A Study on Trade and Behavior through the Analysis of Exotic Lithic Debitage and Artifacts at the Tule Creek Site (CA-SNI-25), San Nicolas Island, California.

Summary

This study examines lithic debitage and artifacts on exotic raw materials from the Tule Creek Village (CA-SNI-25), a late Holocene site (3500 cal BP to the Mission Era) and one of the last occupied villages (500 BC – 1700 AD) on San Nicolas Island. In contrast to the shell bead trade off the island, little is known about what materials were brought to the island. Excavations yielded over 100 lithic artifacts from two significant components at CA-SNI-25 with the majority consisting of imported obsidian, chert, and soapstone. In this study, we compare the attributes of the lithic debitage to the formal artifacts made on nonlocal raw materials found at the site. Results suggest that the Nicoleño acquired finished artifacts as part of a large and intricate trade network.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17546