Exchange, Embedded Procurement, and Hunter-Gatherer Mobility: A Case Study from the North American Great Basin.

Abstract

Current models of subsistence-settlement in the Great Basin during the Paleoindian period (referred to by regional specialists as the “Paleoarchaic”) rely heavily on the distribution of obsidian to define the ranges over which groups traveled to procure resources, though Great Basinists disagree over what these ranges actually reflect: the territory of residentially mobile hunter-gatherers or the logistical forays of men for the provisioning of semi-sedentary wetland base camps. Here, I consider a third alternative: obsidian reflects mobility for purposes of social networking and gathering information, and/or exchange. This alternative bears consideration because: (1) the distances over which obsidian was distributed in the Great Basin circumscribe areas far greater than anything observed ethnographically; (2) many Paleoarchaic sites contain only a small amount of obsidian; and (3) the subset of activities for which obsidian was used likely represents only some members of a Paleoarchaic group. Paleoarchaic people often used obsidian and fine-grained volcanics (FGVs, e.g., andesite and dacite) to make stemmed points and chert for gravers, scrapers, and other “resource-processing” gear. By considering where Paleoarchaic groups obtained obsidian, FGVs, and chert, this research contributes to a comprehensive understanding of Paleoarchaic adaptation that likely includes multiple scales of mobility and methods of resource acquisition. In order to develop this model, I analyze more than 18,000 lithic artifacts from several Paleoarchaic localities in east-central Nevada, focusing especially on chert as a complement to previous analyses of obsidian and FGVs. I find that the technological and provenance analysis of these artifacts may allow the definition of chert procurement ranges that operate within and cross-cut the areas defined by FGV and obsidian provenance, in support of a multi-tiered model of Paleoarchaic mobility and exchange. This research contextualizes obsidian-based models of Paleoarchaic subsistence-settlement within a broader understanding of lithic technological organization, informed by examples of modern hunter-gatherer mobility and exchange. In turn, this research raises the challenging, but fruitful, task of developing new models of Paleoindian mobility, intergroup interaction, and technological organization.