On the surface, the history of the Piedmont Indians during the Contact period is a history of abrupt and devastating changes. However, upon closer inspection, the story becomes much more complex. The archaeological record of the Occaneechi documents rapid culture change, but it also reveals a picture of remarkable stability. People did die violent deaths and did so in increasing numbers; strangers were forced to become friends and to live together; and the White man's weapons and tools were grafted onto the native technology. Yet the basic necessities of life, the game that was hunted and the crops that were planted, remained unchanged. Knives and guns were no doubt prized possessions, but stone tools continued to be manufactured and the bow and arrow remained a deadly weapon. Copper kettles were available but they did not replace the clay pot. And although some of the dead were buried in cemeteries, in pits dug with metal tools, they still began their journey to the Other World in the security of traditional beliefs and rituals.