ASB 238
archaeology of north america

The Great Plains, contrary to early explorers, is a vast land of rich soil.

This allowed for lots of various kinds of grasses, i.e. buffalo grass, blue stem,

blue grama, and wheat grass. This in turn brought an abundance of animals.

Big game included buffalo and bison. This was a great hunting source

and so tribes tended to follow the herd. The plains are full of other

animals such as deer, rabbits and prairie dogs. Would it not make sense that

the Native Americans would incorporate animals in their religion?

With animals being such a great importance to the survival, it would be important

that there would be a respect for them. The scarcity of rain and hot summers

would put the emphasis on hunting and not agriculture.

The pottery of the plains woodland tradition seems of very poor quality, especially when compared with the pottery and earthenware of the Southwest. I wonder why this did not improve; did these people have another method of storage? What could plains woodland Indians have used to store their maize that would have been more functional than jars or pots? Is it generally agreed upon that pottery use arrived about the same time as the cultivation of beans and maize?

The pottery of the plains woodland tradition seem of very poor quality, especially when compared with the pottery and earthenware of the Southwest. I wonder why this did not improve; did these people have another method of storage? What could plains woodland Indians have used to store their maize that would have been more suitable or functional than jars or pots? Is it generally agreed upon that pottery use arrived about the same time as the cultivaton of beans and maize?

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