Mandan from T Witko

[Buckleberry]

I posted on another thread about my interest in Mandan artifacts and T Witko was gracious and generous enough to send me this incredible sampling of a variety of them.

I was pretty astounded when I opened the package, there is a little something of everything in here:

Quartz hammerstone, bone bead, many bone tools, some killer little classic Mandan true arrowheads 9 the flaking on these is just amazing so thin and bifaced), a shaft abrader ( my first, it's got grooves on both sides as well!) what I think is a fishnet weight stone with attachment groove around the middle, a ton of scrapers, my favorite tool BTW...awls, large knives....a nicely polished bone bead...a flat, ground/sanded what I think is some type of bison scapula tool? ( the big white one with the points on it)...
Some very nice pottery shards, man the Mandan's were really great potters and even some petrified wood and a long chunk of crystal.

and a great majority is made from KRF, gotta love those rich, warm tones and lines in it, one of the highest quality flint/cherts out there IMHO, right up there with our Ohio coveted Flint Ridge material.

Not sure what the bone tongue-depressors are? maybe pressure-flakers or pottery paddles?

and it's all going in it's own display case...needed to pick up a few more for next year anyway.

Thanks again K, for your outstanding generosity!!!

Kyle

ps) I'll post more pics when my son River gets to see them.

 

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[old digger]

That was really nice of Kelly to send you those artifacts.

 

[rock]

The scrapers are neat and very well detailed. Larson sent me a package last week. Together they must have a big collection. I am not sure but the scrapers look a lot older than the other items, what do you think?

 

[SOHIO]

Great generosity

 

[NC field hunter]

I think I'm going to go in and look at my N Dakota stuff.

 

[larson1951]

see what a nice guy kelly is?...he sent you a hundred pieces
he is one of my best all time friends


btw buckle, the scapula tool is a squash knife
the mandans were farmers mainly before hunters
they had huge gardens
the squash knife was for cutting the squash into fairly thin rings which were threaded on to poles and put on scaffolds until dry
the squash was orange like a pumpkin and real good
my friend had some seeds last year and grew some
this fall he gave us twenty two seeds which we will plant half next year and save half (for insurance) in case mother nature doesn't cooperate
the scrapers are the same age as the rest of the artifacts

 

[Buckleberry]

Definitely a great guy!

see what a nice guy kelly is?...he sent you a hundred pieces
he is one of my best all time friends


btw buckle, the scapula tool is a squash knife
the mandans were farmers mainly before hunters
they had huge gardens
the squash knife was for cutting the squash into fairly thin rings which were threaded on to poles and put on scaffolds until dry
the squash was orange like a pumpkin and real good
my friend had some seeds last year and grew some
this fall he gave us twenty two seeds which we will plant half next year and save half (for insurance) in case mother nature doesn't cooperate
the scrapers are the same age as the rest of the artifacts

Very interesting that they made such a specialized knife and after your description I can see how effective it would have been for that use, this thing is very thin and has a nice edge.

Cool about the squash as well, I'm trying to get a plot of land at a community garden and want to do a three sisters garden, just may have to make the Mandan squash part of it, do they look like this:

Heirloom Squash Seed from Heritage Harvest Seed


Thanks for all the info. Steve, always look forward to your posts.

Kyle

 

[rock]

So the age being early 1700 then?

 

[T Witko]

So the age being early 1700 then?

I wish I could tell you more precisely the age of these but they're likely at least that old. There are certain characteristics and styles that provide the most visible way to date them, at least with Mandan. Steve has a good way of explaining scrapers. (Hint -maybe on the scraper thread.)
As far as official dating, the best I can do is refer you back to the Scattered Village and Larson Village reports I've mentioned before. These sites were comparable in timeline to the one we hunt.

 

[rock]

I look them up and the date I believe was 1730 and earlier for your state. But I could be wrong. Thanks for the info.

 

[larson1951]

Definitely a great guy!
Very interesting that they made such a specialized knife and after your description I can see how effective it would have been for that use, this thing is very thin and has a nice edge.

Cool about the squash as well, I'm trying to get a plot of land at a community garden and want to do a three sisters garden, just may have to make the Mandan squash part of it, do they look like this:

Heirloom Squash Seed from Heritage Harvest Seed


Thanks for all the info. Steve, always look forward to your posts.

Kyle

OK Mr. Buck, Kyle and Riv,...

here is the real deal.... and best pert my friend grew them from the original seeds given to him by Marilyn Hudson
she is an historic icon that lives where my brother in law Dennis lived
which is the three affiliated tribes at fort berthold res in ND (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara)
here are some images of what was grown season of 2012
these Are Mandan good squash

 

[rock]

Nice squash and that point aint nothing to miss either.

 

[gilmerman]

Very nice finds and collection. Thanks.