PROTEIN RESIDUE ANALYSIS OF A CLOVIS POINT FROM THE JAKE BLUFF SITE, 34HP60, HARPER COUNTY, OKLAHOMA

A protein extract wash from a single Clovis point was submitted for protein residue
analysis from the Jake Bluff Site in northwestern Oklahoma. The point was recovered from the
gully floor, amidst bison bone (Bison antiquus). A radiocarbon date of 10,750 BP suggests that
this site post-dates mammoth extinction in the area and may represent a late-Clovis adaptation
to bison hunting. Previous protein residue analysis of points from the Jake Bluff Site have been
undertaken by PRI, including two Clovis points that tested positive to bison antiserum
(Puseman 2003). However, soil controls associated with these two Clovis points also tested
positive to bison antiserum. As a result, transfer of protein residues from soil saturated with
bison remains to these two Clovis points cannot be ruled out. Although Clovis people are
commonly described as mammoth-hunting specialists, a growing body of evidence suggests
that they utilized a wide variety of animals. As it is our standard protocol, the single Clovis point
submitted for this current analysis was tested against a suite of animal antisera to better
understand its utilization.