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Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center / Past Cultures

Artifacts

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Dog Skull in Oneota Feature - OT

Feature excavation In 1987, UW-La Crosse archaeology students working at the OT site (47LC262) in La Crosse County found a dog skull in this refuse-filled pit feature (Feature 3). The skull (center of photo) was surrounded and partially overlain by Oneota pottery sherds and burned rocks. Dogs were important in Indigenous societies and served many functions, including acting as intruder alarms, consuming organic waste, carrying burdens, and being consumed under certain circumstances. Dog remains have been found at a number of late precontact Oneota sites in the La Crosse area.

(Entry by Dr. James Theler)

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MVAC Educational Programs are supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these programs do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. This project was supported in part by the National Science Foundation. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Foundation.