222 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 189 



A shell disk, 34 mm. in diameter, is incomplete. Near the outer 

 margin is a small perforation for suspension. Presumably the pendant 

 was made from a section of Lasmigona sp., for this type of shell was 

 more numerous than any other and the texture fits this sort of shell. 



COPPER 



A single small copper bead, 16 mm. in length and 3 mm. in diameter, 

 was found near the mouth of Feature 16. It is the only metal found 

 during the period of excavation. The bead was made by rolling a 

 small sheet of copper around a twig or some similar object. At the 

 present time its surface is completely covered with a verdigris. From 

 its location in the site, it is presumed that it was intrusive there either 

 after the site was abandoned or at the terminal phase of occupancy. 



SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 



The existence of rectangular house pits suggests that a group of the 

 Upper Republican culture had established at lesist one permanent resi- 

 dence here at the Hosterman site. True to their nature they spaced 

 and scattered their houses widely apart and without pattern. 



Their economy consisted of limited agriculture with greater stress 

 being placed on hunting and seasonal gathering. The presence of lim- 

 ited amounts of charred corn and a few beans and squash seeds attests 

 that they had enriched food habits. Pits of wild plums and choke- 

 cherries show that these fruits were then in use. There is evidence 

 that they were supplemented, in season, with the wild berries of the 

 nearby area as well as with seeds from the many wild grasses growing 

 there. Communities were located on bluffs or terraces and, in this case, 

 the main stem of the Missouri River. 



During this period, house pits were rectangular in form and were 

 sunk to various depths, depending upon the inclination of the builders. 

 This variation in depth probably accounts for the uneveness of the 

 aeolian deposits that accumulated over the remains after the site was 

 finally abandoned. Inside the pit was constructed a house with indi- 

 vidual posts fairly closely spaced, surrounding four centrally located 

 roof supports that in turn surrounded a centrally placed firepit. The 

 walls served as studding to support the wall plates. Rafters were 

 closely spaced, running from the wall to the center of the structure. 

 Over this basic framework were piled layers of brush, grass, and finally 

 a heavy dirt cover. The finished house resembled a low dome-shaped 

 earthen mound which was entered by means of a long, narrow, covered 

 passageway. Smoke escaped from a centrally placed opening in the 

 roof. 



