Abstract

Folsom groups have been characterized as having residential and logistical mobility incorporating extremely large foraging territories. The Lake Theo site, located on the Southern Plains, provides a unique perspective to examine aspects of mobility and subsistence practices. Lake Theo is a bison kill and processing site located at the edge of a creek and situated within 1km of a high-quality chert source. Extensive utilization of the bison is indicated by cut marks, helical fractures, and long bone segments. This evidence points to secondary butchering after meat retrieval, and specifically marrow processing. Folsom groups focused on hunting bison, and therefore, subsistence strategies were based on bison migration routes and availability of other critical resources (toolstone and water). Representing a fall kill, Lake Theo was a favorable site due to its proximity to a lithic resource, water, and location along a bison fall migration route. Risk management, then, is considered the operative factor in the organization of Folsom technology and subsistence procurement.