Date of Award:

5-2014

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Sociology and Anthropology

Department name when degree awarded

Sociology, Social Work, and Anthropology

Committee Chair(s)

David Byers

Committee

David Byers

Committee

Patricia Lambert

Committee

Kenneth Cannon

Abstract

This thesis investigates that paleoecology of southern Idaho bison and their role in prehistoric subsistence with two articles. The first article investigates the trajectory of bison diminution in southern Idaho with bison morphometrics from Baker Cave, a late Holocene archaeological site. Results indicate that local bison followed a diminution trend mirroring the diminution trend documented on the Great Plains. This suggests that similar bottom up ecosystem controls acted on bison in both the Great Plains and in southern Idaho through the Holocene.

The second article examines the role of bison in seasonal subsistence strategies. I hypothesize that winter fat scarcity in southern Idaho made prehistoric foragers susceptible to protein poisoning, and therefore, these people employed fat-seeking strategies. I test predictions drawn from this hypothesis with bison remains from Baker Cave. Assemblage level patterns at Baker Cave meet the predictions. Further, fetal bison remains at Baker Cave suggest multiple winter procurement events. These fetal remains, in combination with the assemblage-level patterns, support the hypothesis that this archaeofauna resulted from winter fat seeking behavior. Further, comparisons with other southern Idaho sites containing smaller bison assemblages suggest that this pattern was widespread and may have persisted through the middle and late Holocene. However, further studies are needed to confirm this pattern.

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