History of Arkansas and Native Americans

The first part of the statement, that "Arkansas is one of the nation's richest states in Indian remains but one where the citizens know but little," isn't true for a couple of linked reasons. Firstly, because of the destruction of "Indian remains" in many sites and the fact that other states have preserved remains better due to a continued American Indian presence up to recent days. The second part of the statement, about the citizens knowing "but little," is true, at least partly due to several causes that eliminated any cultural or social involvement rather early in Arkansas history. This absence of involvement is implicated in the use of such colorless names as the ASU Indians

The remains of Indian life in Arkansas in existence today are meager compared to all those sites that have been recorded and destroyed or just destroyed. Parkin, one of those few sites that remains protected, is located in northeastern Arkansas and exhibits late Mississippian period development. Another, the Crenshaw site, gives a peek at the Caddo. Located near the Ozarks, the Crenshaw site contains evidence of a warring people such as collected skulls and hollow-point (read notched and barbed) arrowheads. Some of the many sites that have been destroyed are Zebree, notably converted into a drainage ditch, the Sloan site, which contained several graves and tools, and an untold number of mounds leveled for farmland. Most of our knowledge concerning Native American tribes comes from the writings of Europeans who encountered them, and information on religious practices and housing gathered after their being moved to formalized Indian territory in Oklahoma. Most of our knowledge of prehistoric people in the area stems from artifacts and mounds recorded and subsequently destroyed. Apart from sites like mounds or camps, arrowheads from many tribes and time periods, along with other stone tools, can be found at old stomping grounds.