Channel Island Amol Points: A Stemmed Paleocoastal Type from Santarosae Island, Alta California

Abstract

Channel Island Amol (CIA) points, a rare Paleocoastal point type found at several terminal Pleistocene sites on San Miguel and Santa Rosa islands, are generally small, leaf-shaped, and very thin, with a relatively long stem, subtle shoulders, and blade margins that are usually serrated or spurred. So far, they have been identified at just four known sites, each of which contains a terminal Pleistocene component. A few specimens from San Miguel and Santa Rosa islands also appear to exist in museum collections made by antiquarians or early archaeologists. At Cardwell Bluffs on San Miguel, Amol points are found with crescents and stemmed Channel Island Barbed (CIB) points, diagnostic artifacts that appear to have been used between about 12,000 and 8,000 years ago. The available data suggest that CIA points may be earlier than CIB points, including the only specimen found in situ that came from a shell midden dated to about 12,000 cal BP. Given the lack of large land mammals on the Northern Channel Islands after about 13,000 years ago, Amol points were probably used for maritime hunting or fishing.