Assessing Flint Knapping Skill: An Analysis of the Beaver River Complex Folsom Point Assemblages, Northwest Oklahoma, USA

Abstract

The Beaver River Complex (northwest Oklahoma) of early Paleoindian (Clovis and Folsom) large-scale bison kill sites began contributing to our knowledge of Folsom hunting organization two decades ago with the identification, excavation, and analysis of the Cooper site. Since then a total of five Folsom kill components have been identified at three arroyo kill sites within a 700 m reach of the Beaver River. The Folsom projectile point assemblages are analyzed to determine the level of flint knapping skill. Skill levels of projectile point flint knappers ranging from highly skilled to novice are contained in each kill assemblage, indicating inclusive rather than exclusive membership in the hunting party.

Keywords:

• Folsom
• flint knapping skill
• Paleoindian
• southern Plains

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Brooke Morgan and Brian Andrews for organizing the symposium and inviting me to participate. This work was funded in part by grants from the National Geographic Society, a generous donation from Courson Oil and Gas, and research funds from the Oklahoma Archeological Survey, University of Oklahoma. The comments from three anonymous reviewers brought clarity and breadth to this endeavor.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Leland C. Bement

Author biography

Leland C. Bement received his PhD from the University of Texas before joining the Research Faculty with the Oklahoma Archeological Survey at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. He is also an affiliated Senior Researcher in the Department of Anthropology, University of Oklahoma. His main research interests include North American hunter–gatherer technology, organization, and subsistence.