Projectile point · Paleoindian
Windust
10000–7500 BCE, Western Stemmed Tradition
Windust was defined by Rice in 1972 from the Windust Caves on the lower Snake River in Washington and names the earliest well-documented phase on the Columbia Plateau, also seen at Marmes Rockshelter. It belongs to the Western Stemmed tradition that runs parallel to Clovis and Folsom farther east. Points are on local cryptocrystalline silica, basalt and obsidian.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 10000–7500 BCE |
| Period | Paleoindian |
| Cultures | Western Stemmed Tradition |
| Regions | North America — Great Basin & Plateau, North America — Pacific Coast |
Diagnostic traits
Shouldered point with a short to medium straight or slightly contracting stem, a straight to slightly concave base, ground stem edges and a thick blade with coarse collateral flaking.
Identification
Windust has clearer shoulders and a shorter stem than Lake Mojave, and a squarer base than Silver Lake. Cascade is a leaf-shaped bipoint with no stem. Later Plateau stemmed points are thinner and unground.
Reproductions and fakes
Rarely reproduced by name; genuine points show stem grinding and, on basalt, a weathered brown rind over the grey stone.
Elsewhere
- Wikidata: Q138717811
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Windust" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/windust. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-windust,
title = {Windust},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/windust}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, wikidata. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.