![spear point and foreshaft](images/hh36a3.jpg)
Spear point and foreshaft. Length 8".
Man in the San Juan Valley
EARLY HUNTERS AND GATHERERS. Ten thousand years ago,
a small band of weary, footsore, hungry hunters cautiously approached a
few bison which they had managed to stampede away from the main herd.
Ten in number, the bison had finally paused to drink at a small spring
in a rincon of the canyon wall and to graze upon the thick, tall grass.
For a day and a half, the hunters had carefully followed the large,
hairy mammals, hoping the beasts would lose their sense of danger and
allow themselves to be boxed into a place where the hunters could
approach close enough to kill them.
At last the moment was at hand! Warily, two hunters
crawled along the slope of the canyon wall from opposite sides, seeking
places from which they could throw large rocks upon the animals or hurl
their spears with devastating force. Patiently five more hunters waited
below, concealed by the tall grass or behind convenient boulders. When
the first two were in place, the leader gave the signal. Rocks came
crashing down on the startled bison; spears whistled through the air and
thudded into soft flesh; one or two missed, but most found their
targets. Shouts and cries filled the air. The bison, caught by surprise,
whirled and milled around the waterhole for a moment, then several broke
for the open country. One was wounded, the spear in its flank bobbing
like a wave-tossed spindle. On this animal the hunters concentrated;
three more spears found their target, and the great beast went down
thrashing wildly. Two other animals lay maimed at the waterhole; one
young calf, hobbling painfully, tried to get away to the open country
but was quickly dispatched. The remaining six bison disappeared through
the thickets and tall grass to the west.
The animals which were down but not dead were swiftly
killed with spear thrusts through the eyes. Then the assembled hunters
fell to the most important task of all. With quick strokes of their
razor-sharp stone knives, they carefully peeled away the hide from one
of the carcasses. The soft inner partsthe heart, kidneys, and
liverthey immediately cut into pieces and ate raw on the spot, for
they had not tasted meat for many days. In fact, for the last several
days on the hunt, they had subsisted entirely on the few edible plants
and roots they could easily find while tracking the bison. Now great
chunks of meat were cut from the flanks and likewise consumed raw, until
each hunter could eat no more. Then the men gathered up their
weaponslong wooden spears with carefully made chipped flint or
obsidian points. Some of the points were so deeply buried in the bodies
that they broke loose from the shafts when the men tried to pry them
free. Other shafts had broken, leaving the points embedded when the
bison thrashed about trying to escape the sudden devastation. This was
of minor concernnew shafts could be made, new points fashioned. It
was more important that once again there was meat enough to go around
for the hunters, their mates, and their children.
Now surfeited, the hunters dozed quietly in the shade
out of the noonday sun. But not for long, for they must bring the rest
of the band to participate in the feast. One hunter started back to the
last camp where the women and children waited, existing on the remnants
of the last kill and whatever edible plants, roots, nuts, and berries
they might be able to find nearby. The other hunters proceeded with the
skinning of the animals. To build a fire, one man found a dry log, in
which he made a small hole with his stone knife. He sharpened another
dry but tougher stick, Thrusting this into the hole, he twirled it
rapidly between his hands until he built up sufficient friction to make
a few small sparks in the log. These he deftly transferred to a little
dry tinder, the flame of which he carefully nursed until twigs and
branches could be added to make a real blaze. The fire would be welcome
in the evening, for the days were getting shorter and the nights colder.
When the women and children arrived, they would make crude lean-to or
windbreak structures to help break the cold night winds from the north.
They would scrape, clean, and dry the bison skins so that as the band
headed southward, they would have the warm skins to wrap themselves in
at night. During the day, while hunting or working around the camp, they
needed little in the way of clothingjust simple loincloths. On
damp, rainy daysand there seemed too many of thesebrush
shelters, fires, and the warm skins of the animals they had killed were
sufficient.
By now the vultures were circling overhead, but it
would be several days before these carrion birds could feast on what
little might remain of the kill. The hunters and the rest of the band
would stay at this spot until all the meat was exhausted, rancid as it
might become. Then once again they would take up their spears and start
after more game. This time they would head toward the south, for with
the shortening days winter was coming, and the game was going south. But
they would worry about the next hunt later. In the meantime all was
well. It was a time for relaxation and rejoicingthey had food for
many days; they had water; soon they would have shelter; and this was
without doubt the best of all possible worlds in which to live.
Of course, such a scene is imaginary, but it could
have taken place about 10,000 years ago, almost anywhere among the
valley and canyon bottoms of what is now known as the Four Corners
country of the Southwest. The great continental ice sheets never got
this far south, and 10,000 years ago they were already retreating
northward from their farthest expansion. Yet smaller glaciers in some of
the surrounding mountains were also shrinking, and the general climate
of the area must have been far different than it is today. No doubt it
was colder and damper, with more rain and many swamps, lagoons, and
lakes abounding in game animals and birds of all varieties. With a
colder climate, the scenery too did not resemble that of today. High
grasslands, extensive hardwood forests, and full-flowing streams and
rivers characterized the region. The general land formations,
howeverthe mountains, canyons, mesas, and plateaushad been
formed long millenia before, and as short a time as 10,000 years ago
they would have been very much as they are today.
Geologists believe that after the last of the four
great continental glaciations (i.e. the Wisconsin) there were three
broad climatic periods over most of the western United States. These are
called the Anathermal, which was cool and moist, becoming gradually
warmer; the Altithermal, which was exceptionally dry; and the
Medithermal, a relatively cool, moist period which is still in progress.
Our imaginary tale about the hunters, if it had taken place, would
have occurred during the Anathermal period.
These variations in climate have been determined by
studying old stream terraces (streams cut deeper when there is more
water, and they can carry a greater load of abrasive sands and gravels);
old beach levels around ancient lakes (such as are prominent today
around the Great Salt Lake in Utah); and ancient annual lake deposits
of fine silts which form thin bands or varves. Studies of animal life,
both vertebrate and invertebrate, and plant life are important, for
some life forms can exist only under certain limited climatic
conditions. Bones and shells found in various deposits may help to
indicate the type of climate existing when they were laid down. Plant
fragments, pollen grains, and diatoms (microscopic plants with
siliceous skeletons), are clues in telling the story of prehistoric
times.
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