ABSTRACT
In the early 1970s, information on the seasonality of late Pleistocene/early Holocene bison bonebeds from the North American Plains began to be developed from studies of patterns of dental eruption and wear. By the 1980s, it became evident that the strategies involving seasonal use of bison by Paleoindian groups was not the same as that documented for later hunter-gatherer groups living on the shortgrass plains. This chapter outlines some of the evidence on seasonal patterns of Paleoindian bison use. Difficulties in interpreting seasonal mortality patterns apparent at late Pleistocene/early Holocene sites may be due to misconceptions arising from direct use of modern grassland ecosystems as analogs for reconstructing past environments. The bison from the cold season Paleoindian bonebeds could have provided the full complement of proteins required by humans in the form of lean meat from the muscle tissues and carbohydrates from the fermentation products within the rumen.
