Appendix H - Historical Archaeological and ... - CBP.gov

Beginning as early as the tenth century A.D., Oneota peoples related to the Mero Complex on the
Door Peninsula begin appearing in northern Wisconsin (Bruhy, 2002; Mason, 1990; Overstreet,
2000) and spread across parts of the Upper Peninsula, most likely sometime around 1200 A.D.
(Halsey, 1999). Oneota pottery consists of infrequently decorated grit- and/or shell-tempered
globular vessels with sharply everted rims. Some exhibit occasional lip modifications and simple
trailed designs. The presence of garden beds bespeak the use of maize horticulture by these peoples
(Buckmaster, 2004), although they also appear to have incorporated locally available starchy-seeded
annuals, like chenopodium, knotweed, little barley, and wild rice along with fruits and berries into
their diet (Bruhy, 2002; Bruhy et al., 1999). Mounds and clusters of storage pits have been identified
in proximity to a number of Oneota village sites in northern Wisconsin.
Native Americans in the Historic Period
It is clear that the historic Native American groups encountered across the region by the early French
explorers had cultural ties with the preceding late Late Woodland period. Much of the Upper Peninsula
was historically used by the Ojibwa and Ottawa; the Ojibwa also lived across northern Wisconsin.
Other groups had traditional territories in the region, such as the Menominee in the Menominee River
valley area, the Winnebago (Ho Chunk) in the Door Peninsula area, and Siouian speakers, primarily the
Dakota and Assiniboine, farther to the west along the western shores of Lake Superior (Tanner, 1987;
Trigger, 1976). Native American cultures were dramatically affected by European influences, land use,
and political control by the mid-seventeenth century. French explorers, traders, and Jesuit missionaries
begin making contact with Native American groups in the upper Great Lakes by this time (Cleland,
1992; Stone and Chaput, 1976; Tanner, 1987). It was also during this period that a number of groups
were pushed west by the outbreak of hostilities with the Iroquois, setting off a series of movements that
disrupted traditional distribution of Native peoples. Refugee Huron and Ottawa groups arrived in the
Chequamegon Bay region around 1650, although they eventually relocated to the Straits of Mackinac
region around 1670. As political control of this region passed from French (pre-1760), to British (post-
1760), and finally American jurisdiction (1796-present), Native American societies changed in many
respects as they became increasingly dependent on Euroamerican technologies and became
intermeshed with the now-dominant society. Many aspects of the traditional cultures and beliefs have
survived and area enjoying a resurgence in modern times.
1.1.4 EAST OF THE ROCKIES (EOR) REGION
1.1.4.1 State of Minnesota
Northern Minnesota extends across parts of the Central Lowlands and the Superior Upland
physiographic provinces (Fenneman and Johnson, 1946). The Central Lowlands region of the
state includes the Eastern Lake, Western Lake, and Dissected Till Plains sub-provinces.
Minnesota is mostly in the Northeastern Plains cultural region of the Great Plains, with a small
portion of the northeast part of the state extending into the Northeast cultural region (DeMallie,
2001a; DeMallie, 2001b; Trigger, 1978). The prehistory of the state is outlined in a number of
monographs and edited volumes (e.g., DeMallie, 2001a; DeMallie, 2001b; Frison, 2001;
Harrison, 1985; Fitting, 1978a; Fitting, 1978b; Tuck, 1978).
A Cultural context for the prehistoric period in Minnesota and the larger area of the plains was
developed in the early and mid-twentieth century by Kroeber (1936), and was elaborated by
others in later years (Wilford, 1955; Quimby, 1960; Wedel, 1961; Bamforth, 1988; Johnson,
Northern Border Activities H-47 July 2012