Fremont worked bone gaming pieces: their life history using data from Wolf Village

Summary

We examine the life history of Fremont worked bone gaming pieces. Fremont gaming pieces have long been interpreted as instruments of gambling due to their similarity to items used historically in Native American gambling practices. During our research we analyzed all of the worked bone gaming pieces from Wolf Village and compared our results with ethnographic accounts of Native American gaming pieces. Our research focuses on two aspects of the Fremont gaming piece life histories which have been mostly overlooked: production and disposal. By focusing on the neglected portions of the life histories we can develop a more holistic understanding of the use of Fremont gaming pieces. We also consider the role that gaming pieces had in trade, specifically trade at Wolf Village. The results of our research indicate that the Fremont had well-developed ritual practices which may have included divination and imitative magic.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15588