Hunter–gatherer mobility, storage, and houses in a marginal environment: an example from the mid-Holocene of Wyoming

Abstract

Important for considerations of hunter–gatherer mobility is delineating what the presence of house remains in the archaeological record from an environmentally marginal area represents in terms of mobility patterns—especially the duration of site occupation and the stability of these patterns from year to year. Some insights into the archaeological record concerning houses and mobility in a marginal environment can be obtained by investigating several lines of evidence: the design and substantialness of the represented structures; the density and diversity of the recovered remains; the distribution of the remains and whether refuse cleaning was practiced; the kinds, relative efficiency, and quantity of resources exploited; the presence or absence of long-term storage facilities; and the possibility of site reuse. The excavation of 41 pit structures or housepits at 21 sites in the Wyoming and Big Horn basins of Wyoming dating to the mid-Holocene provides an excellent opportunity to study hunter–gatherer mobility and houses in a marginal, low carrying capacity environment. The Wyoming housepits appear to represent short-term occupations of residentially mobile groups, who constructed these structures in anticipation of repeated visits and reuse over a period of years—exemplifying stable land use patterns.