NO. 4 A FOLSOM COMPLEX ROBERTS 21 



vent the cutting of the lashings used to fasten it to the shaft."^ This 

 feature is present on only a small proportion of the true Folsom points 

 but is common on the generalized eastern forms. On an occasional 

 specimen, one-third to one-half the length of the blade above the base, 

 is a small notch in each edge. These probably were to facilitate the 

 fastening of the point to a shaft. 



The extent to which the base was subjected to the final retouching 

 process determined the contour of the concavity — whether it was 

 curved, figure 3, d; wavy, figure 3, e; or squarish, figure 3, /. In most 

 of the specimens from the Lindenmeier site it is wavy, because the 

 bulk of the material was broken and discarded before completion, 

 but there are some which show entire obliteration of all traces of the 

 flaker " seat." In his distributional and typological studies on Folsom 

 points Renaud worked out the percentages of base types and found 

 that the curved concavity predominated, although the squari.^h and 

 wavy forms were a close second.^' He describes the latter as separate 

 base types, C-i and C-2, but groups them together as C in his tables, 

 so that it is not possible to determine the number of each. SiJace the 

 squarish or C-i form on the basis of typology is the. most highly 

 developed and represents the ultimate stage in the perfection of the 

 technique, percentages might be significant. A site with a predomi- 

 nance of the C-I forms could be regarded as representing a higher 

 cultural level than one where the C-2 was the main form. 



Most of the point specimens from the Lindenmeier site are frag- 

 mentary, and all but a few of the pieces are butt ends. The scarcity of 

 tips was puzzling at first. Consideration of the problem led to the con- 

 clusion that the prevalance of basal portions was due to one factor, 

 the replacing of damaged points. Because of their brittleness, many 

 were no doubt broken by hunters in the chase — snapped ofif in the 

 killing of game. The shafts of the spears or arrows, unharmed and 

 still serviceable, were carried back to camp and fitted with new points, 

 the broken pieces being tossed into the midden. The fragment remain- 

 ing in the shaft would naturally be the butt end ; hence the numbers in 

 the deposit material. It may be mentioned in passing that there is 

 nothing to indicate whether the points were used in arrows or spears. 

 Present thought is that the bow and arrow was a late development in 

 the New World and that the older cultures employed a spear and 

 spear thrower. Without evidence in the matter, archeologists con- 

 cerned with the Folsom problem have gone on the assmnption that the 

 points were used in a shaft hurled from a spear thrower. 



"'Renaud, 1934b, p. 3. 

 ^ Renaud, 1934 b, pp. 8, 9. 



