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Pictures courtesy of Paleo Enterprises
The Late Archaic stemmed points, as Ripley Bullen suggested for the Westo point, are a holdover form of the Middle Archaic stemmed family.
These points are medium-sized points measuring between two and 3 inches in length. The blade may be moderately wide, retaining some of the Middle Archaic structure, but more often are weak, resembling a Marion or Putnam in construction. The tang is almost always narrow and tapering to a rounded basal edge, losing much of their resemblance to the Middle Archaic types.
Points of the pre-ceramic Late Archaic period seem to retain all or at least most of the characteristics of the Middle Archaic types. The form does not seem to change until the onset of the development of fiber-tempered ceramics. Upland areas seem to retain the classic Middle Archaic forms longer than coastal areas without regard to the material used. This may be a reflection of a shift in subsistence from an upland reliance on terrestrial animals to a shellfish gathering reliance. While a poorly made Putnam or Marion of the Middle Archaic or pre-ceramic Late Archaic periods may resemble this type, the presence of fiber tempered ceramics would play a key part and correct identification. Some examples of Late Archaic Stemmed points were recovered in association with Orange Incised ceramics from a site located at the northern end of Lake George in Putnam County, Florida.
The Late Archaic stemmed point seems to have been widely used along the coastal areas of North Florida and the Northwest Coast. This may not be a shared technology among Late Archaic people as much as the effects of a shift in subsistence.
