Before Yellowstone by MacDonald Douglas H.;

Author:MacDonald, Douglas H.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Published: 2018-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

FIGURE 4.11 Archaeological sites at Yellowstone Lake reveal bone and protein residues that indicate the types of animals hunted by Native Americans, including bison. Neal Herbert photo, National Park Service

Based on animal bones and protein residue on stone tools excavated at archaeological sites, elk, bison, deer, bear, sheep, beaver, rabbit, cat, and squirrel were hunted by Native Americans at the lake in the past (figure 4.11). Animal, or faunal, remains are rare at Yellowstone Lake sites because the highly acidic soils deteriorate bone quickly. In fact, only four archaeological sites have yielded identifiable bone fragments at lake area archaeological sites. The Late Prehistoric Windy Bison site is located on the northeastern lakeshore near Steamboat Point. This site yielded the remains of bison, elk, and sheep during excavations by Kenneth Cannon in the early 1990s. Unidentifiable bone fragments (possibly bison) were also found at the Donner site in a Middle Archaic occupation on the southeast arm of the lake. In 2016, my crew from the University of Montana also recovered a large bison leg bone dated to about 800 years ago in association with obsidian flakes eroding from the edge of Dot Island in the middle of Yellowstone Lake. One of the obsidian flakes was sourced to Bear Gulch in Idaho, while another was sourced to Obsidian Cliff. Finally, in 2014, my crew from the University of Montana recovered an elk toe bone from near a Late Archaic hearth dated to 2,000 years ago. This site was located on the Flat Mountain Arm of the lake, a few miles east of the West Thumb.

In addition to animal remains, 13 lake area sites have yielded lithic artifacts with positive blood protein signatures. Fish was identified on a single flake from an unknown north shore site. The fish species was identified as rainbow trout, not native to the lake. I interpret this to mean that someone used the flake to process rainbow trout somewhere else and carried the tool to the lake, or the flake may have been contaminated by one of the site excavators who fished for rainbow trout recently and touched the flake. Of the dozens of lake area tools tested so far for proteins, no others have yielded positive signatures for fish.

Deer protein was identified on tools at six lake area sites, with bear identified at five sites. Rabbit was identified at four sites, with three each of bovine (bison), cat (bobcat, lynx, or cougar), and bighorn sheep. Dog (coyote, fox, or wolf) was identified at two sites, with rat (squirrel) and guinea pig (probably skunk or beaver) also identified at single sites each. These protein identifications suggest a diverse hunting strategy at the lake, with the lithics dating from the Paleoindian to Late Prehistoric periods (9,500 to 300 years ago). The presence of bear protein on lithics from five lake area sites supports the hypothesis of active bear hunting at Yellowstone Lake in prehistory. That evidence also supports the idea of early spring trips to the lake by Native American hunters looking for bears waking up from hibernation.

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