Plant Fiber and Foraging Tools in the Eastern Great Basin

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Cordage, Yarn, and Associated Paraphernalia" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Analysis of the plant fiber from eastern Great Basin sites show a pattern of continuity in their selection and use over time, suggesting they were regularly preferred for specific tools. Archaeologists currently have no quantitative explanation of what may have influenced forager fiber choices. Explaining why a forager has chosen a particular material for a tool requires knowledge of how that material affects the way the tool works and how it contributes to the forager’s capture success. This study examines Great Basin plant fiber usage as it relates to two attributes that were likely important to foragers: processing time and the mechanical properties of the materials. Clarifying a fiber’s strength and strain tolerances gives some insight into why they may have been regularly selected. Utilizing experimental processing, ethnographic resources, and mechanical engineering data I evaluate seven plant fibers commonly used in the prehistoric eastern Great Basin. Results show there are significant differences between plant fibers that likely affected the function of important tools such as nets, baskets, and snares.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Cordage, Yarn, and Associated Paraphernalia   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 35633.0