Society for California Archaeology NEWSLETTER Volume 25 Number 1 January 1991
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Society for California Archaeology NEWSLETTER Volume 25 Number 1 January 1991 New Finds On The Mendocino County Coast By Greg White, Department of Anthropology, University of Californi a, Davis Introduction 1988, 1989). California's north coast received sporadic archaeo logical attention through the 1970s. since then it has MacKerricher findings were generally consistent With been studied extensively under the auspices of sever the north coast regional pattern. stressing terrestrial al multi-year investigations. The present study of resources of the land-sea interface (e.g., tan oak MacKerricher State Park, a 13 km strip of coastline acorn, black-tailed deer. Roosevelt elk, and salmon). north of Fort Bragg. in north-central Mendocino The data were examined in reference to a foraging County. provides a geographic link between investi model of hunter-gatherer coastal exploitation: tim gations in the King Range in southern Humboldt ing and intensity of coastal use covaried with region County (Hildebrandt 1981: Levulett 1985: Levulett al population and resource availability. This theory and Hildebrandt 1987). Albion in southern Mendoci suggests that foragers ranked habitats from low to no County (Layton et al. 1990). and Fort Ross in high in terms of relative productivity and use of a northern Sonoma County (Lightfoot 1990). specific habitat depended on the·availability of other higher ranked h abitats. Although coastlines may in The MacKerricher work was conducted under permit clude both high and low ranking locales, MacKer and partial funding from the California Department richer's open coast. flanked by a mixed conifer of Parks and Recreation (DPR), Cultural Heritage Re broadleaf forest upland, should have ranked low. On source Protection Division. FolloWing J. Schulz's a regional level it has been proposed on one hand 1( 1985) assessment, work focused on damaged depos that coasts were generally less productive than inter- ' its, as well as those threatened by dune and bluff iors (Osborn 1977), while on the other hand others erosion. Ten coastal sites were excavated while un have concluded that coasts were ranked on a par der contract with DPR in 1988 and by the U. C. Da- With or better than most interiors (Yesner 1980). Oc vis fieldschool in 1989. A total of over 220m3 was cupational pulses at MacKerricher, then, may have been linked to population-resou rce instability in the excavated during the studies. Excavation revealed single-component and multi-component deposits interior. Evidence of increased population density with good stratigraphic resolution, deposits with through time in the interior districts should translate into an increase in the intensity of occupation substantial faunal and floral assemblages as well as through time on the artifacts and features -------coast. As described be- associated with older low, certain parts of this components. Shellfish model are supported by comprised the numeri the MacKerricher evi cally dominant constitu - dence. ent in all tested sites. Species typical of open. Chronology rocky coast in mid to A total of fourteen com high intertidal zones - ponents were defined at occurred in all compo the ten excavated sites. nents. The frequency ofi shellfish increased Eleven C 14 dates were through time in relation obtained on material to mammals. and age/ from nine components. size and species diversi The five remaining com ty varied in relation to ponents were assigned intensity of shellfish ex tt age ranges based on ploitation. Detailed convincing artifact discussion of these re- mains is available in (Continued on page 16) previous reports (White,-'-"--------------------~-....1 Figure 1: Excelsior projectile points. ( President's Message ) SCA Executive Board 1990-91 In the last Newsletter I reviewed the status of President - Sonia Tamez the Office of Historic Preservation (OHP). A num 6012 Chabolyn Terrace ber of important programs, including the Histori Oakland, CA 94618-1916 cal Landmark and Point of Historical Interest w: (415) 705-2554 programs were in jeopardy. I want to bring you up to date. President-Elect - James H. Cleland Dames & Moore Marvin Brienes, an historian currently employed 9665 Chesapeake Drive, #360 by the Department of Parks and Recreation, is San Diego, CA 92123 now assigned to OHP through June 30, 1991. w: (619) 541-0833 He will administer the Landmarks and Points programs, among other activities. Immediate Past President - Jim Woodward California Department of Parks & Recreation More extensive budgetary and staffing problems P. 0. Box 942896 remain unresolved. OHP had developed a num Sacramento, CA 94296 ber of budgetary change proposals with little w: (916) 322-8570 success. The OHP 1991 Action Plan, adopted by Northern Vice-President - Greg Greenway the State Historical Resources Commission on 51 Glenshire Drive November 2, 1990, attempts to address these Chico, CA 95926 problems by prioritizing the office's work. The w: (916) 934-3316 Action Plan continues to rely on budget change orders. As mentioned before, SCA and other his Southern Vice-President - John Johnson toric preservation groups are pressing for legisla Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History tive action to provide more stable financial sup 2559 Puesta del Sol Road port; the Commission is examining alternatives Santa Barbara. CA 93105 for funding of OHP state programs at this time. w: (805) 682-4711 Please see Thad Van Bueren's column for more details on OHP programs. Secretary - Lynne E. Christenson 6818 Birchwood Street Assemblyman Richard Katz introduced AB12 on San Diego, CA 92120 December 3, 1990 to the California legislature. w: (619) 594-5527 The bill would make it state policy that all Native Treasurer - Christian Gerike American remains and associated artifacts shall Archaeological Services. Inc. be repatriated. Methods for repatriation are 8110 Lorraine Avenue, Suite 408 pending amendments to the bill. Stockton, CA 95210 w: (209) 4 7 4-312 1 On the federal front, I want to bring a major piece of legislation to your attention - P.L. 101- 601, the Native American Grave Protection and SCA Staff Repatriation Act. This act has received the sup port of groups and organizations such as the So ciety for American Archaeology and the Native SCA Business Office Manager - Susan Mershon American Rights Fund. You will be hearing more Membership Services, Elections. about this act in the future. Arcxhives. Publication Sales Department of Anthropology Speaking of federal lawmaking, I "will' be as- California State University signed to Washington, D.C. for the next 6 Fullerton, CA 92634 months. I've received a Congressional fellowship r (714) 773-3977 to work on federal legislation. During the course of my work, I'll frequently be commuting between Newsletter Editor - Valerie Levulett 231 K Street California and D.C. so don't hesitate to contact Davis. CA 95616 me at my local address: 6012 Chabolyn Terrace, (916) 757-2269 Oakland, CA 94618-1916. Please be alert for your ballot in January's . mall! SCA NEWSLETrER 25 ( 1) 2 January 1991 of California State Oifice of Historic Preservation News and Views From The Office (SHPO) 1991 Program Overview: Issues, Goals, Tasks. and Priorities. The overview summarizes Of broad trends, developments, issues, and concerns Historic Preservation that have a bearing on our federal program in the By Thad M. Van Bueren coming fiscal year. The allocation of resources by OHP Liaison the SHPO are based on the information presented in this publication. We would be pleased to consider With the deadline for this column looming so soon your comments on our program goals. Copies of the after our previous submission, I thought it might be 1991 Program Overview may be requested from OHP difficult to "dig up" enough news to warrant a col at P.O. Box 942896, Sacramento, CA 94296-0001. umn. Then I asked around the office! Now, the only question is where to begin. Responding to Condition 14 of our federal program audit by the National Park Service in May of this year, an internal committee consisting of Gene Ito In the first place, we are very pleased to welcome ar gawa, Bill Seidel, Jan Wooley, Shannon Rummel, chaeologis~ Leslie Hartzell to a position in our Project Review Umt. Leslie was hired in November, just be and I will analyze and propose changes in the way fore a state hiring freeze went into effect. While we manage our statewide historic resources and ar working to complete her dissertation at the Universi chaeological property inventories. At a minimum, we ty of California, Davis, Leslie will work three days a will consider 1) public accessibility of the inventory; week. By July 1991 she will begin a full-time as 2) conformance with the Secretary of the Interior's signment. For those unfamiliar with her back Standards for Identification: 3) conflict-of-interest; 4) ground, Leslie's doctoral research project focuses on conststency in recording historic archaeological re middle and late Holocene hunter-gatherer occupa sources: 5) integration of the archaeological and his tion in the Buena Vista Lake basin near Bakersfield. toric resource inventories; and 6) standardization of Her archaeological experience also includes work at Information Center operations. The results of an in several prehistoric sites in eastern California, as well dependent analysis of the system prepared in Sep as studies of China Camp State Park, Pio Pico Adobe tember by University of California, Riverside gradu State Historic Park, Old Town San Diego, and the ate student Tom Tang and the recommendations Stanford Mansion State Historic Park for the Califor offered several years ago by the California Heritage nia Department of Parks and Recreation. Data Management Advisory Committee will be fac tored into our analysis. Secondly, we would like to announce that Kathryn Gualtieri has agreed to continue her work as the I must apologize for announcing prematurely the re State Historic Preservation Officer pending appoint lease of our Guidelines for Archaeological Research .