THE OCCURRENCE OF FOSSIL AND RECENT DENTALIUM AT 4 LATE PREHISTORIC ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES IN THE BLACK-HILLS PERIPHERY, WESTERN SOUTH-DAKOTA

The occurrence of dentalium shells in prehistoric archaeological contexts on the Great Plains has been viewed by most prehistorians as a reflection of an exotic material acquired through long distance trade. Recent excavations at the Smiley-Evans site (39BU2) and the Huston-Fox site (39MD133) on the Belle Fourche River in western South Dakota resulted in the discovery of a small amount of fossil Dentalium gracile available locally in the upper portion of the Late Cretaceous Pierre Shale. A comparable analysis of archaeological materials from the Phelps site (39CU206) on Battle Creek revealed Recent, marine Dentalium sp. These findings underscore the necessity of distinguishing locally derived fossil dentalium from the more exotic coastal shell which may have been procured from either the West or East coasts.