The object of the interpretive study will be twofold: 1) to make a
comparative analysis of the typology of the LoDaisKa artifacts in
relation to both the Plains and Great Basin Culture areas (see Kroeber,
1939); 2) to make some attempt, on the basis of the archaeological
remains and analogies with ethnologically observable data, to provide
some insight into the total culture of the inhabitants as it existed at
the time of occupancy. Of course, as one progresses further from the
empirical evidence, to higher levels of interpretation the reliability
of the conclusions decreases proportionately (MacWhite, 1956).
The primary difficulty, as indicated, is the absence of
stratigraphically isolated culture units. Because of this a certain
amount of overlap is to be expected: a small geologic unit represents
a long and apparently uninterrupted occupational continuum. The
resultant telescoping would increase the effects of trampling and other
disturbance. However, it became increasingly apparent during excavation
that, on the basis of typology and overall stratigraphic relationships,
at least four complexes should be recognized; a broken point and a few
flakes found in the lowest geologic stratum suggest a fifth. Two of
these cultures appear to be affiliated with the Great Basin, three with
the Plains.