NO. 10 NEBRASKA ARCHEOLOGY STRONG 24I 



red hematite stain on their inner surface (pi. 21, fig. 2, k). Pottery 

 was abundant at this site. Chipped flint artifacts inckide triangular 

 unnotched arrowpoints (NBa) most numerous, double notched points 

 (NBai) next, and only one slender, stemmed point (SCb2) ; oval 

 knives (often beveled), small end scrapers, and chipped celts. Bone 

 artifacts include scapula hoes, bone awls, fragments of bone bracelets 

 (dot and line decoration), bone beads, bone fishhooks, and cylindrical 

 antler tapping tools. One broken polished stone celt, perforated disk 

 shell beads, one perforated shell gorget, perforated and fired clay 

 disks, and two modeled clay elbow pipes are also reported from the 

 site, a cultural content that is closely similar to that from the Lost 

 Creek site earlier described. No burials or ossuaries were located, 

 though a few human bones were found in one of the cache pits. 



The Sweetwater site is only one of a large number of such pre- 

 historic villages, often associated with ossuaries, in both the Loup and 

 Upper Republican River valleys. A great number of these sites have 

 been located and partially investigated by A. T. Hill. Judging from 

 Mr. Hill's description, all of these sites present much the same type 

 of culture as the prehistoric Lost Creek (Republican) and Sweet- 

 water (Loup) sites already discussed. He calls attention to minor 

 differences, such as the matter of using cord impressions rather than 

 incision for rim decoration, between the Loup Valley prehistoric pot- 

 tery and that of the Upper Republican, and further notes that polished 

 celts and the draw-shave type of bone beaming tool occur in the east- 

 ern sites."^ My personal impression is that the majority of these small 

 village and ossuary sites represent the same general culture, the dif- 

 ferences being due to local variations and perhaps to their representing 

 slightly different time periods. 



A large village site near Max, in Dundy County (map, fig. i, site 29) 

 on the western extension of the Republican River, has been reported 

 on by Loren Eiseley." Many house pits were noted here, but none 

 was excavated. However, the abundance of flint artifacts in a nearby 

 plowed field permitted a sampling of the culture represented. Pottery 

 was rather scarce, and no rim sherds were found ; hence it cannot 

 be stated whether the Lost Creek (i. e.. Upper Republican) type of 

 pottery occurs here. However, Mr. Eiseley found one indubitable 

 " black on red " Pueblo potsherd, which to the best of my knowledge 

 is the first typical southwestern pottery fragment reported from Ne- 

 braska. The significance of its occurrence on the surface of an ap- 



"^ Correspondence with A. T. Hill, winter of 1931-32. These problems are 

 discussed, and much new data presented, by Wedel, 1935, I and IV. 

 ** Correspondence with Mr. Eiseley, winter of 1931-32. 



