Paleoindians at Wyoming’s LaPrele mammoth site crafted needles from the bones of fur-bearing animals, presumably to make clothing from their furs to stay warm in cooler environments.
An archaeological site in Wyoming, where a Columbian mammoth was either hunted or scavenged nearly 13,000 years ago, has unveiled yet another interesting detail about the lives of these early North American inhabitants.
Spencer Pelton, the Wyoming State Archaeologist, along with researchers from the University of Wyoming and other institutions, discovered that these prehistoric people fashioned needles from the bones of various fur-bearing creatures, including foxes, hares or rabbits, and feline species like bobcats, mountain lions, lynx, and possibly even the extinct American cheetah. These needles likely served the purpose of creating clothing from the animals’ furs, helping the early foragers stay warm in a cool climate.
The findings have been published in the journal PLOS ONE, a leading, peer-reviewed, open-access scientific journal from the Public Library of Science.
“Our study is the first to pinpoint the species and probable materials Paleoindians used to craft eyed bone needles,” the researchers stated. “Our findings provide substantial evidence for the production of tailored garments using bone needles and furs from these animals, which likely facilitated the movement of modern humans into northern regions and eventually contributed to the colonization of the Americas.”
The LaPrele site, located in Converse County, features the remains of a young mammoth that was killed or scavenged, as well as a campsite that dates back to the time when the animal was butchered nearly 13,000 years ago. Among other discoveries made during the excavation, headed by UW Department of Anthropology Professor Todd Surovell, was a bead made from a hare’s bone, which is the oldest known bead in the Americas.
Researchers used zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry, or ZooMS, and Micro-CT scanning to identify the materials used in both the bone bead and the bone needles. They extracted collagen from the artifacts and analyzed the chemical composition of the bones.
The team studied 32 bone needle fragments collected from the LaPrele Mammoth site, comparing the peptides—short chains of amino acids—found in those artifacts with those from animals that lived during the Early Paleoindian era, a prehistoric time in North America spanning from 13,500 to 12,000 years ago.
The comparison revealed that the needles at the LaPrele site were made from the bones of red foxes, bobcats, mountain lions, lynx, or the American cheetah, as well as hares or rabbits. This analysis marks the first of its kind.
“Although bone needles are crucial for understanding the global dispersal of modern humans, archaeologists have never identified the materials used to create them, limiting insight into this significant cultural advancement,” the researchers noted.
Previous studies indicate that to withstand the cold in northern regions, humans likely developed tailored clothing with closely stitched seams to protect against the elements. While direct evidence of such garments is scarce, there is supporting evidence in the form of bone needles and the remnants of fur-bearing animals whose hides were likely utilized in garment making.
“Once equipped with such clothing, modern humans were able to venture into areas they previously avoided due to the risks of hypothermia or exposure-related death,” Pelton and his team explained.
How did the early inhabitants at the LaPrele site acquire these fur-bearing animals? Pelton and his colleagues suggest that trapping was often the method used, rather than hunting for food.
“Our findings remind us that foragers utilize animal products for a variety of uses beyond mere sustenance and that the presence of animal bones at an archaeological site does not necessarily indicate dietary habits,” the researchers concluded. “When considering similar evidence from other North American Paleoindian sites, our findings imply that early North American Paleoindians had direct access to fur-bearing predators potentially through trapping, marking some of the most detailed evidence yet found regarding Paleoindian clothing.”
