A Contextual Analysis of Nineteenth-Century Indian Burial Artifacts on the Southern Plains

Summary

This thesis contends that the relative Uniformity of the funerary material culture described as the “Southern Plains Equestrian Nomad Archaeological Complex” (Shafer et al 1994:322-323) is a consequence of an increasing emphasis place by the Southern Plains tribes of the nineteenth century on the similarities underpinning their cultures The reasons given for this sense of accentuated commonality are: 1) a pre-existing undercurrent of shamanistic beliefs and world view shared by these tribes; 2) their similar cultural adaptation to a common ecological and economic environment; 3) the interaction of their cultures with one another on the Southern Plains; and 4) the simultaneous interaction of their cultures with Euro-American cultures. This last type of interaction is held to have taken many forms, including the introduction of the horse and firearms, the intrusion of Euro-Americans in the existing networks of Indian trade, the introduction of Euro-American trade goods to Indian people, and the competition between Indians and non-Indians for territory and resources on the Southern Plains. The impact of these changes includes the development of a horse nomad lifeway, a new emphasis by Southern Plains Indian people on the acquisition of wealth (primarily based on the ownership of large herds of horses), and their gradual realization that growing numbers of Euro-Americans represented an increasing threat to their new-found prosperity and ultimately to their very existence.

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Cultural Resource Office, Joint Base San Antonio

Sponsor(s): Harry Shafer

Repository(s): Fort Sam Houston

Submitted To(s): Office of Graduate Studies, Texas A&M University

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