158 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BuU. 189 



The larger and heavier of the two skulls, apparently that of a bull, 

 with complete mandibles still in proper articulative position, had both 

 horns missing. These apparently were severed from the skull by 

 means of heavy blows with a stone maul or some similar object. The 

 fact that the lower jaws were complete and still in proper place would 

 exclude the idea that the tongue, a prized delicacy, was removed by 

 the people of the Hosterman village site. The other, a badly decayed 

 light skull of either a female or a calf, still retained both of its horns. 

 From the general appearances, it likewise had not been mutilated to 

 secure the brains, tongue, or muzzle. 



The presence of these two comparatively whole skulls, the articu- 

 lated sections of vertebrae, scapula, as well as individual bones, all 

 within a small confined and constructed area, attest to the fact that 

 these animals were transported into the village from some unknown 

 distance and dressed there. Since there were no artifacts within the 

 pit or closely associated with these remains, we could not determine 

 whether these animals were killed by means of bows and arrows, 

 spears, bison kills, or were drowned in the nearby river and dragged 

 to the village to be butchered. 



Feature 13 resembled Feature 12 in that the basic characteristics 

 were the same: the comparatively round, shallow, basin-shaped pit 

 that contained not only individual bones but whole sections of animals 

 still in articulative condition. This specially constructed pit orig- 

 inated at a depth of 4.5 feet from the present surface, measured 7.8 feet 

 in maximum length, 6.4 feet in maximum width, with a depth of 2.9 

 feet. Resting therein were the articulative hindquarters of a single 

 bison together with its caudal vertebrae. The impression was that the 

 flesh of this particular animal was mostly wasted, for most choice cuts 

 are derived from this part of the animal. There is no telling whether 

 the Hostermanites cut away the heavy flesh from the bones, took the 

 kidneys and kidney fat, and left the undisturbed bones to be covered 

 over with clean wind-blown material as we found them. 



Feature 14 has been labeled as "slaughtering area number 3," in that 

 it, too, conformed to the generalized pattern established by both Fea- 

 tures 12 and 13. Like the others, the pit was found at a depth of 4.5 

 feet from the present surface ; it was saucer shaped ; it measured 6.8 

 feet in maximum length, 4.8 feet in maximmn width, and had a vertical 

 depth of 1.2 feet. Resting therein were sections of vertebral columns, 

 all articulated, and portions of leg bones. Like the former areas this 

 feature was barren of any midden material. Clean, wmdblown sand 

 surrounded the bones. This was the smallest of the slaughtering areas. 



Feature 19, the largest of the slaughtering areas, had its origin 4.5 

 feet below the present ground surface. It measured 10.6 feet in 

 maximum length, 10.0 feet in maximum width, and had a vertical 



