Plains Village period

The Plains Village period or the Plains Village tradition is an archaeological period on the Great Plains from North Dakota down to Texas, spanning approximately 900/950 to 1780/1850 CE.

On the west and east, Plains villagers were bounded by the geography and landscapes of the Rocky Mountains and the Eastern Woodlands, respectively. Prior to the introduction of the horse and contact with Europeans and Africans, Plains Indians were mostly semi-sedentary; they typically farmed in villages and hunted bison from temporary camps. They used dogs to help transport their temporary lodges and game from the hunts. Depending upon the region, their more permanent architecture included grass houses; stone-lined, semi-subterranean pit-houses; and earth lodges. Bison scapula hoes were used as important tools in farming crops such as maize, beans, and squash.[1] The women made varied ceramic pots for cooking and storage.[1]

The people of the earlier parts of this archaeological period spoke Siouan and Caddoan languages. They included the Siouan-speaking Mandan and Hidatsa, and the Caddoan-speaking Arikara, Pawnee, and Wichita peoples. During the latter part of this time period, many more tribes from diverse language groups migrated into the Plains from both the east and the west.

Chronology of the early Great Plains includes these periods:

Geographically, the Plains Village period is divided into:

  • Northern Plains Village tradition
  • Central Plains Village tradition.

The Southern Plains to Nebraska are included in the Central Plains Village period. Dates for the Central Plains Village culture in Nebraska are given as 900 to 1450 CE. This period marked a time with the greatest population in Nebraska. Most archeological sites date from 1000 to 1400 CE.[1]

The Dakotas are part of the Northern Plains Village tradition. A Northeastern Plains Village tradition has been found for the shores of Devils Lake and the lands near the James, Sheyenne, Maple, and Red Rivers in eastern North Dakota.[4]

  1. ^ a b c "Native Nebraska Timeline". Nebraska Studies. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d Barry Gwin Williams, "Cultural Resources Overview: Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge—Southeast South Dakota," US Fish and Wildlife Service: Region 6—Cultural Resource Program (Jan. 2012), DOC.
  3. ^ Peregrine, Peter N.; Ember, Melvin (eds.). "Plains Woodland". Encyclopedia of Prehistory. New York: Springer Shop. p. 432. ISBN 978-0-306-46264-1.
  4. ^ Toom, Dennis L. Toom (August 2004). "Northeastern Plains Village Complex Timelines and Relations". Plains Anthropologist. 49 (191): 281. doi:10.1179/pan.2004.019. S2CID 163852354.