A Correlation Analysis of Expedient Stone Tools and Faunal Remains at the Tule Creek (CA-SNI-25), San Nicolas, California

Author(s): Ryan Moritz; René Vellanoweth

Year: 2017

Summary

People have utilized stone tools for food procurement, manufacture of utilitarian and non-utilitarian goods, and self-defense for thousands of years. On the California Channel Islands, both formal (curated) and informal (expedient) stone tools have been observed in the archaeological record. Tule Creek (CA-SNI-25) is a large multi-component site located on an uplifted marine terrace on the north coast of San Nicolas Island, outermost of the California Channel Islands. Humboldt State University and California State University Los Angeles (CSULA) conducted open-area excavations to investigate the cultural significance of the site and to find intact features. Formal and expedient stone tools were recovered from these excavations along with numerous features, bone and shell tools and ornaments, and extensive faunal remains. In this paper, we present the results of a correlation analysis of the expedient stone tools and the faunal remains found at the Tule Creek site. Our results suggest that there are no statistical correlations between the distribution of expedient stone tools and faunal remains at Tule Creek. This analysis allows for the further understanding of the roles that expedient stone tools performed on an island environment.

Cite this Record

A Correlation Analysis of Expedient Stone Tools and Faunal Remains at the Tule Creek (CA-SNI-25), San Nicolas, California. Ryan Moritz, René Vellanoweth. Presented at The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Vancouver, British Columbia. 2017 ( tDAR id: 429892)

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

Spatial Coverage

min long: -125.464; min lat: 32.101 ; max long: -114.214; max lat: 42.033 ;

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17465