Lithic Technology and Bison Hunting

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Indigenous Practices and Material Culture: Seventy Years of Mission Life" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Archaeological investigations conducted at the Alamo compound produced a multitude of cultural materials, among them being chipped stone tools. In depth analysis of the Alamo lithic assemblage identified formal hafted tools, hide scrapers, and arrow points. In Texas, the bison hunting toolkit generally consists of hide scrapers, arrow points, and beveled knives. The presence of these tools indicates a reliance on seasonal bison hunting by mission inhabitants. Ethnographic accounts document the utilization of bison hides for domestic purposes within the missions. While bison hunting was no longer necessary at this point in history, the act and produced materials afforded Indigenous groups a connection to pre-mission lifeways. This paper will aim to establish the relationship between the lithic assemblage at the Alamo to both ethnographic accounts, and archaeological understanding of seasonal bison hunting at other missions within Texas.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Indigenous Practices and Material Culture: Seventy Years of Mission Life

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51509