6,500-Year-Old Hunting Kit Discovery in Texas Cave Offers Insights into Ancient Life

Archaeologists have unearthed a 6,500-year-old hunting kit in a cave within Texas' Big Bend National Park. The discovery, made in the San Esteban Rockshelter, includes a straight-flying boomerang, dart shaft fragments, stone-tipped dart shafts, hardwood shafts, and a partial atlatl, along with a folded pronghorn skin. The team from the Center for Big Bend Studies and the Odyssey Archaeological Research Fund at the University of Kansas carefully excavated the kit, revealing what some are calling the oldest such find in North America. According to Bryon Schroeder, director of the Center for Big Bend Studies, the assemblage suggests a hunter paused in the cave to repair gear. The artifacts' condition allows detailed reconstruction, providing insights into the technology and planning of early inhabitants. Experts suggest the cave served as a site for tool maintenance and potentially ritualistic activities. Devin Pettigrew, a weapons expert and assistant professor at CBBS, noted that they are missing the handle end of the atlatl but know enough to reconstruct it. The discovery includes human feces and a tanned pronghorn hide, offering a uniquely human context. The hide had spaced holes, suggesting it was tied to a frame for softening, a practice common among historic Plains groups. The find is expected to significantly impact archaeological research in North America.