Documentary Evidence For Changes In Protohistoric And Early Historic Pawnee Hunting Practices

Protohistoric Pawnee hunting camps have been identified in recent years, casting doubt on the view that the hunting complex developed after the acquisition of the horse. Identification of such sites, however, does not directly infonn us how old the hunting complex is or how it may have changed over time. Archaeological research will be the primary avenue for evaluating the antiquity of and changes in the hunting complex. The nature of the archaeological record may be anticipated by reviewing the documentary record for evidence concerning the antiquity of the hunt, structural continuity and change, and changes in the hunting range. Documentary data indicate that the hunting complex dates to at least the seventeenth century and possibly earlier. They also indicate considerable continuity in how those hunts were conducted, although some structural change is evident. Finally, documentary and cartographic data reflect changes in the size and location of the hunting range throughout the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.