Abstract
The Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the 1877 Nez Perce War, Battle of the Big Hole, abound in oral tradition and historical sources. Archaeological investigations at both sites have yielded substantial numbers of battle-related artifacts. The physical evidence supports and modifies the historical record in both cases. The Big Hole battle’s oral traditions were substantiated by the archaeological work as well. However, the Sand Creek Massacre’s oral tradition of the site location is in direct conflict with reanalysis of the historic documents and the archaeological findings. The two cases are contrasted to vividly point out how groups accept or reject evidence gathered using the scientific method when it either agrees or disagrees with their preconceived notions of cultural truth.
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Scott, D.D. Oral Tradition and Archaeology: Conflict and Concordance Examples from Two Indian War Sites. Hist Arch 37, 55–65 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03376611
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03376611