Fishtail Projectile Points from South America: The Brazilian Record

Abstract

The projectile points known as Fishtail or Fell represent a specific design associated with the earliest hunter-gatherers of the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in South America. Brazil was traditionally considered as a marginal area of their distribution because in the past there were only a small number of findings known, often inadequately documented. In this paper we present a general and unified overview of the Brazilian record, including previously unpublished metric, technological and stylistic features. Also, we report on new findings of fishtail points in order to expand the amount of information currently available. Some issues related to these records are also evaluated by comparing them with data from the Uruguayan plains and the Argentinean pampas. The general picture that emerges after this analysis shows a growing record of fishtail projectile points in southern Brazil, demonstrating a significant presence of these early paleo-South American populations.

New Records and Observations on Paleo-American Artifacts from Cerro Largo, Northeastern Uruguay and a Peculiar Case of Reclaimed Fishtail Points

“…This kind of production was a regular pattern among hunter-gatherers using these points. Pieces of similar manufacture were found in Ecuador (Mayer-Oakes, 1986, Nami, 2014b, Chile (Bird, 1969: figure 2a, 3f), Argentina (Martínez, 2001, Laguens et al, 2007, Patané Araoz and Nami, 2014), Brazil (da Silva Lopes and Nami, 2011, Loponte et al, 2015, and Uruguay (Nami, 2013: figure 3p, 4b, d). Also, longitudinal and transversal cross-sections are generally plano-convex due to the use of thin flakes.…”

“…According to the lack of mass in the blade that allows continued resharpening, it was catalogued as: 1) low or minimum: the blade was a little modified in its symmetry; 2) medium: despite some modification the blade has some mass to continue its useful life; finally, 3) intense, maximum or saturated: the blade does not have enough mass to bear continued reworking, hence, the piece is discarded (Nami, 2013). Having in mind Fell points with little or no resharpening (Figure 2a Recycle Fell points are common; however, they are just now being recognized as a part of the Paleo-American technological behavior (see Loponte et al, 2015 for a discussion about this topic). As a process to transform discarded materials, recycling is considered as re-edging the blade of a fishtail point to create a new artifact different with a different function from that for which it was manufactured.…”

“…Moreover, similar pieces were recorded from Merin Lagoon at Treinta Tres department (Bosch et al, 1980: figure 27). In the northern border, in south Brazil points were reported from Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul states (da Silva Lopes and , Loponte et al, 2015.…”

Paleoamericans in Northeast Argentina

“…In the latter country, for instance, silicified limestone (silcretes) has not been detected (Loponte et al, 2015, although it is common in the FTPPs recovered on the adjacent Uruguayan plain, where there are numerous outcrops (Nami, 2007(Nami, , 2016b. In southern Buenos…”

“…In southeastern South America, FTPPs are widely distributed in southern Brazil (Loponte et al, 2015, Uruguay (Baeza and Femenías, 1999) (Baeza et al, 2001) (Nami, 2007(Nami, , 2013 (Gascue et al, 2013) and in the southernmost part of the Pampa region (south Buenos Aires province) (Flegenheimer et al, 2013) (Flegenheimer and Weitzel, 2017). Although these points are common in D. Loponte, M. Carbonera these peripheral regions of NEA, in the latter area they are scare, which is why any new finding is extremely important for understanding the peopling of this area.…”