Identifying Cultural Migration in Western North America Through
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University of Nevada, Reno Identifyin ultural Migration n estern orth meric through orphometric nalysi Early olocene rojectile Points A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Anthropology By Amanda J. Hartman Dr. Geoffrey M. Smith/Thesis Advisor May 2019 © by Amanda J. Hartman 2019 All Rights Reserved THE GRADUATE SCHOOL We recommend that the thesis prepared under our supervision by Entitled be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of , Advisor , Committee Member , Graduate School Representative David W. Zeh, Ph.D., Dean, Graduate School i Abstract Migrations and interactions between early populations are a major focus of Paleoindian research. Because there is a paucity of genetic data, researchers use distinctive projectile point styles to infer temporal and spatial diffusion of ideas between in situ populations or population migrations. However, archaeologists often study culture areas defined by physiographic features, which may preclude observation of stylistic continuity. Stemmed points occur at least as early as 13,500 cal BP (Davis et al. 2014) in the Intermountain West and continue throughout the Paleoindian Period (14,500- 8000 cal BP). Stemmed forms occur during both the Middle and Late Paleoindian periods (11,500-8000 cal BP) in the northern Great Plains. Prior research has identified a likeness between Late Paleoindian points from these two regions: Windust in the Intermountain West and Cody on the Great Plains. In this thesis, I test the hypothesis that Windust and Cody projectile points bear enough morphological similarity to imply transmontane movement of people and/or ideas during the Early Holocene. The results of classification techniques performed on non-standard interlandmark distances support the hypothesis that some Windust and Cody projectile points are morphologically similar and may be considered within the same class. ii Acknowledgements This undertaking would not have been possible without the generous help and support of many people. My thesis advisor Dr. Geoffrey Smith encouraged me to follow this line of inquiry, develop my writing, and maintain scope and focus throughout this process. Dr. Kyra Stull led me by the hand through the frightening wilds of Rstudio and statistics. Dr. Caitlin Early helped me to contextualize the theoretical framework that I applied to this research. Richard Rosencrance shared tons of resources and knowledge. My coworkers at Far Western Anthropological Research, Inc., have been unbelievably patient, helpful and supportive. Andrew Hoskins participated in this research. Chelsea Karthauser made the maps for this document and is the best office mate in the world. D. Craig Young helped me to develop my hypothesis and allowed me time to pursue my education. Last but certainly not least, a thanks is due to Vickie Clay, the patron saint of women archaeologists, for turning her light, support, and belief upon me. I also could not have done this without the LeBlanc Family. Chris cooked for me, cleaned up after me, and put up with me. Lena and Desmond provided me with laughter, hugs, and perspective. Thank you all so very, very much. iii Table ontents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ i Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. ii List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... v List of Figures .................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1 : Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 The TP/EH Intermountain West ..................................................................................... 2 Windust ....................................................................................................................... 5 The TP/EH Great Plains................................................................................................ 11 Cody .......................................................................................................................... 12 Cultural Transmission Theory and Morphometrics ...................................................... 17 Cultural Transmission Theory .................................................................................. 18 Morphometrics .......................................................................................................... 21 Summary ....................................................................................................................... 23 Chapter 2 : Methods and Materials ................................................................................... 24 Materials ....................................................................................................................... 24 Columbia Plateau Sites ............................................................................................. 24 Great Plains Sites ...................................................................................................... 33 The Snake River Plain, Owyhee Uplands, and Northern Great Basin Sites ............. 37 Methods......................................................................................................................... 45 iv Expectations .................................................................................................................. 49 Chapter 3 : Results ............................................................................................................ 51 K-means Analysis ......................................................................................................... 51 Discriminant Function Analysis ................................................................................... 64 Synthesis ....................................................................................................................... 66 Chapter 4 : Discussion ...................................................................................................... 77 Hypothesis..................................................................................................................... 77 Expectations and Cultural Transmission ...................................................................... 78 The Age of Cody and Windust Projectile Points .......................................................... 83 The Early Holocene Cultural and Natural Context ....................................................... 86 Cody in the Intermountain West ................................................................................... 89 Summary ....................................................................................................................... 93 Chapter 5 : Conclusion...................................................................................................... 95 Evaluation of Methods .................................................................................................. 97 Future Research Directions ........................................................................................... 98 Notes ............................................................................................................................... 101 References Cited ............................................................................................................. 102 v Lis Tables Table 1.1. Regional Cultural Chronologies with Periods and Corresponding Diagnostic Artifacts....................................................................................................................... 4 Table 1.2. Dated Windust Sites........................................................................................... 6 Table 1.3. Dated Cody Sites ............................................................................................. 13 Table 2.1. The Columbia Plateau Sample ......................................................................... 25 Table 2.2. The Great Plains Sample.................................................................................. 33 Table 2.4. The Snake River Plain, Owyhee Uplands, and Northern Great Basin Sample....................................................................................................................... 38 Table 3.1. Summary of Results ......................................................................................... 52 Table 3.2. Projectile Point Type and Subtype Cross-Validation Comparison .................. 75 Table 3.3. Summary of Results and Expectations ............................................................ 76 Table 4.1. Windust and Cody Radiocarbon Dates in Chronological Order...................... 84 vi Lis igures Figure 1.1. Map of Dated Windust and Cody Sites ............................................................ 3 Figure 1.2. Proposed Windust Phase Chronology ............................................................ 10 Figure 2.1. Sites in this Study ........................................................................................... 26 Figure 2.2. Windust Cave Points ...................................................................................... 27 Figure 2.3. Marmes Rockshelter Points ...........................................................................