Hagen site, 24DW1| A review of historical data and a reassessment of its ceramic assemblage and position in Northern Plains prehistory

The Hagen site, 24DW1, is important for understanding prehistoric Northern Plains cultural dynamics, particularly regarding the "Crow-Hidatsa Schism" .The original Hagen site ceramic analysis indicates the site's cultural history is complex.This analysis was comprehensive for its time but is not easily comparable to collections from other sites.There were problems with excavation and laboratory techniques used from 1936 to 1939 by the WPA archeologists.Primary among these was the total lack of vertical provenience for the artifact assemblage.Three goals were pursued for this thesis.First, a history o f early excavations and analyses was compiled involving archival research, locating small collections from the site, and incorporating them into the main collection.Second, a detailed review o f the modem ceramic analysis by Abler and Swenson (1993) was presented.Abler and Swenson (1993) included a sample o f Hagen pottery in their analysis o f ceramics from many sites in the Knife-Heart region o f North Dakota.A brief summary o f their work and hypotheses concerning the Hagen site cultural history is included.Third, a spatial analysis o f ceramic attributes was conducted.A modified version o f Abler and Swenson's (1985) ceramic attribute coding format was used for the spatial analysis.A sample o f ceramics was coded with horizontal provenience data included as a variable.The frequency o f cord-impressed, S-shaped rims, and rainbow m otif variables strongly suggest close cultural ties to Early and Late Scattered 'Village complex sites in North Dakota.Higher frequencies o f S-shaped rim vessels with cord-wrapped-tool-impressions indicates possible contact with groups from the northwest, north, and northeast, a region now encompassing southeastern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba.CALFORM, a computer program that produces shaded, conformant maps, was used to create maps illustrating distributions o f various ceramic attributes.Hypothetically, ceramic attribute distribution maps could indicate areas o f occupation by distinct cultural groups or possibly settlement pattern variation's as ceramic traditions changed through time.The spatial analysis maps indicate no definite patterning o f ceramic attributes is evident except for increased densities o f pottery near the known features (house, mound, and cache pits).This homogeneous distribution is possibly due to the lack o f vertical provenience as the entire site was excavated as one single stratigraphie level, effectively collapsing the artifact assemblage into a single, homogeneous collection representing several occupations or cultural groups.ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many people have given me their encouragement and support during the preparation o f this thesis.Foremost among them are my parents, Willard and Lois Kinney. 1 will always be grateful to them for their unwavering belief that I would eventually complete it.I also want to thank my children, Jared and Molly for their encouragement and for allowing me time on the computer.I must also acknowledge the support and assistance o f Camille, my late wife.She assisted me in much o f the initial analysis and her support and encouragement has never been forgotten.1 have a list o f good friends that I must also recognize.Dr. Fred Schneider o f the University o f North Dakota read drafts o f the thesis and offered valuable constructive criticisms and commemts.Fred has been a good friend for many years and has always encouraged me to finish.For that I will always be grateful.Other members o f this small group o f friends have for the past year and a half been persistent in their "encouragement".I want to thank Linda Palmer, Fred McEvoy, .and Rich Berg for their perseverance and tenacity.They have been world class "naggers" and I appreciate every card, letter, and phone call they made to spur me on.Thank you all.Lastly, 1 want to thank my very best friend, Rebecca