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MAMMOTH BONE
BUTCHERING TOOLS
LANGE FERGUSON SITE
11,080 C-14 YEARS AGO
EST. 12,000 CALIBRATED YEARS AGO
WHITE RIVER BADLANDS OF SOUTH DAKOTA
PAGE 1 OF 1 PAGES
COPYRIGHT OCTOBER 31, 2012 PETER A. BOSTROM
Human-modified bones from the Lange Ferguson site.
FRACTURED MAMMOTH BONES
LANGE FERGUSON SITE

Abstract image of mammoth and chopper/cleaver.

ABSTRACT
MAMMOTH BONE BUTCHERING TOOLS
LANGE FERGUSON SITE
EST. 12,000 CALIBRATED YEARS AGO
SOUTH DAKOTA

    This article illustrates and describes several examples of mammoth bone cores, flakes and chopper / cleavers from the Lange Ferguson site in South Dakota. Some of the bones were modified with bifacial flaking and flakes that were struck from prepared cores. The bone tools are believed to have been used during the butchering process of two mammoths. Three Clovis points and one flake tool were also recovered from the excavation.

    "The only known Clovis-era site with Clovis type fluted points together with broken mammoth limb-bones is Lange Ferguson."--------2002, Gary Haynes, "The Early Settlement Of North America," p. 138.
    "Lange Ferguson provides new evidence, expanding our knowledge of Clovis disarticulation and dismemberment strategies, through the recovery of heavy cleaving tools and flakes produced on portions of mammoth scapulae and long bone shaft elements in direct association with an event of mammoth butchering."
--------1989, L. Adrien Hannus, "Flaked Mammoth Bone From The Lange Ferguson Site White River Badlands Area, South Dakota," Bone Modification, p. 395.
    
"The three hypotheses (explaining the presence of fractured limb bone and the bone flakes at mammoth sites) are (1) large late Pleistocene carnivores caused the fractured limb bones; (2) mammoth trampling fractured the limb bones; and (3) humans wielding tools fractured the limb bones."----2005, Steven R. Holen, "Taphonomy Of Two Last Glacial Maximum Mammoth Sites In The Central Great Plains Of North America: A Preliminary Report On La Sena And Lovewell," p. 36.
    "Both animals (
mammoths on the Lange Ferguson site) were butchered with bone tools that were fashioned from mammoth bone elements during the butchering process."---------1990, L. Adrien Hannus, "The Lange Ferguson Site: A Case For Mammoth Bone-Butchering Tools," Megafauna & Man, Scientific Papers, Vol. 1, p. 98.
    "Lange Ferguson is one of less than thirty North American localities where Clovis period human association with mammoths is documented."
------1990, L. Adrien Hannus, "The Lange Ferguson Site: A Case For Mammoth Bone-Butchering Tools," Megafauna & Man, Scientific Papers, Vol. 1, p. 98.
    "Dynamic loading points several centimeters in diameter and bone flakes with bulbs of percussion and other features caused by percussion are not documented from prehuman North American proboscidean sites"
----2005, Steven R. Holen, "Taphonomy Of Two Last Glacial Maximum Mammoth Sites In The Central Great Plains Of North America: A Preliminary Report On La Sena And Lovewell," p. 41.

Chopper cleavers from the Lange Ferguson site.
 
MAMMOTH BONE
BUTCHERING TOOLS
LANGE FERGUSON SITE
EST. 12,000 CALIBRATED YEARS AGO
SOUTH DAKOTA

    The earliest recorded use of bone tools in North America is credited to the oldest recognized culture in North America, the Clovis culture. Mammoth bone tools have been found on several kill sites and cache sites in the western U.S. Some of these tools are well crafted, like the bone wrench from the Murray Springs site,  and were intended for long term use. Other tools, like the examples illustrated in this report, are crude in comparison and are sometimes referred to as tools of expediency. The Clovis hunters, who either scavenged or killed the mammoths on the Lange Ferguson site, left behind some of the best examples of these types of tools.


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FRACTURED MAMMOTH BONES
LANGE FERGUSON SITE
SOUTH DAKOTA

    This picture shows some of the fractured mammoth bones and stone artifacts that were found on the Lange Ferguson site. Some of these fractured bones, like the two chopper/cleavers at top and lower center are believed to have been used in the butchering process of two mammoths. Both of these chopper/cleavers were made from the flat bone area from the same right scapula of an adult mammoth. Both cleavers are described as having some bifacial flaking. The edge of the longer cleaver was bifacially flaked to form a sinuous edge. The longest cleaver measures 17 15/16 inches (45.5 cm) long and weighs 7.28 pounds (3,302.7). The heaviest cleaver at top center measures 13 3/16 inches (33.5 cm) long and weighs 13.4 pounds (6,088 grams).
   The core at right edge center edge, with the long flake laying against it, is one of five bone cores that were identified from the site. This is no. 81-304 and it's one of the best examples that shows evidence of platform preparation prior to the removal of the large flake.
    There were a total of four stone artifacts found on the Lange Ferguson site. They are located on the large flat bone at lower right. Two complete and one broken base of another Clovis point was found within the excavation area. The fluted points were laying on the bank of an ancient pond. The flake is made of semi-translucent brown chalcedony. It was found in direct association with the mammoth bones in the central bone bed concentration. It's believed that the flake was removed from a biface.

    The Lange Ferguson site is one of the best preserved Clovis kill sites ever discovered. The bones in the bone bed were almost perfectly preserved, which is an indication the site was quickly buried by slow moving sediments. None of the bones show any evidence of surface weathering, rodent or carnivore gnawing or carbonate leaching. The bones were also articulated in anatomical positions.


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EXCAVATION OF MAMMOTH BONES
MAIN BONE CONCENTRATION AREA
LANGE FERGUSON SITE
SOUTH DAKOTA

    This picture was taken in 1980. It shows the main bone concentration area on the Lange Ferguson mammoth kill and butchering site. The bones of two mammoths, one adult and one juvenile, were found in the excavation.  The site is located in the White River Badlands of South Dakota. Clovis kill sites, although rare have been found across the united States. Most of these sites are reported from west of the Mississippi River.

     Humans have been using bone as a raw material for well over a million years. Its toughness, hardness and color are its most desirable qualities. The earliest recorded use of bone has been documented on sites in South Africa where slivers of bone were once used to dig into termite mounds. Modern Homo sapiens sapiens has been using bone tools for tens of thousands of years to make everything from musical instruments and objects of ceremony to all things utilitarian, for digging, piercing, scraping, grooming, ornamenting, gaming  and containing.


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EXCAVATION OF MAMMOTH BONES
MAIN BONE CONCENTRATION AREA
LANGE FERGUSON SITE
SOUTH DAKOTA

    This picture was taken in 1981 and it shows three excavators working in the main bone bed area on the Lange Ferguson site. The excavation of this site began in 1980 and continued into 1984. Bone beds are the most difficult to excavate. One problem is the organic bone material begins to deteriorate when exposed to the air. The bones require special chemical treatment to preserve them. The larger specimens are encased in plaster jackets. They also need special handling for transport to a storage facility.

    Some of the more refined types of Clovis bone tools were made to last and their craftsmanship is impressive. These would include the famous and enigmatic bone rods from sites like Anzick and East Wenatchee and artifacts like the bone wrench from the Murray Springs site. Other types of Clovis bone tools are more crude in appearance and were quickly made for a project at hand. Examples of these types of tools were found on the Lange Ferguson site and they are described as chopper/cleavers and flakes that were used during the butchering process of two mammoths.


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FLAKE CUTTING TOOL

MAMMOTH BONE
BONE FLAKE NO. 81-81
LANGE FERGUSON SITE
SOUTH DAKOTA

    This bone flake is the best evidence of a mammoth bone tool that was found on the Lange Ferguson site. It was used in the butchering process of at least one of the Lange Ferguson mammoths.  It's described as a flake cutting tool. This tool was made from the diaphyseal (midsection) segment of a mammoth long bone. What makes it important is the fact that it was found tightly wedged, in a vertical position, into the cartilage area of the thoracic vertebra where it's believed it was being used to cut through connecting tissues. SEM (scanning electron microscope) analysis of the edge indicates that it was dulled from cutting activities.

    The Lange Ferguson mammoth kill site is located in South Dakota. The site is most famous for the stone tools and for the human-modified bone artifacts that were found with the bones of two mammoths. Some of the fractured bone is believed to show evidence of manufacturing technology rather than accidental bone breakage caused by nature. The excavation of the Lange Ferguson site produced several examples of fractured bones in the form of cores, flakes and large pieces that seem to be technologically altered by platform preparation and bifacial flaking.


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MAMMOTH BONE CHOPPER / CLEAVER
CLEAVER NO. 81-22
LANGE FERGUSON SITE

SOUTH DAKOTA

     This is the heavier and shorter of the two large chopper/cleavers that were discovered on the Lange Ferguson site. Both of the cleavers were made from the flat bone area from the same right scapula of an adult mammoth. They provide some of the best evidence of human-modified bone from the site. SEM (scanning electron microscope) examination of the working edge surface of this cleaver (no. 81-22) shows overlapping hinge fractures at the end of flake scars and crushing. Both cleavers and two other scapula fragments were articulated in such a way that it was possible to reconstruct their reduction (manufacturing) process.  Edge wear and flake removal patterns indicate the two cleavers were probably used in the butchering process of the two mammoths. This cleaver measures 13 3/16 inches (33.5 cm) long and weighs 13.4 pounds (6,088 grams).

   There is some disagreement among archaeologists concerning bone-tool identification. Identifying a bone that was broken by natural forces can be easily confused with a bone that was human-modified. Two of the ways a bone can be broken naturally is by carnivore gnawing and by trampling. Hyenas and lions can break apart the limb bones of animals weighing over a ton (2204 kg). In fact, hyenas have been observed levering and pulling off large flakes of bone measuring 11 3/4 inches (30 cm) long and 3 7/8 inches (10 cm) wide from the limb bones of young elephants. Proper identification of human-modified bone artifacts depends heavily on good lab analysis. Key points of interest will be edge wear, flake removal patterns, refitting of any manufacturing debris, and artifact location.


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MAMMOTH BONE CHOPPER / CLEAVER
CLEAVER NO. 81-32
LANGE FERGUSON SITE
SOUTH DAKOTA

     This is the longest of the two cleavers that were discovered on the Lange Ferguson site. Both cleavers were made from the flat bone area from the same right scapula of an adult mammoth and they provide some of the best evidence of human-modified bone from the site. Both cleavers are described as having some bifacial flaking. A portion of the edge of this cleaver (no. 81-32) was bifacially flaked into a sinuous edge. Both of the cleavers and two other scapula fragments were articulated in such a way that it was possible to reconstruct their reduction (manufacturing) process. It's believed that this cleaver was used in the butchering process of the mammoths. It measures 17 15/16 inches (45.5 cm) long and weighs 7.28 pounds (3,302.7).

    Some of the Lange Ferguson mammoth bones have wear patterns that suggest they were used in chopping, cutting or wedging processes. A few of the bones also exhibit flake removal patterns that seem to indicate they were purposely shaped to produce a tool. Both of these observations plus the way in which some of the bones were articulated suggest that some bones were deliberately modified and used in the butchering process of the two mammoths.


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MAMMOTH BONE FLAKE
WITH BULB OF PERCUSSION
FLAKE NO. 81-303
LANGE FERGUSON SITE
SOUTH DAKOTA

     This bone flake has one of the best examples of a bulb of percussion. It was detached from a diaphyseal (midsection) segment of the mammoth's tibia. It appears that it was hit or struck fairly hard. It's described as having hackle marks or lines of force that radiate away from the bulb of percussion.

    The best evidence of a mammoth bone tool used in the butchering process of a mammoth is represented as specimen no. 81-81 and described as a flake cutting tool. The tool was made from the diaphyseal (midsection) segment of a mammoth long bone. It was found tightly wedged, in a vertical position, into the cartilage area of the thoracic vertebra where it's believed it was being used to cut connecting tissues. SEM (scanning electron microscope) analysis of the edge indicates that it was dulled from cutting activities.


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MAMMOTH BONE CORE & REFIT FLAKE
CORE NO. 81-304 & FLAKE NO. 81-154
LANGE FERGUSON SITE

SOUTH DAKOTA

    This picture shows two different views of one of the five bone cores that were identified on the Lange Ferguson site. This is one of the best examples of a bone core that was found on the site. Both the core and a large refit flake were recovered. This core shows evidence of platform preparation prior to the longitudinal removal of the large flake. The bone core was struck from the end to remove this flake. This core measures 10 1/4 inches (26.1 cm) long and weighs 3.3 pounds (1,452.9 grams).

    Two large chopper/cleavers were discovered on the Lange Ferguson site. Both were made from the flat bone area from the same right scapula of an adult mammoth. They provide some of the best evidence of human-modified bone from the site. SEM (scanning electron microscope) examination of the working edge surface of the heavier cleaver (no. 81-22) shows overlapping hinge fractures at the end of flake scars and crushing. Both cleavers are described as having some bifacial flaking. A portion of the edge of the lighter and longer cleaver (no. 81-32) was bifacially flaked into a sinuous edge. The cleavers and two other scapula fragments were articulated in such a way that it was possible to reconstruct their reduction (manufacturing) process. Both of these tools have been determined to have been used in the butchering process of the mammoths.


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MAMMOTH BONE FLAKE
FLAKE NO. 81-154
LANGE FERGUSON SITE
SOUTH DAKOTA

     This bone flake was removed from a segment of mammoth bone tibia. It's believed to have been deliberately removed or struck from a mammoth bone core that shows evidence of platform preparation. This flake was removed longitudinal from the end of the core. It measures approximately 6 7/8 inches (17.1 cm) long and 3 1/8 inches (8 cm) wide.

    Five bone cores were identified on the Lange Ferguson site. One of the best examples (no. 81-304) shows evidence of platform preparation prior to the removal of a large flake (no. 81-154). Both the core and refit flake were recovered. The flake was removed longitudinally.


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MAMMOTH BONE CORE
CORE NO. 81-158
LANGE FERGUSON SITE

SOUTH DAKOTA

    This picture shows one of the five identified mammoth bone cores that were found on the Lange Ferguson site. It is a diaphyseal (midsection) fragment of a mammoth long bone. This core is described as having negative scars on both surfaces with four negative scars on the distal surface parallel to the longitudinal axis. One side has a remnant portion of a bulb of percussion and lines of force. This bone core measures 4 1/16 inches (10.4 cm) long and it weighs 1/3 of a pound (145 grams).

    One of the best examples of a bulb of percussion can be seen on bone flake number 81-303. This flake was detached from a diaphyseal (midsection) segment of the mammoth's tibia. It appears that it was hit or struck fairly hard. There are also hackle marks or lines of force that radiate away from the bulb of percussion.


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MIDSECTION MAMMOTH BONE FRAGMENT
BONE NO. 81-75
LANGE FERGUSON SITE

SOUTH DAKOTA

     This bone is a portion of a diaphyseal (midsection) of a mammoth long bone. Its main feature of interest is the wear-fracturing on one end (proximal end). Both edges of one end was altered by heavy pressure or "points of loading" that fractured away much of the bone. This bone measures 8 7/8 inches (22.5 cm) long and weighs 1.33 pounds (606.7 grams).

    There were a total of four stone artifacts found on the Lange Ferguson site. Two complete fluted Clovis points and the broken base of another were found within the excavation area. The fluted points were laying on the bank of an ancient pond. A single flake made of semi-translucent brown chalcedony was also found in direct association with the mammoth bones in the central bone bed concentration. It's believed that the flake was removed from a biface.


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CLOVIS POINTS AND FLAKE
LANGE FERGUSON SITE
SOUTH DAKOTA

    This picture shows all four of the stone artifacts that were found during the excavation of the Lange Ferguson site. The two complete fluted Clovis points and the broken base of another were found within the excavation area. The fluted points were laying on the bank of an ancient pond. The longest point is made of black opaque chert and measures 2 1/8 inches (54 mm) long. The flake, at right, is made of semi-translucent brown chalcedony and it was found in direct association with the mammoth bones in the central bone bed concentration. It's believed that the flake was removed from a biface.

    The Lange Ferguson mammoth kill site ranks as one of the most important Clovis sites ever discovered. The mammoth bone butchering tools that were found there, with "obvious" use wear and manufacturing technology, are extremely rare and almost unique in North America. Lange Ferguson provided an extraordinary look into the lives of an ancient nomadic culture who were taking advantage of a natural food resource just as hunters and fishermen still do today.

"REFERENCES"

1912, Hodge, Frederick Webb, "Bone-Work," Handbook Of American Indians North Of Mexico, Part 1.
1989
, Hannus, L. Adrien, "Flaked Mammoth Bone From The Lange Ferguson Site White River Badlands Area, South Dakota," Bone Modification,
1990
, Hannus, L. Adrien, "The Lange Ferguson Site: A Case For Mammoth Bone-Butchering Tools," Megafauna & Man, Scientific Papers, Vol. 1,
2001, Blackwell, Lucinda R., d'Errico, Francesco, "Evidence of termite foraging by Swartkrans early hominids," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, January 16, 2001.
2002
, Haynes, Gary, "The Early Settlement Of North America,"
2005
, Holen, Steven R., "Taphonomy Of Two Last Glacial Maximum Mammoth Sites In The Central Great Plains Of North America: A Preliminary Report On La Sena And Lovewell,"
Personal Communication with Adrien Hannus
, Archaeological Laboratory, Center For Western Studies Augustana College.

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