Twelve thousand years ago, the average temperature in the southeastern
United States was five to 10 degrees cooler than it is now, and the
climate was drier. The landscape was covered with oak and pine forests
mixed with open grasslands. Some familiar animals such as rabbits and
deer lived in the area, but many other animals that have become extinct
in North America, were also common then. Included were the camel, giant
armadillo, short-faced bear, long-horned bison, mastodon, tapir, ground
sloth, saber-toothed tiger, mammoth, dire wolf, and horse (the horse was
later reintroduced by the Spanish).
The earliest Indians in Louisiana, called Paleo-Indians, hunted these
animals with spears tipped with stone points. The points were two to six
inches long, and lanceolate, with bases that were either straight or
rounded inward. The Paleo-Indians in Louisiana made their points from
carefully selected varieties of stones that appear to have come from
neighboring regions in Texas and Arkansas.
The first step in making a point was to strike a selected stone from a
strategic angle with another stone, detaching a relatively large, flat,
oval piece called a flake. The second step was to shape the large flake
by chipping off smaller flakes with a rock, bone fragment, or antler
tip. The final steps were to remove the delicate finishing flakes by
firmly pressing against the edge of the point with an antler or bone
tool, and then to grind the base of the point smooth with a stone. The
point then was fastened directly to a wooden shaft with hide, fiber or
an adhesive substance, or it was attached to a bone section that was
connected to the spear shaft.
[Illustration: (actual size)]
To pierce the skin of one of the large animals, such as a mastodon or
mammoth, the hunters had to be close to the powerful beast. They hurled
or jabbed their spears at the animal, and tried to confuse and
immobilize their prey. Perhaps several hunters surrounded an isolated
animal waving their arms and distracting it while one or two others
speared it. If the animal was wounded, the hunters would have tracked it
until it became very weak or went to water to drink. Even a mastodon,
wounded and exhausted, or mired in the mud of a shallow lake, would have
been relatively easy game for a small group of experienced hunters.
Men and older boys almost certainly were the hunters for the
Paleo-Indian groups. Women and children collected fruits, seeds, roots,
and other plant foods to supplement their diet.
Paleo-Indians lived in small nomadic groups that remained in one area
only as long as the animals and plant foods were plentiful. The evidence
indicates that they camped near streams in temporary shelters made of
branches, grass and hides. At other times, they preferred high ground
where they could see the countryside to watch for animals. The camp may
have had a central area for group activities surrounded by living areas
where families cooked and slept. These people probably used animal skins
for clothing and as blankets, and may have had dogs as pets. They did
not raise other animals or grow crops. They used no metal and made no
pottery.
[Illustration: Mastodon hunt]
Louisiana Paleo-Indian sites (areas where remains are found) are not
common, because the small groups of nomadic Indians left very few
artifacts at any location. High rainfall and humidity then led to decay
and erosion of many ancient sites while changing geography led to the
disappearance of others. The sea level has risen, so any Paleo-Indian
coastal remains are now on the ocean floor. Sites once along the
Mississippi River have been washed away or deeply buried as the river
shifted its course and deposited silt. Most Paleo-Indian spear points
found in Louisiana have been collected from ridges, hills and salt
domes. Generally, these areas have not been affected by stream changes
and sea level fluctuations that have occurred since the Ice Age.
As the Ice Age drew to a close, Louisiana began to change. The climate
gradually became warmer and wetter and many large Ice Age animals became
extinct. The way of life of the Paleo-Indians began to change, too. They
started hunting smaller game and collecting and eating more plant foods.
The late Paleo-Indians fashioned a variety of stone tools that could be
used for butchering game, preparing hides, and working bone and wood.
They also manufactured many kinds of stone points that were generally
smaller than the earlier points. These late Paleo-Indian tools were made
from Louisiana stone, a change from the earlier time.
Sites of the late Paleo-Indian period are more numerous than early
Paleo-Indian sites. This suggests that the population increased and that
these people camped longer in one place. Their sites are characterized
by more artifacts, and more varieties of artifacts, than earlier
Paleo-Indian sites.
[Illustration: John Pearce Site]
Both early and late Paleo-Indian Period materials have been found at the
John Pearce Site in Caddo Parish, Louisiana. At the lowest (oldest)
level, two early Paleo-Indian stone points were uncovered. A wide
variety of later materials were excavated from higher levels. The site
was used by small groups of people who camped there temporarily. The
groups used the site as a base camp for hunting, butchering, and
hideworking activities.
[Illustration: Stone tools]
Early Paleo-Indian:
a-c, Stone Points
(¾ actual size)
[Illustration: Stone tools]
Late Paleo-Indian:
d-e, Stone Scrapers
f-h, Stone Points
(¾ actual size)