Additional western lithics for Hopewell bifaces in the Upper Mississippi River Valley

Excavations of Hopewell tombs in the Trempealeau-La Crosse locality of the Upper Mississippi River recovered numerous large 'ceremonial' bifaces. Most are manufactured of exotic lithic materials, including Knife River flint and obsidian from the Plains/Rocky Mountains. Several speckled 'jasper' and gray 'quartzite' bi faces are attributed to Madison Formation dendritic chert and siliceous sediments from the eastern Wyoming/Black Hills area. In addition, X-ray diffraction analysis of red Hopewell platform pipes from Wisconsin sites determined these to be made of Minnesota catlinite. These artifacts enhance models of Northern Plains participation in the Hopewell Interaction Sphere via overland transport to frontier Hopewell populations along the Upper Mississippi. Keywords: Hopewell; Besant; Sonota; lithics; exchange