Labor Day, 5 September will be the last day we will be open this summer. Come out, visit us and celebrate another year!
Labor Day, 5 September will be the last day we will be open this summer. Come out, visit us and celebrate another year!
Contact Information
Vore Buffalo Jump Foundation P.O. Box 369 Sundance, WY 82729 Telephone: (307) 266-9530Contact Information
Vore Buffalo Jump Foundation
P.O. Box 369
Sundance, WY 82729
Telephone: (307) 266-9530
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This week, Ann Stephens shares information on artifacts from the Vore Collection. Pictured are three subadult bones, a mandible, a tibia, and an ulna, alongside their adult counterparts. One of the more shocking parts of curating the Vore Collection is stumbling across small bones from subadult bison. However dismal it may be to think about calves being killed in mass bison hunts, the presence of subadult bones provides information about the timing of the jumps at the Vore Site. Bones from very young calves indicate springtime jumps, which is thought to be the case for 2 of the 22 hunts at the Vore -- the others occurred in the late fall. The bones found at the Vore also indicate that herds of females and calves were targeted, alluding to the more solitary behavior of male bison, and the more gregarious behavior of cow/calf groups. ... See MoreSee Less
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We have Molly Herron to thank for this week’s artifact! Although we sometimes assume that indigenous groups had minimal belongings and personal decoration, this viewpoint is skewed by a western view of what these objects “should” look like. Until European contact, indigenous groups created objects out of natural materials found on the landscape. After contact, these same groups had access to factory-produced objects such as beads, metal pots, knives, and the like. However, natural materials were still actively used. Although this bone might not look unique, it is actually a fascinating artifact from the Vore Site! This is the distal portion of a canid metacarpal – the lower foot bone of a coyote, wolf, or domestic dog – that has been intentionally cut and removed from the shaft of the bone. This intentional removal was not done with the purpose of butchery but is more likely to be an aspect of bead or pendant production. Without DNA testing, it is difficult to say why type of canid this metacarpal belonged to, but it is clear that the bone was valued enough to be turned and shaped into a personal ornament!
Research of the Vore collection is funded in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in part by donations from supporters to the Vore Buffalo Jump Foundation.
... See MoreSee Less
This week Vore Scholar Josh Rutledge is sharing a photo of a mandible excavated from the Vore Site in the 1970s. When this bone was removed from the sinkhole, labeling and curation methods were used that are no longer practiced. Duct tape was used to secure a label to the bone, and identifying information was written directly on the bone using a permanent marker. Glue was used to stabilize the remnants of one of the molars. Were this bone to be removed from the Vore Site today, the identification number would be placed on the bone by first painting a small section with Paraloid B-72 lacquer for a base coat, the number would be written in archival ink, and then it would be sealed with a top coat of Soluvar varnish. If an artifact must be stabilized, an acrylic resin, Paraloid B-72 is used. The lacquer, varnish, and resin can all be removed without damage to the artifact. ... See MoreSee Less
This week's artifact is shared by Vore Scholar Josh Rutledge. Josh says that this bone is interesting because it is the first complete femur he has seen so far in curation of the Vore Site bones: no cut marks, no breaks, no gnawing! The femur is 46 cm (roughly 18 inches) in length. Josh speculates that this particular bison might not have been processed by the hunters. This assumption is based on the fact that processing of limbs would have been a priority due to the easy access to meat. There were likely hunts when more bison were trapped than the hunters could process before the meat began to spoil. ... See MoreSee Less
The VBJF board would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Sundance State Bank for their recent donation to the Foundation. The ongoing support of SSB has been critical -- we wouldn't have our tipi without them! ... See MoreSee Less
Way to go SSB, You're a class act.
Send us a message. Fill out the form and click on the submit button.
Check out our Facebook Feed! Like our page so you don't miss current updates.
This week, Ann Stephens shares information on artifacts from the Vore Collection. Pictured are three subadult bones, a mandible, a tibia, and an ulna, alongside their adult counterparts. One of the more shocking parts of curating the Vore Collection is stumbling across small bones from subadult bison. However dismal it may be to think about calves being killed in mass bison hunts, the presence of subadult bones provides information about the timing of the jumps at the Vore Site. Bones from very young calves indicate springtime jumps, which is thought to be the case for 2 of the 22 hunts at the Vore -- the others occurred in the late fall. The bones found at the Vore also indicate that herds of females and calves were targeted, alluding to the more solitary behavior of male bison, and the more gregarious behavior of cow/calf groups. ... See MoreSee Less
We have Molly Herron to thank for this week’s artifact! Although we sometimes assume that indigenous groups had minimal belongings and personal decoration, this viewpoint is skewed by a western view of what these objects “should” look like. Until European contact, indigenous groups created objects out of natural materials found on the landscape. After contact, these same groups had access to factory-produced objects such as beads, metal pots, knives, and the like. However, natural materials were still actively used. Although this bone might not look unique, it is actually a fascinating artifact from the Vore Site! This is the distal portion of a canid metacarpal – the lower foot bone of a coyote, wolf, or domestic dog – that has been intentionally cut and removed from the shaft of the bone. This intentional removal was not done with the purpose of butchery but is more likely to be an aspect of bead or pendant production. Without DNA testing, it is difficult to say why type of canid this metacarpal belonged to, but it is clear that the bone was valued enough to be turned and shaped into a personal ornament!
Research of the Vore collection is funded in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in part by donations from supporters to the Vore Buffalo Jump Foundation.
... See MoreSee Less
This week Vore Scholar Josh Rutledge is sharing a photo of a mandible excavated from the Vore Site in the 1970s. When this bone was removed from the sinkhole, labeling and curation methods were used that are no longer practiced. Duct tape was used to secure a label to the bone, and identifying information was written directly on the bone using a permanent marker. Glue was used to stabilize the remnants of one of the molars. Were this bone to be removed from the Vore Site today, the identification number would be placed on the bone by first painting a small section with Paraloid B-72 lacquer for a base coat, the number would be written in archival ink, and then it would be sealed with a top coat of Soluvar varnish. If an artifact must be stabilized, an acrylic resin, Paraloid B-72 is used. The lacquer, varnish, and resin can all be removed without damage to the artifact. ... See MoreSee Less
This week's artifact is shared by Vore Scholar Josh Rutledge. Josh says that this bone is interesting because it is the first complete femur he has seen so far in curation of the Vore Site bones: no cut marks, no breaks, no gnawing! The femur is 46 cm (roughly 18 inches) in length. Josh speculates that this particular bison might not have been processed by the hunters. This assumption is based on the fact that processing of limbs would have been a priority due to the easy access to meat. There were likely hunts when more bison were trapped than the hunters could process before the meat began to spoil. ... See MoreSee Less
The VBJF board would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Sundance State Bank for their recent donation to the Foundation. The ongoing support of SSB has been critical -- we wouldn't have our tipi without them! ... See MoreSee Less
Way to go SSB, You're a class act.