Use Wear and Assemblage Composition: The Role of Endscrapers in Paleoindian Technological Organization

Historically, microwear studies have focused around resolving issues centered on tool form and function. However, microwear also offers the opportunity to investigate site level activities surrounding “soft” technology, particularly in situations where organic preservation is poor or absent. In addition, when combined with a holistic approach to assemblage composition, microwear can provide larger insights into the organization of technology and larger patterns of adaptation. In this paper I discuss the results of microwear analysis of over 300 endscrapers from six early Paleoindian sites spanning the Eastern Woodlands, the results of which illuminates our understanding of early Paleoindian adaptations across time, space, and gender.