Power and gender in Oneota culture : a study of a late prehistoric people / Thomas Edward Berres.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Berres, Thomas E.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Oneota Indians (Great Plains)--Social life and customs.

Oneota Indians (Great Plains).

Indians of North America--Rock River Valley (Wis. and Ill.)--Antiquities.

Indians of North America.

Antiquities.

Manners and customs.

Rock River Valley (Wis. and Ill.)--Antiquities.

Rock River Valley (Wis. and Ill.).

Social archaeology.

Physical Description:

xii, 253 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

DeKalb : Northern Illinois University Press, [2001]

Summary:

Examining the traces left by inhabitants of prehistoric Illinois, archaeologist Berres finds a society without hierarchy, whose patterns of daily life were shaped by deeply held religious beliefs and traditions. Recognizing that symbols on artifacts left by the Oneota people reveal much about their understanding of the world, he analyzes these symbols to challenge commonly held assumptions about early Native American culture. He finds, for example, that the Oneota conceived of power as a mean of accomplishment rather than as a way to control others and that the roles of men and women were well defined but parallel. These new findings carry important implications for understanding the role of women in Native American culture.

Berres recreates the values and cosmologies of the Oneota communities -- areas too often ignored by archaeologists -- by closely examining all aspects of Oneota life and death, from food preparation to burials. His discussion of the thunderbird and Oneota mormary practices, in particular, helps to capture the beliefs in the supematural that were a vital part of life for these people. Archaeologists and readers interested in Native American history and culture will find fresh insights in Power and Gender in Oneota Culture.

Contents:

1. Interpreting Oneota 3

2. Cultural Comparisons: Historical Reality 26

3. The Prairie Peninsula Country 50

4. Archaeology of the Middle Rock River 74

5. Animal Exploitation and Consumption 80

6. Ceramic Vessels: Vehicles of Communication 124

7. Thunderbird Symbolism and Material Culture 144

8. Migration and the Power of Mortuary Ritual 167

9. The Story of Community, Tradition, and Dreams 179.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [195]-244) and index.

ISBN:

0875805876

OCLC:

44517926