 Map of the Great Plains region | |
| Geographical range | Great Plains |
|---|---|
| Period | Archaic |
| Dates | 9000 – 6000 BCE |
| Preceded by | Paleo-Indians |
| Followed by | Old Copper Complex |
ThePlano cultures is a name given byarchaeologists to a group of disparatehunter-gatherer communities that occupied theGreat Plains area ofNorth America during thePaleo-Indian orArchaic period.
The Plano cultures are characterised by a range of unflutedprojectile point tools collectively calledPlano points and like theFolsom people generally huntedBison antiquus, but made even greater use of techniques to force stampedes off of a cliff or into a constructed corral. Their diets also includedpronghorn,elk,deer,raccoon, andcoyote. To better manage their food supply, they preserved meat in berries and animal fat and stored it in containers made of hides.[1][2][3]
The Plano cultures existed in the North American Arctic during thePaleo-Indian orArchaic period between9000 BCE and6000 BCE. The Plano cultures originated in the plains, but extended far beyond, from the Atlantic coast to modern-day British Columbia and as far north as the Northwest Territories.[4][5] "Early Plano culture occurs south of theNorth Saskatchewan River in Saskatchewan and in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains north to thePeace River Valley of Alberta and adjacent British Columbia. At this time, most of Manitoba was still covered byGlacial Lake Agassiz and associated glacial ice."[4]
Bison herds were attracted to the grasslands and parklands in the western region. Around 9,000 B.P. as retreating glaciers created newly released lake regions, the expansion of plant and animal communities expanded north and east, and thebarren ground caribou in the tundra,boreal woodland caribou in the boreal forests and plains, and mountain caribou replacedbison as the major prey animal.[4]
In the Great Plains, the following are Plano cultures from 10,000 to 7,000 years ago, distinguished by long,lanceolate projectile points:[6]