Barren Ground Caribou (Rangifer arcticus) from an Early Man Site in Southeastern Michigan

Abstract

Abstract The identification of a phalanx of a barren ground caribou ( Rangifer arcticus ) from the Holcombe site in southeastern Michigan is perhaps the earliest association of man and an animal species in the eastern United States. This phalanx was excavated from a small pit which contained four fragments of unifacially worked artifacts, a number of plano-convex spalls typical of the Holcombe lithic complex, and a small amount of beech charcoal. Association of this site with a beach of glacial Lake Algonquin places its occupation at approximately 9200 B.C.