Across The Fence: The Pawnee and human sacrifice

A great deal of literature and significant archaeological findings have been published that indicate the occurrence of human sacrifice among the religious practices of early South American tribes, most notably the Aztec.

Less well known is the ritual of human sacrifice of the North American Plains Indians, the Skidi Pawnee, in the region of what is today Nebraska and Kansas.

Some suggest that the practice among the Pawnee was adapted from the Aztec culture and others believe that the Pawnee ritual was developed solely within their own culture. Regardless of its origins the basic premise was th...