October 2019 • Nebraskaland 47
man, a second. "I practiced setting
it up in my garage," he laughed.
All students are stunned by
the region's endless hills, but
particularly wide-eyed was one
from New England, astonished by
the vastness of privately owned
ranches and the absence of human
structures and services. Two hours
round trip from stores, forgotten
personal items loom large. Those
who packed bug-bite cream
become saviors. Craved foods are
hopelessly distant – café lattes
are of another life. One bathroom
within the rancher's home is shared
by all 12 students, and a communal
dinner prepared by the ranch
family is devoured at day's end.
Evenings are for socializing.
Lasting friends are made around
campfires while sharing adventure
stories and diving deep into topics
suited only for anthropology
fanatics. Blistered feet are cared
for. And then, often to the sound
of yipping coyotes, they retire into
tents hoping it won't storm. At
dawn they rise and repeat. There
are more artifacts out there and
most have remained undiscovered
for a remarkably long time.
"We don't find many artifacts
from the more recent nomadic
tribes," said Bozell. "After the
1700s, Nebraska's inhabitants
University of Nebraska anthropology student Michelle Hayes attentively sifts through
bucket-loads of dirt, hoping to spot artifacts.
A stone drill (top), along with three stone arrow points, are among many artifacts
found. The darker obsidian point (middle) came from afar and was likely traded for.
