Abstract
A wealth of strikingly unusual and beautiful objects of Indian manufacture were excavated from the burials of the Spiro Mound, Leflore (sic.) County, Oklahoma during 1936-37. Engraved Gulf Coast conch shells, shell beads of a dozen types, river pearls, effigy pipes, long delicately chipped flint blades, feather and textile cloths and precisely incised pottery vessels were excavated in quantities. So unusual was this material that, at the time, the archaeological science was unable to answer a host of questions which immediately arose concerning the identity of the tribe who had made the artifacts and who were buried with them. How long ago had they occupied the region? From where had they come, and where did they go? The chronological relationship of the Spiro Mound Culture to the known cultures of the United States was of particular concern to the investigators. How and where did this tribe fit into the picture of America's past?
Highlights
This article is available in Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ita/vol2000/iss1/16
The statistical approach allows a comparison of local sites, one with the other, and allows a precise method of comparing local site material with that from other excavations
The pottery types excavated by Ford from historical Caddo villages bear a striking resemblance to those from house type I villages
Summary
This article is available in Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ita/vol2000/iss1/16. FIELD REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF INDIAN VILLAGES IN THE VICINITY OF THE SPIRO MOUNDS, LEFLORE COUNTY, OKLAHOMA. Engraved Gulf Coast conch shells, shell beads ofa dozen types, river pearls, effigy pipes, long delicately chipped flint blades, feather and textile cloths and precisely incised pottery vessels were excavated in quantities. Unusual was this material that, at the time, the archaeological science was unable to answer a host ofquestions which immediately arose concerning the identity of the tribe who had made the artifacts and who were buried with them. Since analysis and interpretation is at the present incomplete, the conclusions must be considered tentative and more in the nature of " leads" than of definitely established truths
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