The economy of the people of Complex C was probably oriented toward
a combination of hunting and gathering. The former is evidenced by
the presence of animal bones and the frequency of projectile points.
The mule deer, _Odocoileus hemionus_, which represented nearly 75%
of the faunal remains, appears to have been the animal most hunted.
The projectile points are considered to have been used in connection
with atlatls. Stalking and snaring were probably prevalent methods,
although a surround or drive might have been practical in certain
seasons when the animals gathered into larger herds. The small number
of bison bones indicate that bison were also occasionally hunted. There
is a surprising lack of bones of small game, these being even less
numerous than in Complex D. Other animals included an undetermined
carnivore and some bird bones.
Numerous milling stones and hand stones as well as plant remains
attest to the continued importance of vegetable products in the diet.
The plants utilized include acorns, sedges, wild plums, chenopods and
_Umbellifereae_. Wads of moss may have been used for padding etc.
There is no information on any structures. Probably none were used
since the overhang provided rather good shelter. Large stone-filled
hearths may have been used for large scale roasting, as Mulloy (1954a)
hypothesized for the McKean Site.
Technologically the Complex C occupants possessed sufficient skill to
adapt to the environment with little evidence of elaboration. Clothing
was probably scant except for cold weather, and was possibly of skins.
In stone work, projectile points were functional, and made rather
roughly with little pressure retouch. A proliferation of scraping
tools and utilized flakes was probably a by-product of the emphasis on
hunting, and suggests that many skins were prepared. A certain amount
of technological “know-how” was required to manufacture the relatively
fine prismatic flakes. In bone work the commonest tools were awls made
on a splinter of bone worked only on the functional end. One bone
appears to have been used for flint flaking.
Despite the apparent emphasis on utility there is a certain amount of
evidence on the aesthetic side. The people had beads for adornment,
made of sections of bird bone. Fragments of hematite and limonite
indicate that they also practiced painting of some sort, perhaps on
their bodies and tools or hides.
The occurrence of pieces of worked mica may have some magico-religious
significance. Similar specimens were found in Danger Cave (Jennings,
1957) and the pieces may indicate Great Basin affiliation. However,
the greatest concentration of these is between 50 and 72 inches. These
might have been used as charms, or have been part of shamanistic
paraphernalia. Other inferences drawn from ethnology would suggest the
importance of beliefs connected with hunting.
There is no direct evidence of a socio-political nature. The size of
the site and the type economy represented indicate a small semi-nomadic
group. The possible overlap in cultural groups suggests either
intermittent occupations alternating between groups of different
cultural complexes, or the close proximity and strong influence
of such groups. In the field of social organization, many modern
hunting-gathering groups exhibit bilateral kin organization. On the
other hand the especial importance of large game would render the men’s
position of greater consequence, and the affiliation of the material
culture is oriented toward the Plains where patrilineal organization is
rather common.