Microblade technology, obsidian sourcing, and the Cody complex in early Holocene Alberta

Abstract

Despite being an ephemeral presence in Plains archaeological assemblages, the distribution and technical specificity of early Holocene (Denali complex) microblade technology makes it readily identifiable and comparable to similarly-aged Paleoindian projectile point occurrences. In this paper we review the co-occurrence of Denali and Cody complex materials in Alberta, in particular the obsidian and Knife River Flint (KRF) artifacts of these two early Holocene archaeological complexes, employing both lab-based (EDXRF) and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analyses. A strong pattern is revealed of southern (Wyoming, Idaho, North Dakota) obsidian sources being limited to southern Alberta microblade and Cody artifacts while northern obsidian sources in British Columbia are only attributed to artifact assemblages from northwestern Alberta and northern British Columbia. Northeastern British Columbia and most of Alberta were ice free at 11,000–10,000 cal BP, and Denali-related artifacts across the deglaciated corridor area indicate southward movement of this technology at a time when the region was also being more broadly and intensively utilized by people using Cody complex technology. We offer scenarios to explain Denali and Cody complexes’ archaeological co-occurrence, while recognizing technical issues in pXRF source identification.