Final answer:
As a Paleoindian, your subsistence base would have included hunting megafauna with tools like the Clovis point and atlatl, as well as gathering edible plants and small game as the megafauna began to decline.
Step-by-step explanation:
If you were a Paleoindian in the Americas, your subsistence base would have primarily consisted of hunting and gathering. As nomadic hunter-gatherers, you would frequently move to follow the big game of the Paleolithic era, such as mammoths, mastodons, and other megafauna. The tools of the trade included knapped stone tools, like scrapers and knives, and pivotal hunting technologies like the Clovis point for projectiles and the atlatl for propelling spears. The atlatl, in particular, was a significant innovation that allowed spears to be thrown with greater force and distance.
The dietary habits of Paleoindians also relied on gathering edible plants and other natural food sources available in the environment. This included fruits, nuts, berries, and roots. As the megafauna began to die out, Paleoindians adapted by incorporating more gathered food and hunting smaller animals into their diet, mirroring typical hunter-gatherer societies that rely heavily on plant-based nutrition.