Sample Bias in the Distribution and Abundance of Midwestern Fluted Bifaces

Abstract

Maps of fluted-biface distributions are a common subject of archaeological interpretation. Often we regard patterns on such maps solely as the product of Paleoindian land use and population distribution. But maps are drawn from samples of fluted bifaces, samples that are subject to bias. I use Anderson and Faught's (2000a) database to interpret fluted-biface counts by county in seven midwestern states. In complex but significant ways, modern population distribution and number of recorded sites of all periods correlate with fluted-biface count, but cultivated acreage does not. Observed distributions are not only the result of how many Paleoindians lived or traveled where but also of how many people might seek or have sought fluted bifaces.

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