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upland approach identified with the fluted points. <br />Foothill-Mountain Tradition <br />In recent years, the majority of artifacts recovered from sites and as isolated finds <br />dating to the Paleoindian Period in west central Colorado have been ones comparable to the <br />Foothill-Mountain complex, dating ca. 9500-7000 BC (Frison 1991:67-71, 75, 80). Sites <br />containing evidence of this complex in the RMPPA are 5ME13828, 5ME16351 and <br />5ME16669. The defining characteristics of the Foothill-Mountain complex derive largely <br />from deep, stratified rockshelters- evincing long periods of human habitation- in Wyoming <br />and Montana. The Foothill-Mountain construct is less well known in Colorado and many <br />unanswered research questions remain. Nonetheless, sufficient data exist supporting the <br />concept of a dichotomy in subsistence strategies between plains and foothill-mountain <br />ecosystems. <br />Frison differentiates the Foothill Mountain from the Late Paleoindian mainly by <br />evidence of differences in their subsistence strategies based on differences in their contact <br />environment and resource base: "The Foothill-Mountain construct is an ecological model <br />used to explain a complex of technology representative of a mode of subsistence specific to <br />the highlands of the central Rocky Mountains" (Frison 1992:323). This strategy is one <br />comparable to the later Archaic groups that would seasonally and annually shift their <br />subsistence foci and locations (ibid.:336-339). Open camps were established in moderately <br />high parks and montane zones during warmer months; protective settings such as caves and <br />rock shelters were sought in the foothills and transitional zone during colder months. Short <br />term occupations at high altitudes represent specialized logistical endeavors. <br />Foothill-Mountain groups relied heavily on small to medium-sized animals. For <br />example, Foothill-Mountain components in Mummy Cave (Wedel et al. 1968; McCracken <br />1971; Husted and Edgar 2002) contained faunal assemblages dominated by the remains of <br />mountain sheep, thus attesting to the existence of cultural groups with different subsistence <br />strategies than those living on the open plains and interior intermontane basins (Frison <br />1991:69). Bighorn sheep, pronghorn, deer, rabbits, rodents and reptiles constitute some of <br />the most common faunal resources at Foothill-Mountain sites. Foothill-Mountain groups <br />"...also relied heavily on plant resources, including seeds, berries, roots, leaves, and bulbs" <br />(Alan Reed et al. 2008). Ground stone provides additional evidence that floral resources <br />were consumed. <br /> Large communal endeavors such as communal kills are atypical of Foothill- <br />Mountain groups and, therefore, large numbers of diagnostic projectile points are also <br />absent. Known Foothill-Mountain projectile points display considerable regional variation <br />(Frison1992:329; Gilmore et al. 1999:80; Reed and Metcalf 1999:66). Stylistic/functional <br />attributes include lanceolate forms exhibiting parallel-oblique flaking, slightly concave and <br />ground bases as well as thick cross-sections and rough craftsmanship (Alan Reed et al. <br />2008:41). Pryor Stemmed and Lovell Constricted are well known points of Foothill- <br />Mountain groups. <br />17