The Devils Lake — Sourisford Burial Complex on the Northeastern Plains

Isolated, exotic mortuary items have been reported on the Northeastern Plains for a number of decades. The necessity of analyzing an unusual miniature vessel with incised Thunderbirds and broken arrows and lizard or salamander effigies resulted in re-definition of the whole complex plus the development of a temporal-ecological model to derive a dynamic framework for postulating a series of inferences.The exotic items such as incised miniature vessels, whelk shell gorgets, tubular pipes, columella shell beads, and incised stone tablets found in Canada and the U.S. are defined as part of the Devils Lake-Sourisford Burial Complex. This complex was left by nomadic Siouan peoples who settled on the Northeastern Plains during the Neo-Atlantic Climatic Period when Mississippian populations were undergoing maximum expansion and influence. These nomads were involved in a seasonal cycle following the bison herds bet Ween the Plains and the Aspen Parkland. They buried their dead primarily during the spring when they were leaving the Aspen Parkland and sheltered valleys. Only one village site, possibly related to this complex, has been anaylized to date but a series of anticipated results are presented.