An Argument for the Consolidation of the Koster Habitation Site and Koster Mounds in Research and Repatriation

Koster, one of the most famous archaeological sites in North America, boasts a record of human occupation spanning over 9,000 years. Despite all that is known about Koster, researchers remain puzzled by the dearth of burials found within the habitation area. This paper argues that the majority of the burials associated with Koster were interred in the knolls and mounds on the bluffs immediately above the habitation area at the far less known Koster Mounds. In addition to the spatial proximity between Koster and Koster Mounds, there is ample mortuary and artifactual evidence supporting contemporaneity and cultural continuity between the two. Acknowledging the link between them has substantial implications for both Midwest archaeology and repatriation.