Theses and Dissertations Collection

Cobble tools, including modified stone net sinkers, though abundant in the archaeological record, are understudied and underrepresented in the archaeological literature. Net sinkers are used to weight nets, lines, and traps. Each modified type of net sinker is found in the Columbia Plateau culture area, where evidence of fishing dates as far back as 10,000 BP. Unlike many other fishing tools, net sinkers can point to an intensification of this subsistence practice resulting in the acquisition of larger quantities of fish. While fishing was not the only form of traditional subsistence, it was significant to the diets of the Native inhabitants of the Columbia Plateau and increased over time and across space. Stone fishing technology is also key to recognizing riverine resource procurement since other fishing tools are often made from organic materials and do not survive in the archaeological record. Because notched net sinkers are the most common type found in the Columbia Plateau, this thesis employs analytical research to determine how frequent net sinkers occur across time and space in the southern Plateau. Finally, experimental processes are utilized to determine probable methods for notched net sinker manufacture.