Oneota
Encyclopedia
Oneota is a designation archaeologists use to refer to a cultural complex that existed in the eastern plains and Great Lakes
area of what is now the United States
from around AD 900 to around 1650 or 1700. The culture is believed to have transitioned into various Macro-Siouan cultures
of the protohistoric
and historic times such as Ioway
. A long-accepted ancestry to the Ho-chunk
has yet to be conclusively demonstrated.
Oneota is considered a major component of Upper Mississippian culture
. It is characterized by globular, shell-tempered pottery that is often coarse in fibre. It often had a spherical body, short necks and/or a flat lip. Sometimes the vessels had strap handles. Decoration includes wavy and zigzag lines, often in parallel. Most decoration was done on the top half of the vessel. Analytically, it has been broken down into various stages or horizons. Generally accepted are the following: the Emergent Horizon (ca. AD 900-1000), the Developmental Horizon (ca. AD 1000-1300), the Classic Horizon (ca. AD 1300-1650) (previously called the Oneota Aspect), and the Historic Horizon (post-contact, generally after 1650). In addition, the Oneota culture has been divided geographically based on stylistic and socio-economic differences. Some of these traditions are Orr, Langford, and Fisher-Huber. Oneota pottery was made in a distinctive globular form.
The Oneota diet included corn
, beans, and squash, wild rice, nuts, fish, deer, and bison, varying according to the region and locale.
Relationships with Middle Mississippian
were present but are not yet clearly understood. Whether Oneota developed in situ out of Late Woodland cultures, was invasive, was the result of influence from (proto-)Middle Mississippian peoples, or was some mix of these is not clear.
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
area of what is now the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from around AD 900 to around 1650 or 1700. The culture is believed to have transitioned into various Macro-Siouan cultures
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
of the protohistoric
Protohistory
Protohistory refers to a period between prehistory and history, during which a culture or civilization has not yet developed writing, but other cultures have already noted its existence in their own writings...
and historic times such as Ioway
Iowa tribe
The Iowa , also known as the Báxoje, are a Native American Siouan people. Today they are enrolled in either of two federally recognized tribes, the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma and the Ioway Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska....
. A long-accepted ancestry to the Ho-chunk
Ho-Chunk
The Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago, are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what is now Wisconsin and Illinois. There are two federally recognized Ho-Chunk tribes, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska....
has yet to be conclusively demonstrated.
Oneota is considered a major component of Upper Mississippian culture
Upper Mississippian culture
Upper Mississippian culture, sometimes referred to as Upper Mississippian cultures , is the archaeological designation for certain late prehistoric cultures of the indigenous peoples of eastern North America, located in the present day Midwestern United States region.Included are:*the Oneota...
. It is characterized by globular, shell-tempered pottery that is often coarse in fibre. It often had a spherical body, short necks and/or a flat lip. Sometimes the vessels had strap handles. Decoration includes wavy and zigzag lines, often in parallel. Most decoration was done on the top half of the vessel. Analytically, it has been broken down into various stages or horizons. Generally accepted are the following: the Emergent Horizon (ca. AD 900-1000), the Developmental Horizon (ca. AD 1000-1300), the Classic Horizon (ca. AD 1300-1650) (previously called the Oneota Aspect), and the Historic Horizon (post-contact, generally after 1650). In addition, the Oneota culture has been divided geographically based on stylistic and socio-economic differences. Some of these traditions are Orr, Langford, and Fisher-Huber. Oneota pottery was made in a distinctive globular form.
The Oneota diet included corn
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...
, beans, and squash, wild rice, nuts, fish, deer, and bison, varying according to the region and locale.
Relationships with Middle 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....
were present but are not yet clearly understood. Whether Oneota developed in situ out of Late Woodland cultures, was invasive, was the result of influence from (proto-)Middle Mississippian peoples, or was some mix of these is not clear.
Sources
- Gibbon, Guy E. 1982 Oneota Studies.
- Green, William (ed.) 1995 Oneota Archaeology: Past, Present, and Future.
External links
- Uiowa.edu, general material and large annotated bibliography
- Angelfire.com, updated bibliography
- The Oneota Culture Prehistoric Farmers of the American Midwest; By K. Kris Hirst, About.comAbout.comAbout.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
- Mississippian and Oneota Traditions
- Oneota, Minnesota State University-Mankato