Alpine Hunting and Selective Transportation of Bighorn Sheep in the White Mountains, California

In the White Mountains of California, a shift in the use of the alpine zone from logistical (Previllage) to residential (Village) occupation circa 1,350 B.P. is evident in the appearance of structures, dense midden sites, and an increase in diet breadth. This change in settlement-subsistence should also be apparent in the representation of skeletal parts of artiodactyls exploited in the alpine zone. Since central-place foragers minimize the costs of transporting large game by increasing field processing in order to reduce transport weight, the logistical use of the alpine zone should be marked by high levels of selective transportation of artiodactyl body parts, while minimal selective transportation to alpine residential bases is expected after c. 1,350 B.P. These predictions are tested through a comprehensive analysis of the skeletal part representation and taphonomy of the faunal assemblages from a suite of White Mountains archaeological sites. Differences in skeletal part representation between Previllage and Village assemblages generally reinforce expectations derived from the central-place foraging model, with some important deviations worth further investigation.