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9 A Mississippian Sweat Lodge Robert H. Lafferty, III A structure, approximately 3 m in diameter, was excavated at the East site (3P0610), near Tyronza in Poinsett County, Arkansas, that possessed artifactual and architectural characteristics similar to that of historic Native American sweat lodges.The distribution of sweat lodges or sweat houses has been documented as being utilized by cultures ranging from the Eskimo of Alaska to the Maya of Mesoamerica (Lopatin 1960; Wissler 1938). In addition, the sweat lodge was described as a vital part of Native American life by early explorers and missionaries of the New World. In 1643, Roger Williams, a resident of Rhode Island, described the sweat lodge of the Natives as “a kind of little Cell or Cave, six or eight foot over, round, made on the side of a hill . . . into this frequently the men enter after they have exceedingly heated it with store of wood, laid upon an heape of stones in the mid[d]le . . . which sweating they use for two ends: First, to cleanse their skin: Secondly, to purge their bodies, which doubtlesse is a great means of preserving them” (Williams 1963:211– 212). This chapter will provide a detailed examination of one particular prehistoric structure that may have been used for the purposes of sweating. The whole complex of this building at the East site, located in a clay midden, including post molds, different strata, and other miscellaneous features, is referred to as the Feature 410 complex. In this chapter, analyses of the artifacts, the architectural remains, and ethnohistorical accounts are presented in addressing the function of this structure. Archaeological Evidence at the East Site The East site (3P0610) was excavated in the summer of 2004 by MidContinental Research Associates, Inc. (MCRA) under subcontract to Spears 154 Robert H. Lafferty, III ProfessionalEnvironmental&ArchaeologicalResearchService,Inc(SPEARS), for the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department. The work was conducted to mitigate the impact of the enlargement of Highway 63 and the construction of a limited access ramp at Tyronza, Arkansas.The site was originally tested in 2003 by SPEARS (Spears and Walker 2003). The testing consisted of a controlled surface collection with 4-m precision, excavating five control columns and one backhoe trench, and then stripping the plow zone. The stripping revealed 195 stains that limited investigations suggested were cultural . These cultural features mainly included post molds but also three possible middens. Spears, Inc. and the State Historic Preservation Office agreed that the East site and three other sites in the nearby area were archaeologically significant and should be avoided or mitigated by data recovery. The East site is on Sharkey clay (Gray and Ferguson 1977); however the B horizon was slightly oxidized, which is not consistent with the soil description for this particular area in Arkansas. The geomorphologic analysis (Guccione et al. 2006) suggests that the sediments were laid down about 5000 B.C. by the Mississippi River. At that time, the river occupied a course through Dead Timber Lake, located 50 m east of the surface manifestation of the site. In the intervening time, the reduced clays of the original backwater swamp were oxidized . There are data that there was an uplift of the ridges north of the site that caused Dead Timber Lake to form, though the timing of this event has not been defined. The structure was found in Midden 1 at the extreme eastern edge of the surface scatter (Figure 9.1). The elevations were higher toward the west edge of the scatter, where the oxidized site matrix readily contrasted with the dark feature stains. Toward the east of the scatter, there were no artifacts on the surface , which was almost flat. The surface rose gradually to the small modern levee laid down by the Tyronza River, which periodically occupied the bottom of the Mississippi River Channel/Dead Timber Swamp. When the plow zone was stripped, Midden 1 appeared as a 4-m-wide dark band with pottery, bone, and carbon. Midden 1 dipped toward the southeast and plunged to almost 2 m below the more recent deposits. Four meters east of the western edge of midden 1, the surface sank under a sand blow that became thicker farther to the southeast. It is likely that in prehistoric times DeadTimber Lake was only several meters east of Midden 1. Therewereartifacts,sporadiccarbonconcentrations,desiccationcracks with artifacts in them, and scattered fired clay concentrations. The midden was excavated in 1 by 1 m units by 5-cm-thick levels. Often, during August...

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