wild vs. Domesticated Plants
There are three categories of edible plants: forbs, woody shrubs, and grasses. Goosefoot,
marshelder and sunflowers are forbs (non-woody and non-grass plants, often with showy
flowers). Corn, one of the most important edible plants for prehistoric native peoples, is a
domesticated grass.
Native peoples learned which plants were edible and how to cook or process them to make
them tasty and digestible. They collected seeds and attempted to grow those edible plants in
larger quantities to feed their families. Soon, they discovered how to select desirable seeds—
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planting bigger seeds tended to yield bigger more productive plants that in turn yielded
bigger and more productive seeds. Native peoples continued to select seeds from plants that
had the characteristics they wanted and planted those seeds year after year. After a while, the
plants became domesticated and routinely produced the desired fruit or root or flower or
seed in greater quantity than found in its wild form.
Captions:
For plant illustrations or reproductions?
Sunflower, Helianthus annus—Sunflower was utilized in its wild form but was such a good
food source for native peoples, it was domesticated and became a staple of their diet. The
seeds can be eaten raw or roasted, or they can be ground and used to make bread. Oil can be
extracted and used for cooking or soap. When domesticated, the size of the sunflower seed
increased dramatically, thus, increasing its food value. Because of its abundance in the
region, the sunflower has been designated as the state flower of Kansas.
Corn or maize, Zea mays—Corn was one of the most important domesticated plants in the
Native American diet in the Historic period. Maize was domesticated thousands of years ago
in Mesoamerica but did not appear in this region until about 1,000 years ago. Maize was
incorporated in the everyday diet of the Central Plains tradition and later peoples of the Flint
Hills. When Euro-Americans made contact with Native Americans, corn was one of the
first native crops to be utilized by whites. Corn in now one of the most widely produced
crops in the Americas and beyond.
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Goosefoot, Chenopodium—Goosefoot was a wild plant food used by early native peoples. In
the spring the young leaves were eaten (raw or cooked) and in the fall, seeds were gathered
and dried, cooked, or ground into meal or flour. It is a very nutritious plant, having more
vitamins and calcium than spinach. The small seeds produced by this plant have been found
preserved in numerous storage pits at various archaeological sites around the Flint Hills.
Native peoples did not necessarily have to cultivate this plant as it grew abundantly in rich
soils in a wild form, however they probably encouraged its growth. In historic times this
plant was brewed as tea to alleviate diarrhea and made into a poultice for burns.
Marshelder, Iva annua—Also known as sumpweed, marshelder was one of the earliest wild
plants used by native peoples. Its seeds were edible. {I need more info on how this plant was
used by native peoples?]
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Tobacco [genus and/or species name?]—Tobacco is a leafy plant that can be dried and
smoked. Native peoples had domesticated tobacco long before European settlers arrives in
North America. While today it most common as cigarettes, native peoples smoked tobacco
in pipes for ceremonial and medicinal purposes.
Subtopic:
Eating Wild Plants
Wild plants can provide very nutritious and tasty additions to any diet but searching out
edible wild plants must be done with great care. Many plants are poisonous, contain
allergens, or at the very least, can be unpalatable. Generally there are four safety rules to
follow when choosing to eat wild plants: 1) you must be able to correctly identify plants
(many species look similar so take extreme care in choosing); 2) if it doesn’t taste good, don’t
eat it; 3) only eat new plants in small amount incase you have an unknown allergy to them; 4)
don’t eat plants that are found along roadsides or other areas they may have been treated
with pesticides, herbicides, other toxic chemicals, or runoff from roads or farms.
—Rules taken from Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie: An Ethnobotanical Guide by Kelly
Kindscher.
Artifacts Needed:
•
•
•
•
CPt pottery
CPt tools (bison scapula hoes and other gardening instruments, as well as points,
knives, scrapers, fishhooks, awls, sandstone abraders, etc.),
any other pertinent CPt household items such as a pipe. KSU Department has many
of the above items.
Griffing Site artifacts
Subtopic:
Migrations
About 700 years ago, another group of people migrated into northern Kansas and southern
Nebraska from the east. These people were related to a variety of peoples who lived in the
American Midwest that are called Oneota by archaeologists. Unlike the native Central Plains
tradition peoples already in this region, Oneota hunters organized themselves into large
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groups to focus on bison hunting. They coexisted for a short time with some of the
northern Central Plains tradition people. The presence of these Oneota hunters may have
eventually stimulated the Central Plains tradition gardeners to shift their settlements, leading
to changes in the lifestyles of the native peoples of the Flint Hills and surrounding regions.
The Oneota introduced a tradition of large-scale bison hunting to the Central Plains.
Although these early Oneota migrants did not stay long, they likely played a key role in
changing lifestyles of the native peoples of this region. By the time Europeans started to
arrive in North America, the native societies of this region were changing to include a dual
economy focused on corn farming and bison hunting.
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Exhibit Description:
Continuing along the back wall, back towards the Fanning the Flames area, the next phase of
people, the Great Bend aspect are discussed. Here an extended discussion of lodge living
takes place and an interactive, three-way model/diorama is displayed.
Theme:
The Late Ceramic period (600-200 years ago)
Native societies reorganized and developed new ways of living in this region starting about
600 years ago. Families joined together to form loose villages around individual gardens of
corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers. Village groups also banded together for communal
bison hunts. It was during this period that the dual economy of corn agriculture and bison
hunting noted by Euro-Americans during the later Historic period developed in this region.
Topic:
Village Life
The first native communities in central and southern Kansas to approximate villages are
represented by the set of archaeological remains referred to by archaeologists as the Great
Bend aspect. Like the native peoples of Kansas before them, these peoples continued to
live near streams and river valleys where rich soils supported their gardens. Unlike their
ancestors, they congregated in larger communities and focused on a less varied economy of
gardening and bison hunting.
There was a shift from the scattered farmsteads of the Central Plains tradition to localized
villages. A new form of housing was developed as well, using the abundant grasses of the
prairies. The Great Bend aspect people built beehive-shaped grass lodges. The underlying
structure was made of wooden support poles, which were then covered in grass bundles
called thatch.
Great Bend aspect sites in the Flint Hills are found near Marion, Kansas. In this area houses
and gardens were built on natural levees along the stream or adjacent bluff edges. These
“villages” were not tight clusters of lodges. Instead they consisted of grass lodges
interspersed between gardens where families grew corn, squash, beans, and sunflowers. This
form of garden became common among numerous Native American groups by this late
date. Some of the cultigens used by the Central Plain tradition people (such as goosefoot and
maygrass) were not longer utilized regularly. These villages also had large pits in which the
abundant produce of the gardens was stored once it was dried.
Topic:
The Great Bend Aspect
The Great Bend people spent part of the year living in their village communities planting,
caring for, harvesting, drying and preparing produce from their gardens. They also spent a
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good part of the year away from their villages when they formed mobile bands that moved
onto the plains to hunt bison. Groups composed of entire families traveled to the shortgrass prairies of western Kansas where they practiced well-planned and coordinated hunts of
the large bison herds present there.
While in the High Plains and sometimes at their permanent villages, the Great Bend aspect
people encountered more mobile native peoples of the western Plains (for example,
ancestors of some of the Historic Apache). They exchanged corn and other goods for
exotic goods and materials such as pottery, turquoise, and obsidian (a natural volcanic glass),
originally obtained from more distant groups such as the Puebloan Indians of the American
Southwest (modern-day New Mexico). It was through this exchange network that the
people of the Flint Hills eventually received Spanish goods.
Case Study—Marion site:
Exhibit Description:
Drawing Sheet Number: 6.2.3
A case embedded in the wall provides space artifacts relating to the Central Plains tradition.
[Comments by Donna Roper: The Great Bend aspect does not have the spatial distribution
of the Central Plains tradition. In the Flint Hills, the major Great Bend aspect site clusters
are at Marion and at the South end near Arkansas City. The Arkansas City site group
probably began in the 1400s or so, but the Marion site group seems to date no earlier than
the early-mid-1600s.
Agriculture was intensive in Great Bend aspect. Animal use had begun to focus heavily on
bison use. Connections were to the southwest. There are not a lot of Euro-American trade
goods but there is a bunch of stuff from the Pueblos to the southwest, in New Mexico.]
[Comments by Lauren Ritterbush: Develop a case study using archaeological materials and
studies from the Great Bend sites in the Marian locality within the Flint Hills. Donna Roper
can provide details for this and direct you to materials from these sites. There are a lot of
good artifacts from these sites. Great Bend artifacts of various kinds (e.g., hunting and
farming implements, grinding stones, bison [and turtle] bones, … I believe that most, if not
all of them are housed at the Kansas Historical Society. I’m sure they would be willing to
lend them for display or replication.]
Need to find out more on the Marion site to include in the case study.
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Exhibit Description:
Drawing Sheet Number: 6.3.0
An enclosed tabletop emerging from the long wall houses a three-way model of various
structures. Sliced like pieces of a pie, the model displays a wattle and daub lodge, a grass
lodge, and an earth lodge, which rotate on a disk. These diorama may have cut-throughs to
show what the inside of each structure may have looked like.
Captions for Model:
Lodge Living
Among some of the archaeological finds of early Native Americans is evidence of permanent
structures. Since many of these structures were made from organic compounds such as
wood, clay, and grass, they have long since disappeared. However clues were left behind to
help archaeologists decipher when and where some of these structures existed.
Some of the telltale signs include the postholes or the remains of posts, which decayed in the
ground making the sediments slightly different from the surrounding soil. By carefully
mapping these clues in the soil, archaeologists are able to identify the size and shape of the
lodge and the features within it and its perimeter. For example, changes in the color, texture
and composition of the soil can indicate where posts that supported lodges were once
located or where pits have previously been dug into the ground. Hardened pieces of clay
impressed with grasses indicate plaster used for walls (wattle-and-daub). Concentrations of
grass remains or phytoliths are sometimes preserved from thatch. Axes for cutting wood
and bone tools used in tying bundles of grass to a wooden framework also provide clues to
how shelters were constructed.
Other materials found at these sites—tools, bone or stone tools, plant and animal remains—
help archaeologists interpret what activities took place in the lodge. Like early gardens,
lodges are often located near streams or rivers where water was available. Unlike gardens,
however, they are often at higher elevations so as not to get flooded by seasonal rains.
Homes of the Past
Shelter is a universal need for humans. We require protection from the elements, a safe place
to work and sleep, and a place of community and belonging. Throughout time, people have
utilized different forms of shelter based on their lifestyle (nomadic vs. sedentary), availability
of resources (wood, clay, stone, grass, ice), climate, and culture preference. This model looks
at three types of semi-permanent and permanent shelters that native peoples employed while
living in this region.
Wattle and Daub Lodge—
The wattle and daub lodge was a small structure, either square or rectangular in shape. It was
framed by four large central support posts and a ring smaller perimeter posts. Small wooden
stringers were laid across the support beams to form the roof and walls, which were then
covered with a mixture of clay and grass (daub). There was an opening in the roof for a
central fireplace underneath and an extended covered entryway. These houses probably
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served as year-round homes but were occupied for a relatively short duration, between five
and ten years. People of the Central Plains Tradition built wattle and daub houses in the
Flint Hills region.
Grass Lodge—
The grass lodge, generally used by the ancestors to the Wichita Indians, is a beehive shaped
structure. The frame was constructed of long sapling branches or trees that were placed in a
circular arrangement and arched inward, held together with fibers or rawhide (the dried skin
of animals). Crossbeams were also tied to the frame. Tall and strong grasses such as
cordgrass or big bluestem were sewn with a bone needle to the frame in overlapping rows.
An entrance was usually made on both the east and west sides of the house. There was a
central fireplace. Beds could be made along the perimeter walls. The houses were anywhere
from 10 feet to 30 feet in diameter. Most of the grass houses were built by women.
Earth Lodge—
Earth lodges were used by the Pawnee who lived north of the Flint Hills and occasionally
the Kansa Indians while they lived near present-day Manhattan in the late 18th and early 19th
centuries. These circular buildings were supported by a series of large central support posts
between which were laid strong beams. Smaller posts were used as the perimeter posts to
support outer beams. Wooden stringers were laid between the ground and the outer beams
and between these and the inner beams. These were then covered with willow branches,
mats and/or grass. Finally, the sloping walls and roof were covered with mud or sod. These
lodges were well insulated to keep the house warm in winter and cool in summer. The earth
lodge had a central fire pit and a smoke hole in the roof above. There was one main entrance
with an extended entryway (up to 6 feet) that provided further protection from the elements.
Earth lodges were typically fairly large averaging about 20–50 feet in diameter.
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Go See It!
Wichita grass lodges have been reconstructed at the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka,
Kansas, and the Coronado-Quivera Museum in Lyons, Kansas. For more information, visit:
http://www.kshs.org/exhibits/maingallery/nativeam.htm and
http://skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/Lyons/museum/.
Go See It!
A reconstructed earth lodge can be seen at the Pawnee Village State Historic Site near
Republic, Kansas. For more information, visit:
http://www.kansastravel.org/pawneeindianmuseum.htm.
Subtopic:
Ancestors—the Wichita
The people of the Great Bend aspect were the primary ancestors of the Wichita Indians of
the Historic period. The Spanish explorer and conquistador Francisco Vásquez de Coronado
encountered these people at their villages when he ventured into Kansas in 1541. [Onateneed more here] Despite these early expeditions to the Plains, the Spanish did not find it
profitable to establish trade or settlements on the Plains. As a result, the ancestral Wichita
did not have much interaction with Euro-Americans until they relocated to present-day
Oklahoma in the 18th century. There they became involved with the French trade network
for hides and other goods.
Topic:
How Archaeologists Know
Archaeology isn’t digging up dinosaur bones or exploring hidden caves like Indiana Jones.
Archaeology is the systematic study of past peoples and their ways of living (culture).
Archaeologist study earlier cultures through the careful analysis of archaeological remains
and the contexts in which they are found. Remains can be any number of things including
artifacts, remnants of structures or monuments, and bones, seeds, nuts, and other preserved
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parts of animals and plants that people used for food, construction materials, and clothing.
Many archaeological remains are trash or objects and materials used, but then discarded or
abandoned by people of the past. By applying the scientific method and carefully analyzing
these remains and the specific places and settings in which they are found, archaeologists can
learned a lot about the many generations of people who lived in the Flint Hills over
thousands of years
For example, animal bones tell us what people ate. Broken tools, projectile points and other
objects tell us how they hunted and processed food. Seed tell us what kind of plants they ate.
Pottery sherds tell us what kind of household items they used. Artwork (in the form of wall
paintings, carved wood or clay figurines, ceramics, weavings, etc.) tells us what people valued
and give clues as to religious beliefs. Burial mounds and cemeteries tell us how they treated
their dead and possibly what rituals and beliefs they had surrounding death.
Think about the things you throw away or leave behind when you go. What will
archaeologists hundreds or thousands of years from now learn about you from your
remains?
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Exhibit Description:
Drawing Sheet Number: 6.2.3
The final chapter in the chronology of the earliest Flint Hills residents discusses the later
Native American tribes (many of whom migrated from other regions) and their impact on
the area. This space transitions the visitor from the prehistoric to the historic period.
Theme:
The Historical Period (200 years ago–present)
The first Europeans to arrive in this region were the Spanish in 1541, when the explorer and
conquistador Coronado traveled from the southwest into central Kansas. The next Spanish
expedition did not enter this area until 1601. Other European explorers, trappers, and
traders arrived from the east along the Missouri River, probably later in the 1600s. The first
written records pertaining to this area tell of several, but not all of these early European
encounters with the native peoples of present-day Kansas. Although these are used to mark
the beginning of the Historic period in general, little was written about Kansas natives until
the 19th century. Native Americans did not keep written records themselves. They remember
their history through oral traditions, passed down from generation to generation.
By the beginning of the 19th century, many of the native peoples we know by name had
formed. Some groups, like the Wichita, descended from earlier prehistoric peoples
indigenous to the area. Others migrated to this area from more distant locations. The most
significant of these in the Flint Hills was the
Subtopic:
Kansa
The Kaw or Kansa trace their ancestry to a group of people living in prehistoric times east of
this region. They migrated to the Missouri River probably before the 1600s. By the late
1600s they had established villages on the Missouri River in what is now northeastern
Kansas and northwestern Missouri. The first account of a European (Frenchman de
Bourgmont) trader visiting a Kansa village was written in 1724 and referred to one of these
Missouri River villages. In the late 1700s, the Kansa moved farther to the west and
established a village near the Kansas and Big Blue Rivers immediately east of present-day
Manhattan. During this period they adapted themselves to the region by changing their mat
covered lodges to earth lodges, raising corn and hunting bison, and exchanging furs and
hides for European/Euro-American goods. Their stay in the Flint Hills was short relative to
that of earlier native peoples and the Euro-Americans that followed them.
While living directly in the Flint Hills at the Blue Earth village, the Kansa raised corn, beans,
and squash, and traveled through the Flint Hills and more western areas to hunt bison. The
Kaw lived in round earthen lodges and pursued an annual seasonal round of hunting,
trapping, gathering, gardening, raiding and trading. They pastured their horses on the upland
prairies near the Kansas and Blue River and hunting bison in the early spring and early fall.
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The Kaw were members of a much larger Siouan-speaking group, the Dhegiha that
subdivided as they migrated westward into the Quapaw, Osage Kaw, Omaha, and Ponca.
The reasons for the migration are not known. Causes might include pressure from more
powerful eastern tribes, disease, tribal factionalism, and pursuit of better hunting grounds.
Case Study—Blue Earth Village:
[Comment by Lauren Ritterbush: Develop a case study focused on the Blue Earth village.
(This is an absolute must for this museum!!!!) Use the ethnographic information recorded by
Thomas Say on the 1819 Long expedition AND the archaeological information obtained by
the Smithsonian Institution to flesh out this section. Artifacts, plans of an excavated lodge,
and Seymour’s sketch of the interior of a lodge at this site are all available for exhibit
materials. This section should focus on the Kansa Indians. Like the other sections, focus on
how they lived (dual economy village Indians). The Kansa provide another example of how
native peoples adapted to the prairies of the Flint Hills. The Kansa are especially interesting
in this regard because they were migrants.]
More research is needed for this case study.
Topic:
Blue Earth Village
Between about 1794 and 1825, the Kaw lived in a large village with an estimated 120 earth
lodges just northeast of the Big Blue and Kansas River junction (east of Manhattan). From
this location, they could farm, hunt, trap, and travel along the major rivers, while also having
easy access to bison herds to the west.
Go See it!
After the Kansa Indians left the Blue Earth village near Manhattan, they established several
villages along the Kansas River west of present-day Topeka. After 1844, they moved back to
the Flint Hills near Council Grove Kansas. The Kaw Mission was established here and
served as home to about 30 Kaw (Kansa) boys between 1851 and 1854. The boarding school
was intended to teach basic academic subjects as well as Christianity to the boys. Thomas
Huffaker was the teacher. One hundred years later, in 1951 the building was sold to the
Kansas Historical Society and now functions as a museum where visitors can learn about the
history of the Kaw and other Native American tribes. For more information see
www.kshs.org/places/kawmission/index.htm.
Flint Hills Discovery Center
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