215 Landon P. Karr, et al. Bone Marrow and Grease Exploitation at the Mitchell Site Plains Anthropologist, Vol. 55, No. 215, pp. 215–223, 2010 A Chronology of Bone Marrow and Bone Grease Exploitation at the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village Landon P. Karr, Alan K. Outram, and L. Adrien Hannus Bone marrow and bone grease processing at the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village (39DV2) has long been suspected but was only recently demonstrated scientifically. The current research details the analysis of fragmented bone assemblages from different points in the chronological sequence of the Mitchell site and establishes the presence of extensive bone marrow processing activities throughout the cultural occupation of the village. This work additionally details the de- velopment of an increasingly extensive bone grease processing industry during the middle and latter periods of human occupation at the site. Keywords: bone fat, bone marrow, bone grease, bone fracture, fragmentation Landon P. Karr, Postgraduate Research Student, Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter, Laver Building, North Park Road, Exeter, EX4 4QE, UK. lpkarr@gmail.com Alan K. Outram, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter, Laver Building, North Park Road, Exeter, EX4 4QE, UK. L. Adrien Hannus, Professor of Anthropology, Augustana College, 2032 S. Grange Ave., Sioux Falls, SD, 57105. The Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village (39DV2) is an Initial Middle Missouri site located on a bluff above the Firesteel Creek in the James River basin of eastern South Dakota. The site cov- ers approximately 2.5 well-preserved hectares, and includes the remains of more than 80 earthen lodges which date to approximately 1,000 years before present (Alex 1981; Meleen 1938). Though the occupation of the site was likely less than 100 years in duration, the archaeological deposits in- clude many superimposed earthen lodges, and ex- tremely dense and well-preserved artifact collec- tions. Millions of artifacts have been excavated and documented at the Mitchell site since its dis- covery in 1910. Since 1999, the Thomsen Center Archeodome, a world-class research and educa- tional facility, has provided protection to a por- tion of the site that includes the remains of at least three earthen lodges and extensive midden areas. The present research represents the careful study of three samples of bone material excavated from within the Archeodome at the Mitchell site. This research defines and measures the importance of bone marrow and bone grease exploitation at the Mitchell site with an emphasis on changes in bone fat exploitation practices over time. BACKGROUND In spite of extensive salvage excavations in the Middle Missouri area and several decades of excavations at Mitchell, little published informa- tion exists concerning this important site, and that which does exist is largely confined to grey lit- erature (Alex 1981; Meleen 1938). Most previ- ous work at Mitchell and across the spectrum of other Initial Middle Missouri sites has failed to