Archaeological investigations at the Henry Smith site reveal that Avonlea hunters employed sophisticated techniques and performed elaborate rituals in the procurement of bison in the Milk River area during the period A.D. 770-1040. This evident by the presence of two anthropomorphic effigy rock alignments, extensive rockdrive lines leading to the remains of an impoundment structure, six discrete midden layers containing bison bones, projectile points, butchering tools and a series of radiocarbon dates. Analyses of excavated materials indicate that these hunters:- constructed the impoundment walls with a variety of locally available materials,
- operated the pound during all seasons of the year as would their historic descendants,
- made extensive use of cobble choppers and spall knives in butchering the bison killed at the site, and
- failed to retrieve a large quantity of their finely chipped, still usable stone arrowpoints."
Excerpted from The Henry Smith Site: An Avonlea Bison Procurement and Ceremonial Complex in Northern Montana in Avonlea Yesterday and Today. |
