Louisiana’s cultural heritage dates back to approximately 10,000 B.C.
when man first entered this region. Since that time, many other Indian
groups have settled here. Each of these groups has left evidence of its
presence in the archaeological record. The Anthropological Study series
published by the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism provides
a readable account of various activities of these cultural groups.
Robert W. Neuman, Curator of Anthropology at the Museum of Geoscience,
Louisiana State University, and Nancy W. Hawkins, outreach coordinator
for the State Division of Archaeology, coauthored this volume. It is the
result of the realization that relatively few Louisiana residents are
aware of the state’s rich archaeological heritage. Furthermore, there is
little introductory information available to them about Louisiana’s
past. _Louisiana Prehistory_ was written to meet this need. It is a
short summary of the state’s prehistory and is meant to be a person’s
first exposure to the state’s prehistoric archaeology. For this reason
theoretical and technical discussions are kept at a minimum.
Louisiana Prehistory tells the story of man’s occupation of the state
during its first 11,600 years. It begins with the big game hunters of
10,000 B.C. and describes the changing life styles brought about by the
end of the Ice Age. It relates the influences of various people moving
into and out of Louisiana and their effects on Louisiana cultures.
Finally it recounts the development of mound building which culminated
in the large ceremonial centers described by the early European
explorers.
I trust that the reader will enjoy this introduction to Louisiana’s
prehistoric Indian heritage.
Kathleen Byrd
_State Archaeologist_