Spatial and Logistical Organization of Hide Production in Paleoindigenous North America

Hide working is an important but often underappreciated step in maintaining body temperature, especially during the Pleistocene. One prevailing assumption is that hides must be processed far from central activity areas because they are too unpleasant to be around or require too much space. Contrary to prevailing wisdom, ethnographic, ethnohistorical, and historical evidence reveals that hide working often occurs in and around central camp areas, rather than far from them. Even today, women continue to process animal skins near shelters and hearths, and sometimes inside shelters. The location of hide working appears to vary both with the stage of hide working and the scale of production. Once it is recognized that hide working does not have to be conducted far from camp centers, we can better understand the material residues of this activity and illuminate how people maintained body temperature during the Pleistocene.