Above: Driftless Area cave art shows the hunting of pregnant deer. (2)
Left: Another angle reveals more prehistoric art above the hunting scene, marred by modern grafitti. (3)
Images courtesy of the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Woodland-Oneota Transition (« Prev | Next »)
The Woodland period came to end in the La Crosse region between A.D. 950 and 1150. Some researchers have suggested that this happened as a result of overpopulation. Though horticulture and acquatic resources could sustain denser populations in the summer, Woodland people still needed to hunt deer in the winter to survive. As the population grew, this could have led to overhunting. Woodland period cave art from the La Crosse region depicts figures hunting what appear to be pregnant deer, a desperate measure unlikely to have happened outside a time of dire need. The collapse in the deer population that may have resulted would explain why the Woodland people vacated the area, opening the way for new settlement by the Oneota. (1)
