Caribou (<i>Rangifer Tarandus</i> L.) Bones from New England Paleoindian Sites

Abstract

The use of caribou ( Rangifer tarandus) and beaver ( Castor canadensis) by New England Paleoindians has been confirmed by new evidence. Using an approach which includes consideration of bone shrinkage during calcination, in addition to species—specific morphology, Spiess has identified faunal assemblages composed exclusively of mammal bone from two sites in central New England, The Bull Brook site (Massachusetts) and the Whipple site (New Hampshire). Caribou is the most commonly identified species at both sites, although beaver is present at Bull Brook. Because of the variability of caribou behavior in different environmental contexts, the implications of these identifications for the reconstruction of Paleoindian subsistence economy must await further research.