The back portion of the skull shown here was attached to the uppermost vertebrae, the atlas or C1, of a bison. The skull fragment shows evidence of burning and polish, which may be pot polish or a sealant used to help preserve bone. The skull fragment was excavated from a Great Bend aspect (ancestral Wichita) village in Cowley County during Phase IV archeological investigations in 1995. The site had been much impacted by a water line, golf greens, roads, and highways. Excavations had been occurring at the site since 1916.
Kansas Memory
Kansas Historical Society
Bison Skull Fragment from the Country Club Site, 14CO3 - 2