Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology

Learning a craft by trial and error leaves an identi able signature in the material record, one that crosscuts time periods, cultures, and crafts. Novice training is also strongly correlated with speci c non-material variables, including the makeup of the student-teacher population, the location, and the timing of novice training. Based on intrinsic characteristics, an assemblage of projectile points from the western Mojave Desert is attributed to novices learning to knap. Inferences are derived from this assemblage regarding resident site population, the likely season of site occupation, and therefore the likely site function. It is suggested that, no matter the speci c craft, identi cation of novice artisan training areas may provide a valuable clue to hunter-gatherer site demography, seasonality, and resource acquisition.