Gunnerson Revisited: A Reconsideration of Plains Promontory Relationships

Summary

On the basis of new excavations within the Promontory caves, archaeologists are beginning to gain a better understanding of when and how Promontory people lived (Ives et al. 2014; Johansson 2013). Some preliminary data also gives credence to Steward’s (1937, 1940) argument that Promontory people were Athapaskan and that the caves represented one stop on a route taken from Dene lands in Canada to the Plains and Northern Southwest where Athapaskan speakers (Apache and Navajo) were first encountered by Euroamerican explorers. To connect the Promontory to Apache groups on the Plains, Gunnerson (1956) suggested ties with the Dismal River aspect. However, similarities between the two groups were discounted for chronological reasons. Using new dates on Promontory as well as a different understanding of the relationship between Promontory and Fremont, we reexamine the possibility that Gunnerson was correct in suggesting a relationship, but incorrect in which group preceded the other.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

Spatial Coverage