In Between Two Worlds: Past Perspectives on the Neosho Phase (A.D. 1400-1650)

Abstract

The Neosho phase (A.D. 1400-1650) in northeastern Oklahoma, northwestern Arkansas, southwestern Missouri, and southeastern Kansas represents Late Pre-contact peoples engaged in widespread trade from the Plains to groups in the southeastern United States. The phase has confounded researchers since its de.ftnition, although debates mainly concern one of two main questions concerning the identity of Neosho peoples: origins and cultural af.ftliation. Most research to date has focused simply on the question of emergence. Early in these debates, Orr (1946) suggested that Neosho peoples represented one or more plains-oriented groups that had migrated into the area, while Wyckoff (1980) and others later argued that Neosho represented a dissolution of the Arkansas River Valley Caddo- Mississippian system. Numerous issues have inhibited progress in defending either of these models, including a dependence upon research methods that rely upon descriptive cultural trait lists, a reluctance to contextualize and emplace Neosho peoples within the region at large, and even the initial de.ftnition of the phase and culture area. This article represents the beginning stages of my dissertation research and will focus on discussion of the Neosho phase, including previous research, issues and debates, and ways to resolve and reinvigorate research in this area and time period.