European Trade Goods on the Southern Plains: The Bryson-Paddock (34KA5) and Deer Creek (34KA3) Sites

Abstract

The early contact period on the southern Plains (ca. A.D. 1541-1700) is marked by the arrival of Europeans as well as an increased interaction between existing Native American tribes. Native contact with French traders during this time resulted in a greater presence of European trade goods scattered throughout Native American sites. The purpose of this analysis is to develop a more indepth understanding of how the Wichita were using European trade goods and technology during the early- to mid-eighteenth century through the analysis of trade goods recovered from two protohistoric Wichita villages in north central Oklahoma (34KA3 and 34KA5). It is evident that the Wichita traded for many different types of European goods, although several native technologies did not change at this time. In fact, many European trade goods were often intentionally modified to mimic tools and ornaments of native manufacture, representing a selective incorporation of European material culture into native technology during this time period.