Two separate, but related, cultural components are present at the site:
Oneota and historic Missouri. Burials 1 through 4 were originally supine
extended interments, although they have suffered much from plowing, and
their associated artifacts indicate a general Oneota affiliation. Burial
4 with its punctated vessel though is probably late, bordering on the
late proto-historic-historic Missouri line. Burial 6, with its glass
trade beads, is historic, and since the Gumbo Point site (23SA4), a
historic Missouri village dating around 1727-1777 A.D., is only one and
a quarter miles to the northeast of the Utlaut site, the burial is
probably an Indian of that village.
The following data on Oneota burial practices can be extracted from
these data. Individuals are buried in a supine extended position on a
northeast-southwest axis. In three cases, Burials 1, 3 and 4, the head
is to the northeast; in one, Burial 2, it is southwest. Grave goods of
pots, projectile point, shell spoon or scraper were present but
seemingly not very diagnostic of social position, although the pots may
be associated only with children here (Burials 2 and 4). Also, unless
one assumes everyone was buried at the same time, it seems that the
graves were marked so people could be interred over a period of time
without disturbing early graves, and so they could be aligned with each
other.
Two adults seem to have “trophy” skeletal materials with them: a skull
on the knees of Burial 2 (burnt) and many fragments of three and
possibly four people on the lower legs of Burial 1. Bray (1961b:17-19)
reports a “trophy head” with an Orr focus Oneota burial at the Flynn
site, and glass trade beads with it point to this being an historic
Ioway trait. Because there is no historic data on Missouri Indian burial
practices, it is not possible now to tell if the trait is associated
with them nor just what it may mean.
One could explain the skeletal remains, especially those with Burial 1
as secondary interments of graves which were somehow disturbed. In which
case the term “trophy” would be inappropriate and misleading. This
possibility is found in the fact that the Winnebago had two burial
patterns: inhumation and platform associated with the phratry divisions
of the culture, although the latter practice died out in historic times
(Radin 1923:140). Since the Missouri are related to the Winnebago it is
possible that these materials are inhumed platform burials.
However, the presence of single skulls with Burial 2, burnt too, and
with an Ioway at the Flynn site cannot be explained that easily. The
skull on the knees of Burial 2 was burnt at the time of interment as the
knee area was also burned. Then too, if one was collecting platform
burial remains to be inhumed, more than just the skulls would be lying
about to be collected. Again if we look at the Winnebago we get some
interesting data. In a discussion of grave-post markings, Radin
(1923:155) points out that a warrior who had killed a man and cut off
his head received a special grave-post signifying the deed.
Unfortunately, he does not tell us if the head was buried with him.
As can be seen by the above discussion, there are data to support both
interpretations, and indeed, maybe these burials in fact are the result
of both sets of behavior rather than only one set.
A comparison of the Utlaut site Oneota burials with other Oneota burial
data follows. From the Leary site in Nebraska Wedel reports (1935:25-26)
two types of interments: (1) supine burials with beads to the north (3),
east (3) or south (2). Associated with them are knives, hematite and a
bison hoe as grave goods. (2) Bundled or jumbled bones within a pit and
probably removed from scaffolds. Bass reports (1961) a body without
head, semi-flexed on its back and left side.
Myers and Bass (n.d.) give the following data on Oneota burial material
from Iowa. At the Hartley site (13AM103) in Allamakee County, Burial 1
was primary extended with head west and face north. It was a child about
ten years old and with it was a pot and chert knife. Burial 2 was a
female, 20-30 years old, primary extended with head northeast and no
artifacts. Burial 3 was a child, 10-13 years old with a pot. It was a
secondary burial. Burial 4 was a female, 20-30 years of age, primary
extended with head to the east. A bison scapula hoe was with it. Burial
5 was a male, 25-35 years old; it was a primary one with the body in a
semi-sitting position and head on chest. The head faced northwest and
the face was down. No grave goods were present. Burial 7 was a secondary
bundled indeterminate adult. Burial 8 was a female, 18-28 years, primary
extended burial with head to the northwest and no artifacts. Burial 10
was a nine year old child, primary extended with head to east. A pot was
associated with it (Myers and Bass n.d.:7-11).
At the Blood Run site (13L02) in Lyon county, five burials were reported
by Myers and Bass (n.d.). Burial 1 was a 3 to 4 year old child. It was
extended in a pit in a mound with head facing northwest. Associated were
copper earrings, two wooden tubes at the ears and a rim sherd at the
right elbow. Burial 2 was a 30-40 year old male, extended supine with
head northwest and no artifacts. Burial 3 was a 35-45 year old male,
extended with head north and face to the east. It may be burnt on the
left side. Associated was a catlinite pipe and a shell bead. Burial 4
was a male, 21-28 years of age, extended supine with head northeast and
no artifacts. Finally, Burial 5 was a 2-3 year old child, associated
with Burial 2; the grave goods were three blue glass beads (Myers and
Bass n.d.:35-40).
At Correctionville site the burials are reported as extended supine
(Myers and Bass n.d.:43). At the Flynn site (13AM51) in Allamakee county
ten burials were recovered (Bray 1961b: 15-18). Burial 1 was a fully
extended, supine adult with head to north. Associated were a raven
skull, two bone beads, two shell beads, two copper or brass ornaments, a
bone pendant and a small animal scapula. Burial 2 was a fully extended
supine adult with head north. Associated were a pumice lump, red ochre,
rolled copper or brass tubes, chert flakes and a belt of rolled copper
or brass beads. Burial 3 was a fully extended supine adult with two
triangular projectile points and some small animal bones. Burial 4 was a
fully extended supine adult oriented east-west. No trade goods were
found; only aboriginal bone whistles, a heron beak, a bone tube and a
squirrel skull. Burial 5 was an adult oriented north-south and
accompanied by many offerings: a pot, a fresh water clam shell, 100
copper/brass beads, 12 copper/brass bracelets, sheet copper, two steel
knives, a steel awl, chert flakes, glass beads and “bead” girdle as in
Burial 1. Burial 6 was a fully extended supine adult with a north-south
orientation, with the head north. Artifact associations were blue and
green glass beads, a beaver incisor, chert flakes, a polished bison rib,
a beaded girdle as with Burials 1 and 5 and a “trophy” human skull at
the left knee area. Burial 7 was different because it was deeper, under
slabs of rock, and in a pit. Present was a child’s skull and two
carnivore jaws. Burials 8 and 9 were incomplete and damaged, but seem to
have been an adult and a 30-month old child. Burial 10 was a fetus or
newborn infant.
Ten burials are reported (Henning 1970:120-212) from the Utz site
(23SA2), the nearest large Oneota site just a few miles east of the
Utlaut site. Position, sex and age are known only for a few. Burial 3
was a 27 year old male, fully extended with a mussel shell, sheet copper
and bone tube. Burial 4 consisted of two adults, but only one complete,
fully extended 40 year old female. Burial 5 was a 30 year old male with
a bone awl, a deer phalanx and worked hematite. Burial 7 was a 35 year
old male with knives and abrader. Burial 8 was fully extended, 35 years
old, male, covered with red ochre and was accompanied by several chert
flakes. He may have died of wounds, since a projectile point was found
in the cervical vertebrae. Finally, in the summer of 1970 an adult male
was found in a storage/trash pit at the site (Robert T. Bray, personal
communication).
Having reviewed the data on Oneota burials in Nebraska, Iowa and
Missouri, the following hypotheses or assertions or guesses are offered
concerning the general character of Oneota mortuary practices. Hopefully
they will be tested in the future when more, especially descriptive,
data become available.
(1) The bodies typically seem to be supine and fully extended.
(2) Orientation to a specific cardinal point does not seem to be
involved as they range all around the compass.
(3) There appears to be some evidence that the graves were marked.
(4) Although most burials have some grave goods material, some do not.
Except for the “trophy” material and the fact that some of the historic
burials have more artifacts, there do not seem to be marked differences
in the wealth of the burials. Possibly each individual is accompanied by
some personal tool or ornament. At the Flynn, Hartley and Utlaut sites,
burials of children are accompanied by ceramic vessels—at the Blood Run
site, with a rim sherd. If this is a pattern, it changed in historic
times because burials with pots and trade goods are adult (Flynn, B. 5,
and Utlaut, B. 6).
(5) The lack of rich burials in the proto-historic (Oneota) period and
their presence in the historic suggests a process of social
stratification may be occurring because of new wealth. But this may be
more apparent than real, if the “trophy” material at the Utlaut site was
the proto-historic means of marking status to be replaced in the
historic period by trade goods. If that is so, then it would suggest
some social stratification in Oneota continuing through to the known
historic Missouri chiefs.
_Acknowledgments._ The senior author is pleased to acknowledge the
support of Kansas State University’s Bureau of General Research for a
1970 Summer Fellowship. The fellowship made possible this research. The
cooperation of Robert T. Bray, Director, Lyman Archaeological Research
Center, University of Missouri, is gratefully acknowledged for his help
and many kindnesses throughout this work. To him, and my other
colleagues: Alfred E. Johnson and W. Raymond Wood, who all helped to run
the joint Midwestern Archaeological Field School in the summer of 1970
go my thanks. William M. Bass kindly loaned me the Myers and Bass
manuscript which was most appreciated as it was essential for this
analysis. Finally, thanks are due to the students of the field school
who excavated these materials: Mike Gilman, Tom Green, Kevin Hart, Ann
Hirsh and Donna Roper, for without their good spirits and effort the
work could not have been done.