A Contextual Analysis of Nineteenth-Century Indian Burial Artifacts on the Southern Plains
Creators: name: Walsh, William Edward
Publisher: name: Texas A&M University
Year: 1998
Subjects: subject: Southern Plains
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/6989/southern-plains
subject: Oklahoma (State / Territory)
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/330/oklahoma-state-territory
subject: Kansas (State / Territory)
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/1482/kansas-state-territory
subject: New Mexico (State / Territory)
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/299/new-mexico-state-territory
subject: Texas (State / Territory)
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/348/texas-state-territory
subject: Cheyenne
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/80/cheyenne
subject: Plains Village
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/17/plains-village
subject: Arapaho
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/1334/arapaho
subject: Historic
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/25/historic
subject: Euroamerican
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/28/euroamerican
subject: Late Prehistoric
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/156/late-prehistoric
subject: Niashan
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/8509/niashan
subject: Historic Native American
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/30/historic-native-american
subject: Spanish
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/31/spanish
subject: Shoshone
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/66/shoshone
subject: Caddoan Culture
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/5027/caddoan-culture
subject: Comanche
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/1605/comanche
subject: Apache
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/72/apache
subject: Kiowa
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/940/kiowa
subject: Shell
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/14/shell
subject: Wood
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/15/wood
subject: Textile
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/16/textile
subject: Chipped Stone
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/2/chipped-stone
subject: Hide
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/18/hide
subject: Fauna
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/4/fauna
subject: Glass
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/6/glass
subject: Metal
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/11/metal
subject: Archaeological Overview
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/1/archaeological-overview
subject: Historic Background Research
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/18/historic-background-research
subject: Collections Research
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/3/collections-research

description: 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.