NO. lO NEBRASKA ARCHEOLOGY — STRONG 29I 



there are also Cheyenne (George Bird Grinnell, 1918) and Hidatsa 

 villages, as well as many which may prove to be of different cultures. 

 (Since the above was written careful and extensive excavations have 

 been carried on at the historic Arikara village across from Mobridge, 

 S. Dak., which was visited by Lewis and Clark, Brackenridge, Brad- 

 bury, Maxmillian of Wied, and others. The writer mapped the village, 

 which was burned during Leavenworth's attack in 1823, and excavated 

 both ceremonial and ordinary earth lodges and refuse pits. (Strong, 

 1933 c.) Stirling and Over excavated numerous burials here at an 

 earlier date. A report on this work by Stirling and Strong is in 

 preparation.) 



On the brief reconnaissance trip through the Dakotas in September 

 193 1 the writer was struck by the general resemblance between Upper 

 Republican ceramics (especially the Sweetwater type) and those from 

 one historic and several presumably prehistoric Arikara villages in 

 South Dakota. (Strong, 1932.) The time available was too short and 

 the collections examined too limited to permit any definite conclusions, 

 but I believe that future determination of the actual prehistoric Ari- 

 kara culture in South Dakota will reveal a horizon closely similar to 

 the Upper Republican culture in Nebraska. The supposition that an 

 early culture of the latter type occurs in South Dakota is strengthened 

 by the work of Mr. Over in a stratified cave site near the headwaters 

 of the Grand River in Hardin County, near the northwestern corner 

 of the state. '^' In this Ludlow cave Mr. Over found surface remains 

 associated with glass beads which appeared to be late Siouan (i. e., 

 Dakota) in origin, while 2| feet below was another culture stratum 

 containing pottery, fine chipped stone, and bone and shell artifacts. 

 The culture of this lower stratum, as represented in the University 

 Museum at Vermillion, S. Dak., seemed to the writer to be very 

 similar in types of pottery, chipped points, and bone and shell work to 

 the Upper Republican culture of Nebraska. The full significance of 

 this important stratified site can be determined only after the facts 

 have been published in full. 



At present certain main lines of archeological inquiry seem promis- 

 ing. Complete excavations should be made in early historic Mandan 

 sites in the north and in early historic Arikara sites to the south to 

 distinguish these two cultures as they existed prior to their virtual 

 amalgamation in later historic times. For serious comparative pur- 

 poses enough house sites, burials or ossuaries, refuse heaps, and earth- 

 works should be carefully uncovered at each site to clearly reveal a 



"^ This cave and the unusual petroglyphs and bas-rehef carvings which mark 

 it is described, and some of the latter figured, by Will, 1909, pp. 261-265. 



