Project to Repair Ancient Indian Site Is Topic at Statewide Archaeology Conference
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2001
Kathleen McPartland
530-898-4260
Project to Repair Ancient Indian Site Is Topic at Statewide Archaeology Conference
Native Americans and students restoring a major Patwin village site occupied in the 1800s is one of many topics planned for a conference which will take place at California State University, Chico on Saturday, Nov. 3.The Archaeological Research Program and the Department of Anthropology, CSU, Chico will host the Northern California Data-Sharing Meeting of the Society for California Archaeology.
One paper to be presented is a report on an unusual collaboration among the Bureau of Land Management, Patwin tribes and the Archaeological Research Program at CSU, Chico. The joint project includes students enrolled in a fall 2001 anthropology class in field excavation, working alongside Patwin tribal representatives to restore and stabilize a badly looted site.
The site, known to be the location of “Tebti,” a Patwin village located in Cache Creek Canyon in western Colusa County, is protected by the Archaeological Resource Protection Act, which imposes fines and jail sentences on looters on federal land. Looters used shovels to dig a large hole that disturbed human remains and artifacts of spiritual significance to the tribe.
The project matched law enforcement efforts to catch the looters with a salvage excavation conducted by the students and tribal members. The human remains and associated materials will be returned to the tribe for reburial following the professional examination requested by the tribe.
Other papers to be presented at the conference include an overview of the archaeological traces of historical railroad logging in what is now Yosemite National Park and archaeological finds on the former Bay Shore mud exposed during construction of the new Gap building on the Market district landfill in San Francisco.
The Society for California Archaeology is made up of more than 1,000 professional archaeologists, historians, cultural resource specialists, and people who enjoy archaeology as an avocation. The data-sharing meeting is an annual statewide event, with northern and southern sessions on consecutive weekends. The format of the meeting allows professionals, academicians and students to present papers and seek comments on current field and laboratory studies dealing with the prehistory and history of the North State. The audience consists of researchers, resource professionals and students from institutions throughout northern and central California.
Information tables will be available for those seeking volunteer opportunities or interested in joining the Society for California Archaeology. Interested archaeologists of all persuasions can learn more about the society on its Web site: http://www.scanet.org.
The daylong meeting will be held from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. in Ayers 120 on the CSU, Chico campus. For more information, call Greg White, director, Archaeological Research Program, at 530-898-4360 or e-mail him at gwhite@csuchico.edu.
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