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Ancient America: Ancient bison and paleoindians [1]
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Date: 2025-06-29
At the time of the European invasion, there were two subspecies of bison in North America: the plains bison (Bison bison bison) and wood bison (Bison bison athabascae). American Indian bison hunting both before the introduction of the horse and after the horse has been well documented. However, modern bison evolved from earlier, extinct species which had originated in Asia and migrated to North America about 200,000 years ago. After the arrival of ancient American Indians—sometimes designated as Paleoindians as an indication that they were the ancient ancestors of modern Indians—more than 30,000 years ago, these ancient bison were also harvested for food, shelter, and clothing.
Note: while buffalo is the popular name for this North American mammal, bison is a more accurate term.
In his book Ice Age Mammals of North America, Ian Lange reports:
“Unfortunately, the actual date of the Rancholabrean Land Mammal Age is not known accurately, and dates vary between 300,000 and 100,000 years ago.”
Shown above is an artist’s depiction of Bison antiquus which stood 6 to 7 feet high at the hump. This is on display in the Wenatchee Valley Museum in Wenatchee, Washington.
Ian Lange reports:
“Evolution of Bison bison antiquus resulted in the development of two presently living subspecies, the plains bison (Bison bison bison) and the slightly larger woods bison (Bison bison athabascae). These animals are now the largest land animals in North America.”
Evidence for the ancient American Indian use of Bison antiquus was found by archaeologists at Pendejo Cave near Orogrande, New Mexico. Here they uncovered a bone which had been worked on by humans. With regard to working the bone, Donald Chrisman and Robson Bonnichesen, in their chapter in Pendejo Cave, write:
“First, after the Bison antiques was killed or died, its humerus was severed and carried into Pendejo Cave, where it was broken, probably to recover the marrow within. Analysis of the fracture pattern suggests that the cave’s inhabitants had good mechanical knowledge of how to strike a bone in order to create a stress riser, a weak point that would break under stress.”
Shown above is a bison displayed at the La Brea Tar Pits Museum in Los Angeles.
Shown above is the jawbone of an ancient bison (Bison antiquus) which is on display in San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands, California.
Shown above is the ancient bison on display in San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands, California.
With regard to hunting bison, anthropologist David Meltzer, in his book Search for the First Americans, writes:
“They were careful, these hunters, for bison in those days, Bison antiquus, were several hundred pounds larger and carried horns each about 12 inches (30 centimeters) longer than those on today’s Bison bison.”
By 9500 BCE North America had gone through some dramatic climate changes which helped bring about the extinction of the mega-fauna—large animals. In their book Across Atlantic Ice: The Origins of America’s Clovis Culture, archaeologists Dennis Stanford and Bruce Bradley report:
“Once the large herbivores such as the mammoth, camel, and horse became extinct, the bison was left without effective competition for expanding grasslands, and herds flourished. As a reaction to this resource windfall, people in the Plains adapted to the new environmental conditions and focused their economy on bison. They modified their hunting equipment into more specialized and effective weapons tipped by the fully fluted projectile points we now call Folsom.”
Dennis Stanford and Bruce Bradley also report:
“The Folsom point, it seems, represented a new weapon technology that was more effective for bison hunting.”
The finely made Folsom points were attached to spears which, when propelled by an atlatl (spear thrower), became effective bison-killing devices. In his book Bones, Boats, and Bison: Archeology and the First Colonization of Western North America, archaeologist James Dixon writes:
“The hallmark of Folsom culture is the Folsom projectile point, which is recognized throughout the Americas for its unique design, exceptional workmanship, and the high-quality raw materials from which they are manufactured.”
Archaeologist James Dixon also writes:
“The archaeological evidence indicates that Folsom hunters commanded exceptional knowledge of bison behavior.”
In an article in Idaho Yesterdays, Earl Swanson writes:
“Folsom man was a hunter of no mean ability, apparently traveling over the Great Plains. His range appears to correspond roughly with that of the extinct Bison antiquus. Bison of this type were apparently somewhat larger than either modern plains or woods bison.”
Geographically, Folsom culture spread eastward from the Rocky Mountains across the Great Plains. It extended from North Dakota to Mexico. It seemed to be centered, however, along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. There are, however, some Folsom sites west of the Rocky Mountains, particularly in Idaho.
As Bison antiquus evolved into the modern plains bison and wood bison, American Indian hunting practices also evolved, and the bison continued to be an important resource.
More Ancient America
Ancient America: The Paleo-Indian Period in Texas (prior to 8000 BCE)
Ancient America: Paleoindian stone tools in Washington's Plateau area
Ancient America: Bears (revised)
Ancient America: Mastodons (revised)
Ancient America: North American Camels
Ancient America: Mammoths
Ancient America: The Pleistocene Extinctions
Ancient America: Ice Age mammals (museum exhibit)
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