The Palmer Site, also known as the Skidi Pawnee Village and designated by the Smithsonian trinomial 25HW1, is a prehistoric and historic

archeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and ...

near Palmer, Nebraska in

Howard Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...

and Merrick Counties. The site is a Native American habitation site associated with the Skidi people, a branch of the Pawnee people, which may have been documented by an American exploratory expedition led by

Stephen H. Long Stephen Harriman Long (December 30, 1784 – September 4, 1864) was an American army civil engineer, explorer, and inventor. As an inventor, he is noted for his developments in the design of steam locomotives. He was also one of the most pro ...

in 1820. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964. The site is located on private property. The Palmer Site's primary period of occupation is believed to have been in the early 19th century. Its features include 120 lodge sites and a feature interpreted as a

council circle A council circle is a distinctive feature at the center of some tribal communities in North America. The historical function of the council circles is debated. Some suggest that the talking circles are ceremonial, and others support a hypothesi ...

, as well as a Native American burial ground, from which several burials were removed or relocated due to nearby road construction. The site was recorded by at least three separate 19th-century exploratory expeditions. Stephen H. Long's 1819-20 expedition along the Loup River almost certainly encountered the village, describing its location and that of several other villages. Another expedition visited the village in 1833, and an 1844 expedition documented that it was abandoned. This village is believed to have been the site of the notorious

Morning Star ceremony Pawnee mythology is the body of oral history, cosmology, and myths of the Pawnee people concerning their gods and heroes. The Pawnee are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans, originally located o ...

, a Skidi custom of human sacrifice. It was also probably the home of

Petalesharo Petalesharo (c. 1797 – c. 1836) was a Skidi Pawnee chief or brave who rescued an "Ietan" girl, that is Comanche girl,Thurman, Melburn D.: "The Timing of the Skidi-Pawnee Morning Star " ''Ethnohistory'', Vol. 30 (1983), No. 3, pp. 155-163. from ...

, a Pawnee warrior of famously interrupted one of those ceremonies by rescuing that year's victim, a

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...

girl. Petalesharo is believed to be buried here.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places National Historic Landmarks in Nebraska Geography of Merrick County, Nebraska Geography of Howard County, Nebraska Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska National Register of Historic Places in Merrick County, Nebraska National Register of Historic Places in Howard County, Nebraska

See also

References