The Great Plains Archaeology Podcast

Carlton and Chris reunite with Drs. Shawn Bubel and Kevin McGeough of the University of Lethbridge to continue their discussion of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you missed Part 1, listen to it before turning to Part 2, in which Shawn and Kevin discuss their recent Plains Anthropologist article, “Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump: The Durative Power of Keystone Institutions and Embedded Knowledge.” In both the article and this episode, they move beyond archaeological and behavioral-ecological models that view buffalo jumps primarily as meat factories to explore the sites’ broader social and cultural significance. What are “keystone institutions” in hunter-gatherer archaeology, and how can archaeologists identify them? What is embedded knowledge, and how is it expressed at Head-Smashed-In? What happens to a cultural system when the institutions that sustain it are suddenly taken away? And how have the Blackfoot reclaimed some of this embedded knowledge in the recent past?

Article Citation:

Shawn Bubel and Kevin McGeough (04 Jun 2026) Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump: The Durative Power of Keystone Institutions and Embedded Knowledge. Plains Anthropologist, in press.

• For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/great-plains-archaeology/53
• Transcript

• Imagining Head-Smashed-In: Aboriginal Buffalo Hunting on the Northern Plains by Jack Brink (2008)
• Plains Anthropological Society Website
• Plains Anthropologist Online Journal Access
• The Archaeology of the North American Great Plains by Douglas B. Bamforth (2021)
• Archaeology on the Great Plains Edited by W. Raymond Wood (1998)
• Carlton's KU Anthropology Faculty Bio
• Chris’s PCRG Bio

• Instagram: @‌pawnee_archaeologist
• Email: [email protected]

• APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
• APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
• APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
• APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
• APN Shop

• Motion

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Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in southern Alberta, is the best-known buffalo jump on the Great Plains. Used for nearly 6,000 years—and perhaps longer—the site enabled Blackfoot people to harvest millions of pounds of bison meat, hides, bones, and other resources. In Episode 52, Chris and Carlton speak with Drs. Shawn Bubel and Kevin McGeough of the University of Lethbridge about their recent Plains Anthropologist article on this keystone site in Blackfoot culture. Part 1 introduces the history of Head-Smashed-In and buffalo jumps more broadly, explaining how these hunts worked and the immense scale of the operations. This foundation sets up Part 2, which explores why Head-Smashed-In was far more than a “meat factory”: it also preserved generations of Blackfoot wealth, knowledge, and culture.

Article Citation:

Shawn Bubel and Kevin McGeough (04 Jun 2026) Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump: The Durative Power of Keystone Institutions and Embedded Knowledge. Plains Anthropologist, in press.

• For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/great-plains-archaeology/52

• Imagining Head-Smashed-In: Aboriginal Buffalo Hunting on the Northern Plains by Jack Brink (2008)
• The Archaeology of the North American Great Plains by Douglas B. Bamforth (2021)
• Archaeology on the Great Plains Edited by W. Raymond Wood (1998)
• Carlton's KU Anthropology Faculty Bio
• Chris’s PCRG Bio
• Plains Anthropological Society Website
• Plains Anthropologist Online Journal Access

• Instagram: @‌pawnee_archaeologist
• Email: [email protected]

• APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
• APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
• APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
• APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
• APN Shop

• Motion

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In Episode 51 of the Great Plains Archaeology Podcast, Carlton is joined by new co-host Chris Johnston for his first appearance in the co-host chair, along with Douglas B. Bamforth and KC Carlson to discuss their recent Plains Anthropologist article, “House Structure, Cultural Connections Between Middle Missouri and Central Plains Communities, and Peopling the Ponca Creek Sites.” The episode explores the remarkable Ponca Creek settlements of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, including the enormous, rapidly developed 25BD1 site, and asks a fundamental question: who built these communities? Bamforth and Carlson explain how differences in house construction, particularly hip- and gable-roof structures, can provide evidence for migration and cultural connections that complement ceramic evidence, and how the archaeological record points toward communities formed by people with origins across different parts of the Plains. The conversation also considers the roles of environment, architecture, migration, and cultural adaptation in forming these large settlements, and what Ponca Creek can tell us about the complex, multiethnic communities of the precontact Great Plains.

Article Citation:

Douglas B. Bamforth & K. C. (Kristen) Carlson (16 Mar 2026): House
structure, cultural connections between Middle Missouri and Central Plains communities, and peopling the Ponca Creek sites, Plains Anthropologist.

• For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/great-plains-archaeology/51

• The Archaeology of the North American Great Plains by Douglas B. Bamforth (2021)
• Archaeology on the Great Plains Edited by W. Raymond Wood (1998)
• Carlton's KU Anthropology Faculty Bio
• Chris’s PCRG Bio
• Plains Anthropological Society Website
• Plains Anthropologist Online Journal Access

• Instagram: @‌pawnee_archaeologist
• Email: [email protected]

• APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
• APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
• APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
• APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
• APN Shop

• Motion

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What can archaeology tell us about the devastating smallpox epidemics that affected Indigenous communities across the Americas following European colonization? In this episode of the Great Plains Archaeology Podcast, Carlton Shield Chief Gover is joined by Dr. Alex-Garcia Putnam and Dr. Thomas J. Snyder to explore the archaeological evidence for historic smallpox epidemics.

They begin by discussing smallpox, its impact on Indigenous populations, and what archaeologists might expect to see in the archaeological record when an epidemic causes widespread mortality. From there, they examine why evidence for these epidemics can be surprisingly difficult to identify, including the challenges surrounding burials, preservation, and the archaeological visibility of epidemic deaths. In the second half of the episode, they explore approaches archaeologists can use to identify evidence of historic epidemics and discuss what this research can tell us about Indigenous population loss, colonialism, and the relationship between archaeological and historical evidence.

• For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/great-plains-archaeology/50

• The Archaeology of the North American Great Plains by Douglas B. Bamforth (2021)
• Archaeology on the Great Plains Edited by W. Raymond Wood (1998)
• Carlton's KU Anthropology Faculty Bio
• Plains Anthropological Society Website
• Plains Anthropologist Online Journal Access

• Instagram: @‌pawnee_archaeologist
• Email: [email protected]

• APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
• APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
• APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
• APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
• APN Shop

• Motion

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In this episode of The Great Plains Archaeology Podcast, Carlton speaks with Chris Johnston, Operations Director of the PaleoCultural Research Group (PCRG), about his journey through archaeology and the importance of bringing the public into archaeological research. Chris discusses his path from his undergraduate program at CU Boulder, through graduate research on communal bison hunting at the Roberts Ranch Buffalo Jump, his time as Assistant State Archaeologist of Colorado, and his return to PCRG. The conversation explores PCRG’s approach to citizen science and how involving volunteers can both advance archaeological research and create a broader community of stewards for the archaeological record.

The second half turns to Chris’s ongoing research at the Windy Ridge Quartzite Quarry (5GA872) in northern Colorado. Chris discusses the evidence for American Indian quarrying at the site dating back at least to the Folsom period, as well as his team’s investigations of workshop areas located away from the main quarry. The conversation explores what these workshop areas reveal about stone tool production, prehistoric mobility, and technological organization in the Rocky Mountains, along with the questions that remain for future research.

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In this episode of The Great Plains Archaeology Podcast, Carlton speaks with Dr. Trevor R. Peck about one of the most recognizable, and often misunderstood, archaeological features of the Northern Plains: the “medicine wheel.” Drawing on his article “Unpacking the ‘Medicine Wheel’ Rubric,” Trevor discusses why archaeologists have historically grouped a diverse range of stone features under this broad label and why more careful identification of their function and cultural affiliation matters.

The conversation then focuses on Death Lodges, a distinctive type of stone feature that Trevor argues represents a Blackfoot cultural tradition. He discusses the archaeological, historical, ethnographic, and Blackfoot knowledge used to identify these features, including evidence from the Ellis Death Lodge and the Onistah (Calf Robe) robe. Together, the discussion explores how Indigenous knowledge can help archaeologists reinterpret the archaeological record and better understand the cultural landscapes of the Northern Plains.

The episode concludes by considering what moving beyond the catch-all term “medicine wheel” means for Plains archaeology and how greater collaboration with Indigenous communities can lead to more accurate and culturally informed interpretations of the past.

Article Citation:

For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/great-plains-archaeology/48

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In this episode of the Great Plains Archaeology Podcast, Carlton welcomes Magdalena Lewandowska to discuss her article, “Trade, Conflict, and Alliance – Relationship Between the Southern Plains and the Rio Grande Pueblos in the Protohistoric Period.” Together they explore the dynamic relationships that connected Indigenous communities across the Southern Plains and the Rio Grande during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The conversation examines how trade in goods such as bison hides and Pueblo pottery fostered economic partnerships while also creating competition, political alliances, and occasional conflict. Drawing on archaeological and historical evidence, Lewandowska explains why Plains–Pueblo interactions cannot be understood as simply peaceful exchange or persistent warfare, but instead reflect a complex network of diplomacy, adaptation, and shifting relationships that shaped the Indigenous history of the Great Plains and the Southwest before European colonization.

Article Citation:

Lewandowska, M. (2025). Trade, conflict, and alliance – relationship between the Southern Plains and the Rio Grande Pueblos in the protohistoric period. Plains Anthropologist, 70(273), 64–94.

For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/great-plains-archaeology/47

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In this episode of the Great Plains Archaeology Podcast, Carlton welcomes Dr. McKenna Litynski to discuss her recent article, “Anthropogenic Burning of Small Mammals at the Early Paleoindian La Prele Site in Converse County, Wyoming.” While Paleoindian archaeology often focuses on mammoths and other large game, this study demonstrates how tiny animal remains can provide equally important insights into the lives of the first peoples of North America. Dr. Litynski explains how archaeologists distinguish natural from human-created bone accumulations, what burned microfaunal remains reveal about activities around Paleoindian hearths, and why these small bones likely represent everyday camp behaviors rather than food waste. The conversation highlights how careful analysis of overlooked evidence is transforming our understanding of Paleoindian lifeways and the complexity of daily life at one of the Great Plains' most significant Early Paleoindian sites.

Article Citation:

Litynski, McKenna L., Todd A. Surovell, K. McCarty, C. Bothwell, T. R. Murdock, S. M. BenChaabane, D. N. Walker, P. H. Sanders, Spencer Pelton, Robert L. Kelly, Madeline E. Mackie, and Matthew O'Brien

For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/great-plains-archaeology/46

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In this episode of the Great Plains Archaeology Podcast, Carlton welcomes Dr. Spencer R. Pelton and Alexis Hollander to discuss their recent article, “Early Eighteenth Century Plains Indian Adornment at the River Bend Site, Wyoming.” Together they explore one of the largest adornment assemblages ever documented in Wyoming, examining locally produced beads and pendants alongside exotic materials that reveal extensive Indigenous exchange networks during the early post-Contact period. The conversation highlights how new technologies, including the introduction of metal tools, transformed ornament production while Indigenous communities maintained long-standing traditions of craftsmanship and identity. Spencer and Alexis also discuss what archaeological collections can reveal beyond archaeology, including ancient freshwater mussel ecology, and how the River Bend site offers a unique window into technological innovation, trade, and Indigenous adaptation on the eighteenth-century Great Plains.

Article Citation:

Pelton, S. R., Eckles, D. G., Johnen, C. C., Shimek, R., Kirkwood, D. R., Hollander, A., & Buff, C. (2025). Early eighteenth century plains Indian adornment at the River Bend Site, Wyoming. Plains Anthropologist, 70(273), 3–28.

For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/great-plains-archaeology/45

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In this episode of the Great Plains Archaeology Podcast, Carlton is joined by John M. Lambert and Thomas J. Loebel to discuss their recent article with Dr. David Easterla, “Addressing a Gap in the Late Pleistocene Record of the Midwest: Fluted Points in Northwest Missouri and Southwest Iowa.” The conversation explores why this region has long been underrepresented in Paleoindian research and how the documentation of 235 fluted projectile points, including dozens of previously unreported specimens, helps illuminate the lives of some of North America's earliest inhabitants. Lambert and Loebel discuss the challenges and value of integrating museum collections, private collections, and published records, as well as what Clovis and Folsom projectile points reveal about technology, mobility, and land use across the Midcontinent and Great Plains. The episode highlights how overlooked collections and regional documentation projects continue to reshape our understanding of Paleoindian settlement, movement, and adaptation during the late Pleistocene.

Article Citation: Lambert, J. M., Loebel, T. J., & Easterla, D. A. (2025). Addressing a gap in the late Pleistocene record of the Midwest: fluted points in Northwest Missouri and Southwest Iowa. Plains Anthropologist, 70(273), 40–63.

For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/great-plains-archaeology/44

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