Fourche Maline culture
Encyclopedia
The Fourche Maline culture was a Woodland Period
Native American
culture that existed from 300 BCE to 800 CE, in southeastern Oklahoma
, southwestern Arkansas
, northwestern Louisiana
, and northeastern Texas
. They are considered to be one of the main ancestral groups of the Caddoan Mississippian culture
, along with the contemporaneous Mill Creek culture of eastern Texas. It was named for the Fourche Maline Creek, a tribituary of the Poteau River
. Their modern descendants are the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma.
, and Mississippian
artifacts. These sites became the type site
s for the Fourche Maline culture. Early during this time period ceramic pottery had been introduced into the area, probably from Tchefuncte culture peoples to the southeast in Louisiana. The population also became more sedentary and began to establish semi-permanent villages and to practice agriculture
, planting various cultigens of the Eastern Agricultural Complex
. The populations began to expand, and trade with various nonlocal peoples also began to increase. Trade with peoples to the southwest brought the bow
and arrow
, and trade with the Marksville culture
and other Hopewellian peoples brought exotic goods such as fresh water pearls, sea shells, sharks' teeth, and copper
. An increase in the hierarchial structuring of their society, whether indigenously developed or through borrowing from the Hopewell is not certain, also began during this time period. The dead were treated in increasingly elaborate ways, as the first burial mounds are built at this time. Political power begins to be consolidated as the first platform mound
s at ritual centers are constructed for the developing hereditary political and religious leadership.
Archeological excavations at McCutchan-McLaughlin site in Latimer County, Oklahoma
in the mid 1970s revealed many interesting details about the lives and deaths of the Fourche Maline people. The nuts, seeds, tubers, fish and game they ate provided a healthy life, with none of the diseases that their later maize
dependant descendants suffered from. Also, degenerative diseases such as arthritis
were less frequent. Less heartening though is the most often identified cause of death among the burial excavated, warfare. Several mass graves were found, with projectile points found in the bodies. One specific group of nine mostly women and children was found with a type of chert
projectile points foreign to the area. The foreign material, from the Springfield plateau of southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas was not available to the Fourche Maline people for their own points. It is believed by archaeologists that a raiding party may have surprised the Fourche Maline group when their warriors were away, and afterward the survivors buried their dead in a single mass grave
.
Woodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
culture that existed from 300 BCE to 800 CE, in southeastern Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, southwestern Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, northwestern Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, and northeastern Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. They are considered to be one of the main ancestral groups of the Caddoan Mississippian culture
Caddoan Mississippian culture
The Caddoan Mississippian culture was a prehistoric Native American culture considered by archaeologists as a variant of the Mississippian culture. The Caddoan Mississippians covered a large territory, including what is now Eastern Oklahoma, Western Arkansas, Northeast Texas, and Northwest Louisiana...
, along with the contemporaneous Mill Creek culture of eastern Texas. It was named for the Fourche Maline Creek, a tribituary of the Poteau River
Poteau River
The Poteau River is a river in the U.S. states of Arkansas and Oklahoma and is the only river in Oklahoma that flows north. Poteau is the French word for "post" and it is believed the river was named because French explorers used a post or stake to mark the mouth of the river. The city of Poteau,...
. Their modern descendants are the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma.
Description
In the late 1930s archeologists with the Work Projects Administration excavated a series of sites in the Wister Valley of southeastern Oklahoma. The middens at these sites had an unusual thick, dark middens, and were called "black mounds" by the excavators. They contained a blend of Archaic, WoodlandWoodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
, and Mississippian
Mississippian culture
The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally....
artifacts. These sites became the type site
Type site
In archaeology a type site is a site that is considered the model of a particular archaeological culture...
s for the Fourche Maline culture. Early during this time period ceramic pottery had been introduced into the area, probably from Tchefuncte culture peoples to the southeast in Louisiana. The population also became more sedentary and began to establish semi-permanent villages and to practice agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, planting various cultigens of the Eastern Agricultural Complex
Eastern Agricultural Complex
The Eastern Agricultural Complex describes the agricultural practices of the pre-historic Eastern Woodland Native Americans in the eastern United States and Canada. Native Americans domesticated and cultivated many indigenous crops as far west as the Great Plains.-Term:The term Eastern Agricultural...
. The populations began to expand, and trade with various nonlocal peoples also began to increase. Trade with peoples to the southwest brought the bow
Bow (weapon)
The bow and arrow is a projectile weapon system that predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.-Description:A bow is a flexible arc that shoots aerodynamic projectiles by means of elastic energy. Essentially, the bow is a form of spring powered by a string or cord...
and arrow
Arrow
An arrow is a shafted projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.An arrow usually consists of a shaft with an arrowhead attached to the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other.- History:...
, and trade with the Marksville culture
Marksville culture
The Marksville culture was an archaeological culture in the lower Lower Mississippi valley, Yazoo valley, and Tensas valley areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas and extended eastward along the Gulf Coast to the Mobile Bay area, from 100 BCE to 400 CE. This culture takes its name...
and other Hopewellian peoples brought exotic goods such as fresh water pearls, sea shells, sharks' teeth, and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
. An increase in the hierarchial structuring of their society, whether indigenously developed or through borrowing from the Hopewell is not certain, also began during this time period. The dead were treated in increasingly elaborate ways, as the first burial mounds are built at this time. Political power begins to be consolidated as the first platform mound
Platform mound
A platform mound is any earthwork or mound intended to support a structure or activity.-Eastern North America:The indigenous peoples of North America built substructure mounds for well over a thousand years starting in the Archaic period and continuing through the Woodland period...
s at ritual centers are constructed for the developing hereditary political and religious leadership.
Archeological excavations at McCutchan-McLaughlin site in Latimer County, Oklahoma
Latimer County, Oklahoma
Latimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 10,692. Its county seat is Wilburton.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water....
in the mid 1970s revealed many interesting details about the lives and deaths of the Fourche Maline people. The nuts, seeds, tubers, fish and game they ate provided a healthy life, with none of the diseases that their later maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
dependant descendants suffered from. Also, degenerative diseases such as arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
were less frequent. Less heartening though is the most often identified cause of death among the burial excavated, warfare. Several mass graves were found, with projectile points found in the bodies. One specific group of nine mostly women and children was found with a type of chert
Chert
Chert is a fine-grained silica-rich microcrystalline, cryptocrystalline or microfibrous sedimentary rock that may contain small fossils. It varies greatly in color , but most often manifests as gray, brown, grayish brown and light green to rusty red; its color is an expression of trace elements...
projectile points foreign to the area. The foreign material, from the Springfield plateau of southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas was not available to the Fourche Maline people for their own points. It is believed by archaeologists that a raiding party may have surprised the Fourche Maline group when their warriors were away, and afterward the survivors buried their dead in a single mass grave
Mass grave
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple number of human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave, although the United Nations defines a mass grave as a burial site which...
.
Pottery
Fourche Maline pottery was grog, bone, grit, and sand tempered, and is known for its distinct shape, mainly flat-based vessels with thick walls, similar to flower pots. Common varieties found in archaeological sites are Williams plain, Cooper Boneware and Ouachita plain.External links
- http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:cYCVzZDIT2MJ:digital.library.okstate.edu/chronicles/v027/v027p303.pdf+Fourche+Maline+culture&cd=11&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us Recent Archaeological Research in Oklahoma by Robert E. Ben
- Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Fourche Maline Culture