Sam Dellinger: Raiders of the Lost Arkansas

Samuel Claudius Dellinger

American Museum of Natural History Dr. Kent Westbrook Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University The Field Museum University of Alabama Museums University of Arkansas Museum Collections Facility ■ ■ ■ xiii LENDERS TO THE EXHIBITION In September 1994 I came to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to interview for a position with the Arkansas Archeological Survey. A highlight of those two hectic days was a visit to the University of Arkansas Museum’s collections in Vol Walker Hall. I already had a research interest in the late prehistoric societies of northeast Arkansas, and I was aware that the museum had conducted excavations there in the 1930s, but I was quite unprepared for the sheer quantity and quality of the collections themselves. My schedule allowed only a short stay amidst the collections, but as we were leaving, I asked Tom Green, director of the Survey, if (should I be hired) I would have an opportunity to explore the research potential of the collections. When he answered strongly in the affirmative, I knew that if the Survey offered me a position, I would accept. Evidently my enthusiasm about the collections made a favorable impression because a few days later I was offered the job. Since my arrival in Fayetteville, the collections and field records generated during Sam Dellinger’s tenure as curator of the University of Arkansas Museum (1925–1960) have been central to my research and that of most of my graduate students. The substantive results are noted in a subsequent chapter, but there remains much to be done. As we will see, Dellinger’s archaeological efforts were by no means limited to northeast Arkansas, but also included the Arkansas River valley, the Ozark Mountains, and southern Arkansas, all of which are represented here and in the exhibit. “Sam Dellinger: Raiders of the Lost Arkansas” was conceived by Bill Gatewood (director, Old State House Museum), who became familiar with the museum’s collections while earning a bachelor’s degree in anthropology at the University of Arkansas. When Bill asked me to serve as guest curator for an exhibit on the legacy of Sam Dellinger, I accepted immediately. I already knew a fair amount about Dellinger, and I welcomed the opportunity to conduct biographical research on him, as well as the history of the University of Arkansas Museum. Incorporating “Raiders” into an exhibition on archaeology in Arkansas simply could not be resisted, and in fact speaks to Sam Dellinger’s efforts to save Arkansas antiquities for Arkansans. As detailed in a subsequent chapter, the material culture of the lateprehistoric societies that lived in Arkansas—ancestors of the Caddo, Osage, Tunica, and Quapaw tribes— attracted the interest of various museums and private collectors as early as 1879, and an enormous quantity of artifacts has been taken out of the state over the years. While appreciating the artistry of the objects shown in this volume, it is important to bear in mind that most had been placed in the graves of prehistoric Native Americans. The names of the deceased individuals may be lost, but collectively these people are very much remembered by their descendants. The exhibit and this catalog bring to culmination one of my long-term goals—namely, to make accessible to the public and the archaeological community a sample of the pre-Columbian artistry curated by the University of Arkansas Museum. The accompanying text focuses on Sam Dellinger, the University of Arkansas Museum, and the historical context of the collections; matters of style and iconography are not treated here. My hope, and that of all who have worked on the exhibit, is that readers will be inspired by the illustrated objects and will help the Department of Arkansas Heritage, the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, and the Arkansas Archeological Survey to preserve and interpret the heritage of Arkansas. —Robert C. Mainfort Jr., Guest Curator ■ ■ ■ xv PREFACE The exhibit would not have been possible without the cooperation and support of many individuals and institutions : Old State House Museum (Bill Gatewood, director; Jo Ellen Maack, curator; Gail Moore, exhibit director; Kristen Thompson, registrar); Arkansas Archeological Survey (Thomas Green, director; Hester Davis, state archeologist emeritus; Jerry Hilliard, research associate; Mary Kwas, educational specialist; Charles R. McGimsey, director emeritus); University of Arkansas Museum Collections Facility (Mary Suter, curator of collections); Department...