Around the Fire: Small Animals and Paleoindian Camps with Dr. McKenna Litynski - Plains 46

In this episode of the Great Plains Archaeology Podcast, Carlton welcomes Dr. McKenna Litynski to discuss her recent article, “Anthropogenic Burning of Small Mammals at the Early Paleoindian La Prele Site in Converse County, Wyoming.” While Paleoindian archaeology often focuses on mammoths and other large game, this study demonstrates how tiny animal remains can provide equally important insights into the lives of the first peoples of North America. Dr. Litynski explains how archaeologists distinguish natural from human-created bone accumulations, what burned microfaunal remains reveal about activities around Paleoindian hearths, and why these small bones likely represent everyday camp behaviors rather than food waste. The conversation highlights how careful analysis of overlooked evidence is transforming our understanding of Paleoindian lifeways and the complexity of daily life at one of the Great Plains' most significant Early Paleoindian sites.

Article Citation:

Litynski, McKenna L., Todd A. Surovell, K. McCarty, C. Bothwell, T. R. Murdock, S. M. BenChaabane, D. N. Walker, P. H. Sanders, Spencer Pelton, Robert L. Kelly, Madeline E. Mackie, and Matthew O'Brien
2026 Anthropogenic Burning of Small Mammals at the Early Paleoindian La Prele Site in Converse County, Wyoming. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 73:105849.

Links

• Article Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X26002841
• Plains Anthropological Society Website
• Plains Anthropologist Online Journal Access
• The Archaeology of the North American Great Plains by Douglas B. Bamforth (2021)
• Archaeology on the Great Plains Edited by W. Raymond Wood (1998)
• Carlton's KU Anthropology Faculty Bio

Transcript

For rough transcripts of this episode go to https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/great-plains-archaeolo