Abrader: Early sandpaper. An abrader was used to sharpen objects like awls and fishhooks or to smooth arrow shafts. Abraders were made from porous rock or from the porous inner bones of animals, which became very hard when dried.

Anculosa: Shell found in freshwater streams of southeastern North America. Presence of anculosa shell in prehistoric North Dakota sites is evidence of vast prehistoric trade networks.

Archaic: This is the middle prehistoric period. The approximate dates for this period are 6,000 B. C. to A. D. 900. During this period, people were hunters and gatherers, constantly on the move.

Archeologist: An archeologist is engaged in the scientific study of people's past. Archeologists slowly and carefully excavate and study artifacts that tell the story of the people who used them.

Artifacts: Any object made or modified by people.

Atlatl: this is a very early prehistoric implement used before the bow and arrow. A short stick with a handle at one end and a hook at the other end. A dart or short spear was placed against the hook. The atlatl served as an extension of the throwers arm, allowing him to throw the spear further and with more force. The atlatl was used during the Archaic period for hunting.

Awl: A small, sharp tool made from bone, used to punch holes in pieces of hide so the pieces could be sewn together with sinew.

Bands: Small groups of people.

Beads: Decorative elements used on ornament clothing and personal items. Beads were made from a number of materials, including bone, shell, teeth, claws, stone, and metal.

Bison Antiquus: Had longer horns and weighed more than the modern bison. The modern bison (Bison bison) replaced the bison antiquus, probably because of the ability of the smaller one to survive dry periods.

Bone: This raw material was used by native Americans for many tools and ornaments. Bone tools included hide fleshers, fishhooks, hide grainers, arrowheads, paintbones, needles, knife handles, quill flatteners, and agricultural tools such as hoes and rakes.

Brain Tanning: This is a natural method of tanning hides. After the hide has been fleshed, scraped, and abraded, a slightly cooked mixture of brains and fat from animals is rubbed into the hide.

Buffalo: This is the common term for "bison", an animal which supplied food, shelter, and tools for most Plains Indian groups. Almost all parts of the bison were used to supply these needs.

Bullboat: A small round boat made by stretching a bison hide over a frame of bent willow branches. A paddle with a hole cut in the middle of it was used to navigate a bullboat through the swift currents of rivers and streams.

Cache Pit: A storage pit dug into the ground then lined with grass and other materials. Food stuffs were stored in cache pits which were covered with earth, then disguised with grass and brush coverings.

Chipped Stone: Chipped or flaked stone tools were made by chipping or striking the stone to shape it and sharpen it. The process of chipping stone is called flintknapping. Flakes are pieces of stone that have been chipped off as the stone was worked.

Clovis: A type of Paleoindian spear point. Made of chipped stone, the large point is fluted which means it has groove running up the middle of the point. Clovis points were used by big game hunters to kill animals such as the woolly mammoth and giant bison. These animals have been extinct for 10,000 years.

Copper: This is a naturally occurring metal found in Wisconsin and Minnesota. The presence of native copper in North Dakota during prehistoric periods is evidence of trade networks.

Corn: Several varieties of corn were grown by agricultural peoples. the corn came in many colors such as red, blue, yellow, and white.

Digging Stick: An agricultural tool made from wood. The stick was sharpened at one end, then smeared with bison fat and heated to make the sharpened end permanent.

Dentalium: Shell found along the Pacific coast of North America. Dentalium shell was a popular trade good in prehistoric and historic times.

Earthlodge: A permanent type of dwelling, circular or rectangular in shape. The earthlodge was built by raising a frame of cottonwood logs which were covered by willow branches, dried grass, and loose earth or sod. The entrance passage was constructed of logs.

Fishhook: Fishhooks were usually made from bone and sometimes had three grooves or indentations at the top of the hook. These indentations were used to attach a cord or line to the hook.

Flint: A glassy stone highly prized for its excellent suitability as a material for making into chipped stone tools. Knife River Flint was (and still is) found in western North Dakota. This type of flint was not only excellent for tool-making, but was easily quarried as well. Knife River Flint is found in cobbles not far from the surface of the earth.

Flintknapping: A term used to describe the process of making chipped stone tools. Flintknapping tools include an antler tip chisel, an anvil surface, and a hammer stone. A leather guard is worn around at least one hand to protect it from sharp flakes of stone.

Folsom: A type of Paleoindian chipped stone spear point, somewhat smaller and different in shape from the Clovis point. The Folsom point was used to hunt now-extinct animals such as the woolly mammoth and the giant bison.

Historic: The historic period is generally considered the post-European contact period. The difference between the historic and prehistoric periods is the presence of written documentation, and the introduction of the horse, guns, and metals.

History: A narrative of events; a story; a chronicle. The branch of knowledge that records and analyzes past events.

Horticulture: Horticulture, or gathering, was practiced by sedentary peoples, beginning in the Woodland period. Crops raised include corn, squash, beans, sunflowers, and tobacco.

Jump: This type of animal hunt was used to kill bison and sometimes other animals such as antelope. The animals were herded or stampeded into an area where the animals in front were forced off a cliff or ledge. The animals were killed instantly or wounded so they could easily be killed by hunters.

Ochre: this is the common name for hematite, a naturally occurring element. hematite occurs in two colors: red and yellow. Ochre was used for painting and coloring purposes.

Pottery: During the Woodland period, people began making pots from clay tempered with grit, sand or broken shells. Another name for pottery is ceramics.

Prehistoric: This is the general name for any time period occurring before recorded, or written, history. In North Dakota the main prehistoric time periods are Paleoindian, Archaic, Woodland, and Plains Village. In the study of archeology these time periods are subdivided into smaller time spans.

Projectile Points: This is the term archeologists use for arrowheads and spear points.

Quarry: A place where stone is mined. The Knife River Flint Quarries in North Dakota are located in Dunn and Mercer Counties. Knife River Flint has been quarried there since early prehistoric times.

Rawhide: Compressed, untanned leather. Rawhide was used to make shields, drums, corn mortars, and other objects.

Scapula: The shoulder blade of an animal.

Scoria: A reddish-orange stone formed from layers of clay between layers of lignite coal. These veins of coal, were ignited by lightning or fire, smoldered and burned for many years. Burning coal veins can still be seen in western North Dakota.

Scraper: A toll used to remove bits of fat and flesh from hides that were being prepared for tanning. Prehistoric scrapers were usually made from shipped stone. After contact with white traders, naive Americans began using metal instead of stone.

Sedentary: Staying in one place. Sedentary bands of people lived in permanent or semi-permanent villages and raised crops to use as their own food supplies and also to use as trade items.

Shard: A broken piece or fragment of pottery.

Sinew: Long tendons found near the backbone of animals. Bison (and sometimes deer) sinew was used for sewing, binding, and tying.

Tipi Ring: This is a type of site found by archeologists today. It consists of a circle of stone probably used to hold down the edge of a tipi.

Travois: A device used to carry the personal possessions of nomadic peoples. It is constructed of two poles. One end of each pole was attached to a dog and the other ends were allowed to drag on the ground. The first appearance of the travois occurred during the Plains Archaic period.