The gradual transition from the late Paleo-Indian to the early
Meso-Indian Period had occurred by 5000 B.C. Meso-Indians, also called
Archaic Indians, lived in small nomadic groups. Unlike their
predecessors, however, they remained longer in each camp location and
exploited smaller geographical areas. Whereas a Paleo-Indian might roam
from Texas to Mississippi in his lifetime, returning rarely to the same
place, a Meso-Indian might spend his whole life in a six-parish area,
returning each season to favored campsites.
The seasonal movements of the Meso-Indians were determined by the best
times to hunt and gather certain foods. Clams, fish and deer were
available year-round, so Meso-Indians often stayed near streams, where
these were plentiful. This strategy was especially critical in the
winter months when plant foods were least available. The Indians camped
where they could collect tender, young plants in the spring; fruits in
the summer; and pecans and walnuts in the fall. Meso-Indians had a
varied diet, eating seeds, roots, nuts, fruits, fish, clams, reptiles,
game birds and mammals.
As Meso-Indian family groups traveled, they met other hunting groups,
and sometimes camped together. These were important times for social and
ceremonial activities. They probably smoked pipes together and shared
information about good hunting, fishing, and plant collecting areas.
They exchanged gifts of tools, food, stone, and shell. Sometimes these
large groups camped together for a season or more, near rivers or near
the coast where dependable food resources could support many families.
[Illustration: Banana Bayou Site]
The Banana Bayou Site, located on the Avery Island salt dome in Iberia
Parish, consists of a low, man-made earthen mound, 80 feet in diameter.
Charcoal from the mound gives the radiocarbon date of 2490 ± 260 years
B.C. Nut shells and fish, deer and turtle bones have been found in the
mound as well as two stone points that are characteristic of the
Meso-Indian Period. These findings lead archaeologists to conclude that
the site is one of the earliest mounds in the United States.
Dogs may have been kept as pets, and may have helped in hunting.
Meso-Indians developed many new hunting and fishing techniques. They
used fishhooks, traps, and nets for catching fish and other small
animals, and they used a new weapon called the atlatl (pronounced
at′lat′l) to help kill their most important prey, deer.
An atlatl was made from a flattish, two-foot long piece of wood and was
used as a spear-thrower. It had a hook, made of bone or antler, attached
on one end and a hand grip carved on the other end. A stone, clay, or
shell weight was sometimes attached toward the hooked end to increase
the force of the throw, or perhaps only for decoration. A spear was
rested on the atlatl with the end of the spear shaft inserted into the
atlatl hook. The hunter held the atlatl grip and the middle of the spear
in the same hand, then he hurled the spear from the atlatl (see cover
illustration). The atlatl acted as an extension of his arm, giving extra
power and accuracy to the throw.
The Meso-Indian spears used with the atlatl differed from those used by
Paleo-Indians. They were shorter, and the stone points were different.
Meso-Indian spear points were chipped from local stone, and they were
slightly larger and not as artistically made as late Paleo-Indian
points. Beyond these general trends, however, many Meso-Indian points
found in Louisiana have little in common with each other. The sides of
some are curved, others are straight, and some are serrated. Some are
wider at the base, some are narrower, and others have notches in the
base. The variations in shape seem almost unlimited.
[Illustration: (¾ actual size)]
In contrast to the changes in styles of points, Meso-Indians continued
making their stone butchering and hideworking tools in much the same way
as the Paleo-Indians. Meso-Indians also fabricated non-stone tools and
ornaments. They made bone needles, awls, fishhooks, beads, and hairpins;
and antler atlatl hooks, handles, and spear points. Less common objects
were tortoise shell rattles and shell ornaments.
Meso-Indians developed new tools as they increased their knowledge of
plant resources. They made baskets to carry and store seeds, roots,
fruits and nuts. They cracked nuts with specially shaped stones, and
ground nuts and seeds into flour with grinding stones.
[Illustration: Meso-Indian: Grinding Stones (½ actual size)]
The Meso-Indians also made axes and chopping tools for cutting down
trees and hollowing out tree trunks. Like the atlatl weights, grinding
stones, pipes, and stone ornaments, some of these axes were made using a
new technique. Instead of being flaked, these stone tools were roughly
pecked into desired shapes with a hard hammerstone, then ground smooth
with sandstone or sand and water. When completed, some of these ground
stone tools had a highly polished surface.
[Illustration: (½ actual size)]
Although the methods of hunting, gathering plants, and making tools
remained relatively unchanged throughout the Meso-Indian Period, some
things were changing. Gradually the population expanded. Groups began to
move less frequently, and to travel over smaller areas. They learned
more about their environment as they began living, from one season to
another, in the same general area. Apparently some Louisiana
Meso-Indians remained in one place long enough to build earthen mounds.
If the dates for these mounds are correct, then they are the earliest
known mounds in the United States.