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Plains Indian Studies - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

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208 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY<br />

that natural events, such as boulder fracturing in<br />

streams or trampling by animals, as well as carnivore<br />

alteration, can break bones in a manner<br />

suggestive of human butchering. At Dutton and<br />

Selby, however, there are no boulders in the<br />

loessial soils, and the deposition of these soils<br />

reflects a low energy water system. It is further<br />

possible that the bones were trampled by animals<br />

coming to water, but it seems unbelievable that<br />

animals could break the bones in such consistent<br />

patterns.<br />

The location of the center of gravity near the<br />

distal end of the fractured specimens may have<br />

caused them to sink into wet sediments with only<br />

the proximal or pointed end exposed. These exposed<br />

ends may then have subsequently been<br />

polished by abrasion from water or windborne<br />

particles, giving the impression that the bones<br />

were used as tools.<br />

Carnivore alteration can also spirally fracture<br />

bone (Sutcliffe, 1970; G. Haynes, 1978, 1980;<br />

Hill, 1975; Buckland, 1822). Several studies, including<br />

the work of Gary Haynes, currently of<br />

the <strong>Smithsonian</strong>, promise to clarify this matter.<br />

To date these studies have not shown that carnivores<br />

can produce large impact depressions, or<br />

flake bones like those recovered at Dutton, Selby,<br />

or Old Crow. However, these data remain questionable<br />

until additional research in bone modification<br />

is complete.<br />

Lamb Spring, located near the South Platte<br />

River in Douglas County, Colorado, also may be<br />

pre-Clovis. Wedel (1965) excavated the site in<br />

1961 and in a layer below a Cody bison kill,<br />

found Pleistocene faunal remains, including<br />

mammoth, bison, and camel, which dated to<br />

around 13,000 years old. Because no stone artifacts<br />

were found in the lowest level, excavation<br />

was terminated.<br />

Recently, I noted that many of the bones from<br />

the lowest level were broken in a manner similar<br />

to those from Dutton and Selby. Consequently,<br />

the site warranted further investigation. In 1979,<br />

a 33-pound boulder associated with flaked mammoth<br />

bone was found in one of the trenches.<br />

Since there are no boulders elsewhere at the site,<br />

I believe that it was probably brought there for<br />

bone processing. Further excavations at this site<br />

in 1980 yielded additional data (Stanford, 1981).<br />

Friesenhahn Cave, near Austin, Texas, yielded<br />

several chert flakes and a human molar, as well<br />

as Pleistocene fauna (Evans, 1961:21). This site<br />

has often been mentioned as possibly pre-Clovis<br />

(MacNeish, 1978, 1979a). However, subsequent<br />

analysis of the deposits by Russell Graham (1976)<br />

has demonstrated that the cave was occupied by<br />

Scimitar cats rather than by man. All of the<br />

faunal remains from this deposit show evidence<br />

of having been chewed by these large, lionlike<br />

cats. Further, all of the chert flakes were found in<br />

a talus cone directly below the cave opening and<br />

are presumed to have washed into the cave from<br />

an extensive occupation found on the ground<br />

surface around the opening. It is Graham's conclusion<br />

that the cave was not occupied by man.<br />

Another Texas site that should be discussed is<br />

the Levi Rock Shelter (Alexander, 1963). This<br />

site has several occupation levels, with two presumed<br />

pre-Clovis levels underlying an occupation<br />

that has been identified as Clovis (Alexander,<br />

personal communication). The earliest pre-Clovis<br />

level is cemented into the back of the cave by a<br />

travertine deposit and was partially eroded. The<br />

subsequent pre-Clovis occupation occurs in unconsolidated<br />

cave fall and detritus. Stone tools in<br />

the form of utilized flakes were recovered from<br />

these older units. The stratigraphy of this site is<br />

extremely complex and is complicated by a tremendous<br />

mass of unconsolidated roof-fall, which<br />

makes interpretations of occupation horizons<br />

nearly impossible. The cave travertine is currently<br />

being deposited along the walls of the rock shelter,<br />

and its interface with recent unconsolidated fill<br />

cannot be considered a time horizon marker.<br />

Future work should explore more of these early<br />

occupation levels and clarify the relationship between<br />

these geologic phenomena and the various<br />

occupations of the cave.<br />

The Lewisville site in Denton County, Texas,<br />

was first excavated by R. King Harris and Wilson<br />

Crook between 1951 and 1957 (Crook and Harris,<br />

1957). Twenty-one burned areas were identified

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