Temporal and Geographic Variations in Subsistence Practices for Plains Villagers in the Southern Plains

Abstract

Investigations at Southern Plains Village (A.D. 900-1450) sites have documented a subsistence based on com horticulture, gathering wild plants, and huntingprimarily bison and deer. However, comparisons of western and central Oklahoma villages revealed geographic and temporal differences in exploitation activities. A greater dependence on bison and other prairie resources was evident at villages in the western mixed grass prairie, whereas floodplain forest resources predominated at villages in the eastern tal/grass prairie. Although no increase in com horticulture was found, bison utilization increased through time. Environmental changes, increased availability of bison, and increasing regional exchange may account for the shift in exploitation strategies.