ABSTRACT
In North American prehistory the Archaic stage has been typically characterized as involving the utilization of the landscape by small shifting bands of hunting, gathering, and foraging peoples. It is often contrasted with the earlier Paleoindian period as having a proliferation of tool forms and a diversification of subsistence pursuits and cultures. It is the period in which cultures become "localized" and seem to "settle in" to their respective environmental niches (Caldwell 1958; Willey and Phillips 1958).
