A morphometric approach to assessing late Paleoindian projectile point variability on the southern High Plains

Late Paleoindian typology on the southern High Plains has suffered from overlapping definitions and subjectivity in assigning individual projectile points to types. To address perceived projectile point variability in the region, assemblages from several localities on the southern High Plains are examined for statistical differences in shape. Digital photographs of projectile points are used to digitize point outlines. Landmark coordinate data then are used to delineate 10 interlandmark characters. Multivariate analysis of projectile points ftom eight assemblages reveals that the primary difference in point shape lies between long points with narrow bases and short points with wide bases. Analysis of characters by raw material type or source discerned no significant differences. Variation in point form represented by most of the assemblages, including the Plainview and Milnesand type assemblages, overlaps to a significant degree. The Lubbock Lake FA5-17 assemblage, consisting of long points with narrow bases, appears most distinct in terms of shape and raw material selection indicating the contemporaneity of different point forms and perhaps technological traditions in the region by approximately 10,000 years ago.