Fishtail projectile point
Fishtail points, also known as Fell points, are a style of Paleoindian projectile point widespread across much of South America at the end of the Late Pleistocene, around 13-12,000 years ago. They are thought to have been multifunctional, serving as cutting tools, as well as hafted to spears to use as hunting weapons, possibly in combination with spear throwers. Fishtail points have been found in association with extinct Pleistocene megafauna, such as the equine Hippidion, and it has been argued that hunting using these points may have been a factor in their extinction.
Chronology and origin
Their chronological timing is disputed. Some authors favour a short chronology spanning 12,800–12,200 years Before Present, while others favour a long chronology spanning 13,500–10,200 years BP. It is the earliest widespread lithic style in South America, being contemporaneous in its earlier stages to the use of Clovis points in North America. Fishtail points may be derived from Clovis points, or possibly from Fishtail-like points found on the Gulf Coast of North America and in Central America.Description, use and association with other tools
The name "Fishtail point" derives from their fish-like shape, with broad shoulders, indented stems and flared bases, while the name "Fell point" originally given by Junius Bird derives from Cueva Fell in southern Patagonia, where the first points were found. They are typically bifacially thinned, though some unifacial Fishtail points are known. The points were manufactured from blanks with a combination of percussive flaking and pressure flaking. In comparison to Clovis points, Fishtail points are often but not always fluted.In Uruguay, Fishtail points were most often manufactured from silcrete, with other source rocks including chert jasper quartzite opal and quartz, while in the Tandilia Range of the Argentine Pampas, local quartzite was preferred.
Fishtail points varied significantly in size and form, and many were likely hafted to spears, which were possibly used in combination with spear throwers, though some are suggested to have served other purposes, like as knives or as cutting tools, and the same point may have been used for multiple functions. Following being damaged, the points were often later recycled into burins or cutting tools, or less often scrapers or other lithic types, sometimes in combination on the same artefact. Other lithic tools utilized by Fishtail producing peoples include blades.
Distribution
Fishtail points have the highest find frequency in the open regions of the Pampas and Patagonia, but are also found with some frequency in the Andes, extending as far north as Ecuador. While Brazilian finds are most common in Southern Brazil, some finds are also known from central, northern and northeastern Brazil, including in the states of Mato Grosso, Goiás, Amazonas and Bahia. Finds in Patagonia extend to the farthest south of the region, including Tierra del Fuego.Like the Clovis culture, the people who produced Fishtail points were willing to transport rocks and stone tools hundreds of kilometers away from the original outcrop, in one case, which may have been the result of exchanges between different groups.