SEVENTY-SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT 17 



to-long entryways. The earlier houses were of rather miifomi size 

 (about 36 feet in diameter), while the later ones ranged from 19 

 feet to 47 feet in diameter. A unique feature was the presence of two 

 concentrically superimposed ceremonial lodges, using almost the same 

 floor level. One was 77 feet in diameter, superimposed upon one that 

 was 64 feet in diameter. All the large ceremonial lodges excavated 

 at the Sully site (as well as several of the later dwelling houses) were 

 actually polyhedral rather than round, and had between 9 and 12 

 sides. 



All occupations of this site were relatively late, with both major 

 components (additional minor components have yet to be differenti- 

 ated) in the circular-house tradition and probably relating to the 

 period between roughly A.D. 1600 and 1750. The pottery sample 

 and other artifact inventory is large and varied, but no assessment 

 of it has been made at this time. This field party disbanded on Au- 

 gust 23, after 10 weeks in the field. 



The second Kiver Basin Surveys field party in the Oahe Reservoir 

 area consisted of a crew of eight men, imder the leadership of William 

 M. Bass III, physical anthropologist. This party devoted the major 

 part of the season to excavations in the burial areas of the Sully site 

 (39SL4) . This was a continuation of work begun in 1957 on a some- 

 what smaller scale. Work was concentrated in three areas (Features 

 218, 219, and 220) and 161 burials were recovered, bringing the num- 

 ber of burials excavated at the Sully site to 224. Only a preliminary 

 analysis of the skeletal remains has been made. Bodies were interred 

 in shallow oval pits dug into an old surface about 1 foot below the 

 current soil level. Burials were predominantly flexed or semiflexed 

 and oriented with the head toward the west or northwest. A group 

 burial, recovered from Feature 218, appears to be the remnant of a 

 scaffold burial. Many of the graves had a covering of small poles, 

 but few had grave goods included. The grave goods that were re- 

 covered included pottery vessels, ornaments, and an occasional cat- 

 linite pipe. 



The Bass party, in addition to work at the Sully site, excavated 

 nine rock-cairn burials at the Whistling Hawk site (39SL39), a 

 rather ephemeral site on the same terrace 2 miles east of the Sully 

 site. Burials were found in each caim, but significant skeletal re- 

 mains were scanty, as most of the bones were badly deteriorated. 

 Artifacts with these burials were few. 



At the end of the field season, the Bass party devoted a short period 

 to the excavation and collection of a group of burials and associated 

 artifacts from a site (39YK202) recently discovered in the course of 

 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service construction work near the Gavins 

 Point Dam. Only the prompt action and complete cooperation 



