ABSTRACT
Paleoindian culture was destined to die out, replaced in many parts of North America by people following the Archaic tradition. This term “Archaic” has assumed a special meaning, referring to the non-agricultural adaptations that once flourished across large parts of native North America, from the Far West (the Great Basin, California, and the Pacific Northwest), through the Great Plains, and into the Deep South. Although the Archaic adaptations span 10,000 years and a continent, certain key characteristics tie them all together.
