Exploring the relationship between Folsom and Midland points in the Southern Plains

Summary

The relationship between Folsom points and Midland points in the Southern Plains remains an unresolved topic of debate. At the scale of individuals, it has been suggested that the fluted Folsom point was a symbolic object made by a person(s) of power to alleviate risk in hunts. Along similar lines, differences between Folsom and Midland points have been attributed to the relative skill differences between knappers. At a broader scale, some have questioned the association of Folsom and Midland, suggesting that the two might represent separate population groups or that Midland was a later development. Finally, some suggest that Folsom and Midland points were made by populations who switched from Folsom to Midland point production during periods of raw material scarcity. This paper uses current evidence to explore these hypotheses, focusing primarily on the latter two which are, in my view, the most likely explanations.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• New Perspectives in Folsom Archaeology

Keywords

Spatial Coverage