Cultural Differences or Archaeological Constructs: An Assessment of Projectile Point Variability from Late Middle Prehistoric Sites on the Northwest Great Plains (original) (raw)

In Great Plains archaeology, differences in projectile point morphologies are used to define typological groups, which are subsequently inferred to reflect unique cultural groups. The goal of this project was to investigate the variability between projectile points dating to the Late Middle Prehistoric period (2,500-1,300 BP) since some researchers associate these cultural remains with one group (Besant phase) while others separate them into Outlook, Besant, and Sonota phases/complexes. Metric and nonmetric attributes of projectile points from six single component sites, Fincastle, One-Eleven, Happy Valley, Muhlbach, Fitzgerald, and Ruby, were statistically examined. The results showed that basal attributes remain relatively constant, while blade aspects vary greatly. Since the base of a point is considered more typologically indicative than the blade, which is connected to functional aspects, it was concluded that, based on the projectile points, these represent one typological group. Two years ago I began another incredible journey in academia. The love and encouragement I received has not gone unnoticed, and here I would like to say thank you, not only to my friends and family who have loved and supported me no matter where I have chosen to venture, but also to the academics that I have met along the way. The artifact assemblages that I examined in my research were spread out between six different institutions. The Fincastle site was readily available to me through the Department of Geography at the University of Lethbridge. The others were located in Edmonton, Saskatoon, Gillette, and Laramie. Thus, I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who helped me access the projectile point collections, and each is acknowledged personally in text, on page 80. Without your gracious help and assistance this project would not have been possible. I would like to send a special thank you to Doug Orr, a Teaching Development Facilitator at the University of Lethbridge Teaching Centre. Without his expertise and assistance in using the IBM SPSS Statistics program I would have remained bewildered. Also, I want to thank Dr. Ivan Townshend for his patience in educating me on cluster analysis and principal components analysis. I also want to express my gratitude to my dear friends, Andy Black Water, Frank Weasel Head, David Striped Wolf, Ray Black Plume, and Noran Calf Robe. You have given me a special name with an inspirational meaning and I only hope I can live up to those expectations. All of your stories, guidance, and encouragement motivated me more than you may realize.