Feature 15 was a bell-shaped storage pit that contained a fragment of iron interpreted by the excavators to be early European in origin.
[1] Feature 125 in particular was noted to be a roasting pit similar to those found at other Upper Mississippian-affiliated sites of Zimmerman,[3][4] Rader,[5] Knoll Spring,[6] Schwerdt,[7][8][9] Elam,[7][8] Griesmer[10] and Moccasin Bluff.
The 1979 excavations took 42 samples for flotation analysis (24 from features and 18 from midden contexts) and as a result a wide variety of plant remains (wood charcoal, nutshell, maize, seeds and bulbs) were found which contribute immensely to our knowledge of Upper Mississippian subsistence.
[14] In addition, bald eagles, sandhill cranes and otters were known to have spiritual significance in historic Native American religious groups/ceremonies such as the Midewiwin.
[10] Some of the most prominent and diagnostic non-pottery artifacts are presented here in more detail:[1] Archaeologists often find pottery to be a very useful tool in analyzing a prehistoric culture.
It is usually very plentiful at a site and the details of manufacture and decoration are very sensitive indicators of time, space and culture.
Decoration (when present) usually consists of vertical or obliquely applied incised lines generally running from the lip to the shoulder.
Late Huber pottery has predominately plain surface finish; fine-line incised decoration; and unnotched lips.
[15][10][23] The relationship of Huber and Fisher both with each other and with other Upper Mississippian cultures in the area has long been a matter of debate and speculation among archaeologists.
James Griffin, upon examining the artifacts from the original 1929 excavations, felt that Huber was a Component of the Oneota Aspect based on the form and design of the pottery, close to the Orr and Lake Winnebago foci, and that Fisher was part of a separate focus.
[21] Since that date, we’ve obtained a great deal more information and now we know that Fisher is the older of the two and Huber is the one that survived to the Historic period.
Also, the recovery of knotweed, little barley and goosefoot indicates the Huber culture participated in the Eastern Agricultural Complex.
[1] With regards to seasonality of occupation, based on the presence of several house structures, and supported by an analysis of the animal bone and plant remains, the researchers determined the site functioned as a permanent to semi-permanent agricultural village.
This indicates the Huber culture lasted until European contact and therefore was one of the Historic Native American tribes encountered by the early explorers and fur traders.
However, the Potawatomi, Illinois and Miami have been recorded as present in the lower shores of Lake Michigan in the early historic period, and all have been suggested as the tribe corresponding to the Huber culture.