Arkansas Archeological Survey (Fayetteville, AR 72704-5590)
George Sabo (Project Director: November 2008 to May 2016)
RZ-51028-09
Collaborative Research
Research Programs
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[Grant products]
Totals:
$240,000 (approved)
$240,000 (awarded)
Grant period:
7/1/2009 – 6/30/2013
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American Indian Art, Ritual, and Social Interaction in the Central Arkansas River Valley
Archaeological investigation of settlement sites in the central Arkansas River valley to shed light on materials looted during the last two centuries from Native American burial sites. (36 months)
The Carden Bottoms locality in Arkansas is well known for exquisitely decorated artifacts (ca. A.D. 1400-1700) preserved in museums across the country. Artifact designs reflect styles originating at the world-famous Cahokia site and represented at the Spiro Mounds site along the Arkansas River. Yet we know little about the people who produced these extraordinary materials. This project will employ remote sensing technologies to locate preserved cultural features at known archeological sites. Caddo, Osage, and Quapaw Indians will join Arkansas Archeological Survey archeologists in the excavation of those features to generate new information concerning the occupational history of the region and to provide better contextual information for studying the existing museum collections. Analysis of the resulting data will examine the role of art and ritual in the expression of community identity and regional social interaction.
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