This bison figurine was recovered from the Village on the Pawnee Fork in Ness County during excavations in 1977. The figure is a fossil baculite, a type of cephalopod, modified by light grinding or carving to form a stylized bison figurine. It most likely represents a buffalo stone carried by Plains tribes to promote the quantity and quality of buffalo herds. The Village on Pawnee Fork, home to several hundred Southern Cheyenne and Southern Teton Oglala, was destroyed by order of Major General Winifred S. Hancock in 1867. The site is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Kansas Memory
Kansas Historical Society
Carved Bison Figurine from the Village on Pawnee Fork, 14NS403 - 6