The Cribb's Crib site (13WA105): the archaeology and ecology of an Oneota village in the central Des Moines River Valley

Abstract

<p>It is the intent of this study to describe in a systematic manner 1) the investigation and analysis of materials from the Cribb's Crib site, 2) the ecological setting of the site, and 3) the site's relationship to the Moingona Phase (Gradwohl 1967:211-212) and more generally to the occurrence of Oneota manifestions in the Prairie-Plains region. The primary focus of the present study concentrates on the description and the interpretation of the prehistoric Oneota manifestation at the Cribb's Crib site. Secondary foci include the relationship of the site to the regional Oneota manifestations in the Prairie-Plains, and the adaptation of the prehistoric occupants of the site to the local ecosystem. A major goal of the present study is the description of the exploitive potential of the ecological setting and the prehistoric subsistence-settlement patterns. The ultimate value of the study is its contribution to the documentation of the culture-history and the prehistoric adaptation within the central Des Moines River Valley. It may also provide a potential better understanding of the distribution of the Oneota complex which is largely attributed to the Chiwere Siouan speakers of the eastern Prairie-Plains during the late prehistoric and protohistoric period (Griffin 1937; Keyes 1927; Mott 1938).</p>