Origin Stories, Archaeological Evidence, and Postclovis Paleoindian Bison Hunting on the Great Plains

Abstract

<jats:p>Reconstructions of the Paleoindian period are archaeology's origin stories about the native people of North America. These reconstructions have strongly emphasized great differences between recent and ancient Native Americans, echoing a perspective with its roots in the nineteenth century. One central component of the differences archaeologists have seen lies in the way that Paleoindian groups moved across the landscape. Particularly on the Great Plains, these movements have been seen as unpredictable and nonrepetitive, with this view founded largely in interpretations of evidence from large bison kills. This paper compares the overall patterns of post-Clovis Paleoindian and post-Paleoindian communal bison hunting on the Plains, arguing that there is no evidence of rapid or substantial change in such hunting at the end of the Paleoindian period. Although hunting practices did not remain exactly the same over time, most of the basic characteristics of Paleoindian hunting were common on the Plains for millennia. Only the northern Plains stands out from this, and it does so only within the last 2,000 to 3,000 years, probably in reaction to the development of continent-wide exchange networks. Paleoindians certainly lived different lives than did later occupants of the Great Plains, but the literature significantly exaggerates the magnitude of this difference.</jats:p>

Of Buffalo and Butchers: Coupling Traditional Procurement Studies with Taphonomic Analyses to Explore Intensive Wild Animal Processing Patterns at Two Early Iron Age Sites in the Kruger National Park

“…Moreover, while cutting can be used for multiple purposes, it is simply not practical to utilize chopping as a main de-fleshing tactic (see Seetah 2006a , p. 20). It therefore seems that chopping was used primarily to separate the skeletal elements, as can be expected with the type of processing undertaken at these sites (e.g., Frison 1970 ;Bamforth 2011 ;Seetah 2006b ). Such dismemberment may have occurred at a variety of different stages in the processing sequence.…”

“…In addition to the identification of the various processes that influence and shape an assemblage (e.g., Gifford-González 1993 ;Lyman 1994 ;Orton 2012 ) and even the differentiation of different site types-such as permanent settlements vs. acquisition and processing sites (e.g., Bamforth 2011 ;Byerly et al 2005Byerly et al , 2007Driver 1990 )-taphonomy can also clarify what was being "procured" beyond the meat, as in the traces of cut marks made during skinning (e.g., Binford 1981), breakage patterns indicative of marrow and bone grease extraction (e.g., Byers 2002 ;Karr et al 2014 ;Outram 2001 ), the variation in processing seen between different meat preservation methods (e.g., Friesen 2001 ;Friesen and Stewart 2013 ), and even the speed and skill of the butchers doing the processing (e.g., Seetah 2006bSeetah , 2008. All of these add detail to our understanding of faunal use habits that extend far beyond initial procurement choices.…”

“…In either or both cases, this type of situation might concentrate selection and utilization efforts on those elements or portions that proffered the best yield for time spent processing (e.g., Metcalfe and Jones 1988 ;Lupo 2006 , p. 30;Lupo et al 2013 ). Time-based selective use patterns would then be evident in the types of elements that were heavily and thoroughly exploited, as is seen at North American bison mass kill sites (e.g., Frison 1970 ;Widga 2004 ;Byerly et al 2005 ;Bamforth 2011 ) and here in the Le6 and Le7 material. Therefore, selective use could be one strategy for dealing with limited processing time.…”

Integrating multiple lines of evidence into historical biogeography hypothesis testing: aBison bisoncase study

“…Archaeological evidence supports increased human occupation [39], decreased numbers of bison fossils [39] and bison hunting from Alaska to New Mexico [40 -42] starting around 10 ka. Most evidence of largescale bison hunting, including communal bison hunting with use of corrals and jumps, occurred in the Mid-Holocene, beginning at approximately 5 -6 ka (reviewed by Bamforth [43]). For example, the oldest corral site is in Scoggin, Wyoming and dates to approximately 5.2 ka [43].…”

“…Most evidence of largescale bison hunting, including communal bison hunting with use of corrals and jumps, occurred in the Mid-Holocene, beginning at approximately 5 -6 ka (reviewed by Bamforth [43]). For example, the oldest corral site is in Scoggin, Wyoming and dates to approximately 5.2 ka [43]. Furthermore, jump sites, which date back to a similar time period, became increasing frequent after approximately 3.2 ka [43].…”