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Modern bison scapulaBison scapula hoe Agricultural hoe blades made of modified bison scapulae are one of the most abundant large artifacts found at late precontact Oneota sites in the La Crosse area. Analysis of more than 200 scapula hoes has helped us understand how they were hafted to a handle and used. We know the people living in Oneota villages were corn agriculturists, and we believe they used scapula hoes in the same way metal hoes were used by European farmers. Hoeing corn as it grows involves hilling soil to provide support around the growing plant, while simultaneously eliminating weeds. Wear patterns on scapula hoes indicate that they were mounted with the smooth side of the scapula facing away from the person, and with the most ground contact. The rough side where the ridgelike scapular spine had been removed would have had more resistance during hoeing, and it was mounted facing upward, towards the user.

Scapula blades are thin, and modern experiments indicate that the use life of a scapula hoe was perhaps one or two years. Many examples found at archaeological sites are fragmented or worn down to a fraction of their original size and probably had a second life as hand digging tools. The Pammel Creek scapulae found stacked or “cached” in a storage pit for later recovery appeared to have some use-life remaining. Based on their position in the pit, they were not hafted on handles when cached. Examples of scapula hoe caches have been found at La Crosse Oneota sites, including Pammel Creek, Gundersen, and Meier Farm. Meier Farm was part of the Sand Lake Archaeological District, which also had preserved agricultural ridged fields.

Replica bison scapula hoe

Bison scapula hoe

Link to 3D Bison Scapula Hoe

3D scan courtesy Dr. David A. Anderson, Associate Professor, UWL, Department of Archaeology & Anthropology.