THE UNSATISFIED QUEST FOR THE FIRST AMERICANS: A GREAT PLAINS PERSPECTIVE

Here we review patterns of Clovis evidence as a reference for evaluating models concerning the peopling of the western Hemisphere. Information on artifact density, Clovis radiocarbon dates, and the distribution of Clovis artifacts on the Great Plains suggests to us that the Clovis complex originated in the southern Plains or southeastern United States and then spread throughout the Plains region. We believe that Clovis did not originate in the Great Plains region and that its spread across the region was generally from south to north. In post-Clovis time there is extensive evidence for Paleoindian occupation throughout the region, although the occurrences are influenced by key factors of geology, prehistoric behavior, and modern research. The Folsom complex appears to be the first technological complex focused on or adapted specifically to the Great Plains environment. The Clovis adaptation was apparently much more generalized.

Pre-Clovis (PC) evidence in the Great Plains has been suggested from a number of sites in the region, most notably in the central and southern Plains. Selected sites of key interest include La Sena, Delby, Sutton, Kanorado, Burnham, Big Eddy, Shriver, and Gault. All these are argued by some to be PC, but none are accepted by all. If any of these sites or others dating between 13,000 and ca. 30,000 years ago become accepted, then a number of key implications for Plains archaeology come into focus. These implications are not new, but are critical to designing and implementing archaeological research in the region. Research concerning PC archaeology in the Great Plains should include consideration of the following. 1) What technologies were in use during PC time? 2) When did people first enter the Great Plains? 3) From where did people first enter the Plains? Regarding these, the first Plains occupants may have had no links to Clovis technology. Further, we assume that the First Americans possessed at least an “Upper Paleolithic” level of technology when they entered the New World. Lastly, there are realistic models which support the peopling of the Great Plains from the north, south, east, or west. Therefore, in researching the problem of PC evidence in the Plains, we currently lack fixed references to the technology, the timing, or the direction of this historical process.