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contextual analysis of nineteenth-century Indian burial artifacts on the Southern Plains
ix, 245 leaves : illustrations, maps ; 28 cm.
This thesis contends that the relative uniformity of phics.
the funerary material culture described as the
''Southern Plains Equestrian Nomad Archaeological
Complex'' (Shafer et al 1994:322-323) is a consequence
of an increasing emphasis place by the Southern Plains
tribes of the nineteenth century on the similarities
underpinning their cultures. The reasons given for
this sense of accentuated commonality are: 1) a pre-
existing undercurrent of shamanistic beliefs and world
view shared by these tribes', 2) their similar
cultural adaption to a common ecological and economic
environment', 3) the interaction of their cultures
with one another on the Southern Plains', and 4) the
simultaneous interaction of their cultures with Euro-
American cultures. This last type of interaction is
held to have taken many forms, including the
introduction of the horse and firearms, the intrusion
of Euro-Americans in the existing networks of Indian
trade, the introduction of Euro-American trade goods
to Indian people, and the competition between Indians
and non-Indians for territory and resources on the
Southern Plains. The impact of these changes includes
the development of a horse nomad lifeway, an new
emphasis by Southern Plains Indian people on the
acquisition of wealth (primarily based on the
ownership of large herds of horses), and their gradual
realization that growing numbers of Euro-Americans
represented an increasing threat to their new-found
prosperity and ultimately to their very existence.
Based on the evidence that an accentuated sense of
commonality prevailed among these tribes during this
period, it is further concluded that meaningful
interpretations of their burial artifacts can be
achieved by considering those artifacts as a pad of
the material expression of an outmarching Southern
Plains horse nomad culture. Within this context, all
of the burial artifacts are considered to be Indian
artifacts, regardless of the source of the material
they are made of or their place of original
manufacture. Interpretations of a variety of funerary
artifacts are made after an extensive historical and
religious context is developed. Item types analyzed
include hair pipe breast plates, and najas.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 219-239).