Quantifying the Qualitative: Locating Burial Mounds in Northcentral Kansas

Abstract

Scattered through parts of north-central Kansas are prehistoric burial sites in the form of low rock and earthen mounds located atop bluffs overlooking stream valleys. The state's Unmarked Burial Sites Preservation Act (UBS) protects these sites by making it illegal to knowingly disturb them and preventing further damage when they are unintentionally disturbed. This law is most effective if sites' locations are known. The goal of this project is to predict and identify areas with high potential for past use as prehistoric burial sites in order to facilitate their protection and preservation. This has been accomplished through a distributional analysis of known mounds using GIS and simple statistical procedures followed by initial testing through targeted pedestrian survey. The models have the potential to aid researchers, cultural resource managers, and government officials in efficiently locating mound sites. They could also raise the effectiveness of the UBS law.