The evolution of folsom fluting

Abstract

The emergence and evolution of the Folsom point is analyzed in light of cultural transmission and dual inheritance theories. While the Folsom point was an outstanding techno-functional solution to Late Pleistocene bison hunting of the Great Plains of North America, archaeological data indicate that fluting was an unnecessary high-risk activity that served as much a socio-cultural role as a technofunctional one. In dual inheritance terms, the fluting of Folsom points likely gained a foothold as one piece of the "good hunter" model which was passed from elders to youths within specific cultural contexts. The demise of Folsom points during the early Holocene likely was instigated by a transformation of social image, from fluting as an indicator trait of success, to fluting as a measure of increased risk and waste in the face of challenging subsistence realms.