<<Back to BCC Sites

 Seline Site

"Native Americans of some two thousand years ago discovered this deep erosional scar and used it to their advantage to capture bison. Bison, hazed probably from the higher open plains to the southeast, became easy prey to the human hunters with their atlatls and stone tipped darts in the naturally developed and culturally enhanced trap. The narrow, winding channel restricted the movement of animals confined in the bottom and hastily constructed barricades on the downstream edge at a point of natural constriction stopped escape in that direction. The narrow confines of the coulee also offered ready concealment to the human hunters." "After they had killed and butchered the bison the hunters abandoned the spot leaving behind the bones and unwanted portions of the slaughtered bison. After the humans left, dogs, wolves, or coyotes, perhaps all these canids, gnawed the remaining bits of meat from the bones and worked their way into the choice marrow cavities of some." "Ten corner-notched projectile points typologically consistent with those of the Pelican Lake Phase suggest site use between 1000 B.C. and A.D. 200. Two radiocarbon dates from charcoal produced dates near the beginning of the Christian era. The uniformity of the projectile point styles and the agreement of the radiocarbon dates suggest that site utilization involved a relatively short chronological interval. Conflicting evidence as to seasonality might encourage speculation that the site was occupied several times in a single year or during different seasons over several years. Evidence from the faunal remains points most strongly to an autumn occupation with exception of limited bison fetal remains." The Seline Site, A Late-Middle Period Bison Kill Near Glendive, Montana Roll, Aaberb and Bergstrom. Archaeology in Montana Vol. 35, No. 1, 1994

Artifacts from the Seline Site