THE ANZICK ARTIFACTS: a HIGH- TECHNOLOGY FORAGER TOOL ASSEMBLAGE Samuel Stockton White V
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University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Graduate School Professional Papers 2019 THE ANZICK ARTIFACTS: A HIGH- TECHNOLOGY FORAGER TOOL ASSEMBLAGE Samuel Stockton White V Let us know how access to this document benefits ouy . Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Recommended Citation White, Samuel Stockton V, "THE ANZICK ARTIFACTS: A HIGH-TECHNOLOGY FORAGER TOOL ASSEMBLAGE" (2019). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 11338. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/11338 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE ANZICK ARTIFACTS: A HIGH-TECHNOLOGY FORAGER TOOL ASSEMBLAGE By Samuel Stockton White V M.A. Anthropology, University of Montana, Missoula, Mt, 2019 Dissertation Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology The University of Montana Missoula, MT May 2019 Approved by: Scott Whittenburg, Dean of The Graduate School Graduate School Dr. Douglas H. MacDonald, Chair Anthropology Dr. Anna M. Prentiss Anthropology Dr. John Douglas Anthropology Dr. Thomas A. Foor Anthropology Dr. Steven D. Sheriff Geosciences i Acknowledgements This academic journey has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life, taking me to amazing places such as the Yellowstone Backcountry and Chilean Patagonia. It all began for me as a boy following a passion for “arrowhead-hunting” on the shores of tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay. Fishing and kicking-around on these shores at a young age, led me to the realization that our experience in this world is only a small part of the human continuum of occupations through the millennia, a point which has captivated me for decades. This life-long passion combined with an ability to attend the University of Montana, led to nearly ten years of academic pursuit towards this Doctorate. While this journey has been very personal for me, I have certainly not been alone and could not have reached this goal without the help and support of many through the years. My acknowledgements begin with the most important THANK YOU of all, going to my Wife and Best Friend, Lilly White. Lilly, without your stead-fast, unwavering love and support, I could never have achieved this goal, I Love You. Additionally, I owe an incredible eternal thank you to my beloved parents, Samuel Stockton White IV and Pauline Wendler White, who always pushed me to seek out and pursue my educational endeavors and as always and forever, to do “the right thing”. It is with the utmost respect and appreciation that I acknowledge and thank, Dr. Douglas MacDonald, for including me in some of the most amazing adventures of my life. The Yellowstone Backcountry archaeological research days are forever engrained in my memories, SIMPLY THE BEST! Also, Thank You, Doug for providing me with the ability to become a working archaeologist, this experience has been indispensable in my professional pursuits. As ii the Chair of my Doctoral Committee and as a friend, I thank you, Doug. Additionally, I thank the other members of my Doctoral Committee; Dr. Anna Prentiss, Dr. John Douglas, Dr. Tom Foor and Dr. Steve Sheriff for continuing to support and assist me through this process. Thank You to all of my wonderful archaeology friends and team-mates (you know who you are, especially those during the days of the Two-Oceanopolis Discovery), you have greatly enriched me as a person and archaeologist, these have been some amazing days! It is with Great Appreciation that I Acknowledge and Thank the Anzick Family for allowing me to be part of this amazing experience regarding the continued study of the Anzick Site. I would like to thank the people of the Native American Nations who allowed my participation in the reburial of the two ancient Native American children, I am deeply honored. I thank the Montana Historical Society, including Director, Bruce Whittenberg; Dr. Stan Wilmoth, Dr. Mark Baumler, and Damon Murdo for their continual assistance and support in this journey. I am additionally grateful to the families of Ben Hargis and Calvin Sarver as well as Dr. Larry Lahren for their contributions to this study and academic pursuit. Further acknowledgements and thanks go to Dr. Eske Willerslev and Dr. Michael Waters and Dr. Ruthann Knudson for being available for the many phone calls through the years, which helped me answer various important questions regarding the peopling of the Americas and the Clovis Culture. iii DEDICATION I Dedicate this dissertation to my Beloved Wife, Lilly, You Are Golden to Me ♥ I also Dedicate this dissertation to My Parents Samuel Stockton White IV and Pauline Wendler White “I finally got those sheepskins, Mom” ♥ iv White, Samuel Stockton V. M.A. May 2019 Major Anthropology The Anzick Artifacts: A High-Technology Forager Tool Assemblage Chairperson: Dr. Douglas H. MacDonald Abstract The Anzick Site (24PA506) is a multi-component archaeological site located in the Shields River Valley of south-central Montana approximately 125 km north of Yellowstone National Park. The site was accidentally discovered in 1968, leading to the unfortunate destruction of its archaeological context. Included in the recovered elements of the site are the fragmentary human remains of two individuals, as well as approximately 116 lithic and osseous tools diagnostic of Clovis Culture technology. These tools were thickly covered with red ochre, as was one set of remains, presumably indicative of a burial from which osseous tool samples were dated to approximately 11,000 radiocarbon years before present (rcybp) with the remains dating to approximately 10,900 rcybp. The other set of remains, discovered ten meters distant and uphill from the ochre-covered remains dates to approximately 8,600 rcybp and are thought to be from a separate interment. The purpose of this dissertation is to assess certain facts associated with the Anzick Site, remains and artifacts. More specifically, does the site represent an assemblage deposited during a single event or possibly a collection of materials from several separate depositional events? Additionally, the artifacts may serve to elucidate a pattern of landscape and material use by this particular group of people, living at the end of the Pleistocene Epoch. Past research has shown that the Clovis Culture was highly proficient in terms of subsistence strategy and likely employed a “high technology forager” (HTF) land use system, incorporating attributes of both “forager” and “collector” hunter-gatherer systems. In keeping v with the HTF system, the Clovis hunter-gatherers were very mobile, and likely focused primarily on technology as it applied to prey acquisition and the availability of raw materials required for tool manufacture. Although the context of the site was destroyed, the existing data pertaining to the recovered elements do allow for further analyses. vi Table of Contents Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................................... ii Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................ v List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................ viii List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 2: Environmental, Ecological and Cultural Background ......................................................... 8 2.1 Ecology, Geology, Physiography, and Hydrology .......................................................................... 8 2.2 The Cultural Elements: Pre-Clovis to Late Prehistoric .............................................................. 15 Paleoindian Period (~13,500-8,000 rcybp) ...................................................................................... 15 Plains Archaic Period (8,000-1,500 rcybp) ..................................................................................... 29 Late Prehistoric Period (1,500- 300 rcybp) ..................................................................................... 38 Chapter 3: Anzick Site Background........................................................................................................ 48 3.1 The Post-Discovery History of the Anzick Site Attributes .......................................................... 55 Chapter 4: The Reburial .......................................................................................................................... 60 Native American Perspectives .......................................................................................................... 60 Understanding the Multi-Cultural Issues of the Anzick Site ............................................................ 71 Legal topics pertaining to The Anzick Site attributes ..................................................................