L56 l\l>l W> 01 THE PLAINS 



discovered and most of their movements since thai 

 date, but beyond that we must proceed by inference 

 and the interpretation of anthropological data. 



Not being able to discover how the various tribes 

 came to be in the Plains, we can scarcely expect to tell 

 how long- they have been there. The archaeological 

 method may be brought into play here; but as yet we 

 lack sufficient data. Mounds and earthworks have been 

 discovered in the Dakotas and southward along the Mis- 

 souri, apparently the fringe of the great mound area 

 in the Woodlands to the east, but in the open plains, we 

 have so far only evidence of states of culture similar to 

 those we have just described, from which we infer that 

 no other culture preceded this one. Yet for all we know. 

 its origin may date back several thousand years. 

 Certain it is that in 1540 all the typical Plains traits 

 of culture were in function, and since the wheels of 

 primitive progress move slowly we can safely assume 

 a remote origin. 



Anyway when we consider the culture of the Plain- 

 since 1540, it appears that so many of the traits enu- 

 merated in these pages are almost entirely peculiar to 

 the area that we are constrained to conclude that they 

 developed within it. This is strengthened by the 

 peculiar adaptation of many of these traits to the 

 geographical conditions, suggesting that they were in- 

 vented or discovered by a Plains people. It seems, 

 therefore, that while the origin of the blood and lan- 

 guages of the Plains cannot be determined, it- cultural 

 problem is in a fail* way to be solved. Among the most 



