The people of the western Great Basin did not depend on one resource or one season.

Archaeological evidence across the region shows flexible economies built around movement, timing, detailed environmental knowledge, and technologies suited to very different habitats.

Wetland resources could be as important as hunting.

Seeds and roots mattered.

Fish mattered.

Rabbits mattered.

Fiber technologies mattered.

That last point is especially important because popular images of ancient North American life often focus almost entirely on stone projectile points and big-game hunting.

Spirit Cave complicates that stereotype.

The burial preserved organic technologies that normally disappear: woven matting, clothing, fiber objects, and materials made from plants and animals.