Middens -- Knife River Indian Villages NHS, Stanton ND
N 47° 20.065 W 101° 23.020
14T E 319918 N 5245082
An interpretive panel at the Knife River Indian Villages NHS explains the evidence of the Awatixa Xi'e Village from their trash dumps (middens) at Knife River Indian Villages NHS
Waymark Code: WM17GJ8
Location: North Dakota, United States
Date Posted: 02/18/2023
Views: 1
The Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site is a fascinating glimpse into the way that Indian tribes along the Missouri and Knife Rivers lived before the Europeans arrived.
This National Historic Site also contains the evidence of ancient Indian villages that existed in this area along the Knife River.
The waymarked historical marker reads as follows:
"Middens
To imagine these people’s daily lives, consider their trash. Molehill-like mounds two to four feet high near the village edge are middens or garbage heaps packed with broken pottery, bone tools, and flaked stone. Shattered Buffalo bones are the most frequent objects archaeologists have unearthed here.
[bison hunt painting]
Bison hunt, from a painting by Karl Bodmer
[photo]
Archaeological cross-section of a midden
By focusing on everyday debris, you can begin to picture village activity yet miss the rich ceremonial life. For that you must rely on paintings and sketches by 19th century artists George Caitlin and Karl Bodmer. Caitlin visited Awatixa village, the next site along the trail."
Roadside: no
City: no
Other: yes
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