pip. N^o.' S^sT HOSTERMAN SITE — MILLER 159 



depth of 2.5 feet. This pit, like Feature 12, contained the skulls of 

 two adult animals, together with individual bones, articulated sections 

 of vertebral columns, and other portions all in proper alinement. 

 Horn cores were intact and the muzzle portions were not complete, a 

 fact which may indicate that portions of the nasal cartilages and 

 upper lips were removed. White (1954, p. 167) surmised that these 

 portions were probably considered a delicacy similar to those of the 

 moose, which the northern Indians converted into a rich stew. From 

 the appearance of the skulls these portions were removed while in 

 the butchering area. 



Caudal vertebrae of one individual were in place, indicating that the 

 tail was not always removed along with the hide. 



Superimposed above this feature were a number of random post 

 molds. A sterile layer of loess and sand, 1.3 feet in thickness, sepa- 

 rated the two features. None of the postholes were deep enough to 

 penetrate into the mouth of the slaughtering area. There is a definite 

 time differential between the two. 



All four of the butchering areas had their origin at a greater depth 

 than any of the other features located. This would indicate that they 

 represented the primary occupancy of the site. Whether this was the 

 nucleus out of which the village was established or was just a hunting 

 campsite could not be determined, since only a very small portion of 

 the site was investigated through excavation. I lean toward the 

 theory that these were probably the remains of an early hunting camp 

 near a place that bison frequented, since there were no -cultural re- 

 mains found in direct association with these features. 



MIDDEN PITS 



After a time lapse and at a higher level in the site, we found that 

 the midden pits, which were probably early borrow pits, tended to be 

 saucer shaped and fairly shallow, with the exception of Features 10 

 and 20. Feature 10 had a vertical depth of 4.1 feet ; Feature 20 had a 

 vertical depth of 5.3 feet. Other saucer-shaped pits were : Features 2, 

 3, 15, 16, 23, 24, 27, 33, and 35. Feature 35 was the shallowest of the 

 series, being only 0.3 foot in depth, and Feature 16 was the deepest, 

 being 2.2 feet in depth. Some were circular in outline, another was 

 quasi-rectangular with rounded base, and one had an irregular outline 

 with walls sloping in toward the center. All contained some midden 

 mixed with loess. Depths from the present surface ranged from 3.2 

 feet to 3.8 feet (see chart of depths for the various types of pits 

 (fig. 31)). 



Deviating from the norm were Features 10 and 12. Instead, their 

 contents appeared to have been richly mixed with humus and very 

 loosely inserted into the pits. In other features the pit fill leaned 



