Post by blackcrowheart on Oct 24, 2005 9:08:48 GMT -5
Old Maidu village revealed
By Daniel Witter/Appeal-Democrat
Dave Nielsen/Appeal-Democrat
Archeologist Christian Havelaar looks over a site in south Yuba County where an ancient Maidu village was discovered. The Native American site was identified in the 1960s, but archeologists didn’t excavate until May. The remains of six humans were found.
Standing on a natural terrace in south Yuba County, Ren Reynolds could reach out and touch 5,000 years of history on the ground - his history.
In a time long before the Acropolis in Athens was even an idea, Reynolds' ancestors were fishing and hunting in what is now Yuba County.
On Monday, Reynolds, a member of the Enterprise Rancheria, based near Oroville, examined what was a village his Maidu ancestors settled centuries ago.
Reynolds' touched the bones pulled from the earth and said he felt the presence of their spirits.
”It's a major find for our tribe,“ said Reynolds. ”These are our family remains, our ancestors.“
Archeologists uncovered the Native American site in the 1960s but didn't excavate until May.
They found stone tools, grinding rocks, bits of jewelry and the partial remains of six humans, according to Christian Havelaar, an archeologist with Jones and Stokes, a consulting firm that has age-dated the surrounding soils and tools.
”At one time, it was a rich village,“ Havelaar said.
Ren Reynolds of the Maidu tribe of Enterprise Rancheria talks about the site in Yuba County where Native American remains and artifacts have been discovered. One of the oldest items recovered at the site has been dated back to 5000 B.C.
Nothing remains of the village, however. He and fellow archeologist Shahira Ashkar said the area has been heavily disturbed by farming.
”We can't tell what the size is,“ said Ashkar, answering a question regarding how big the village might have been.
Reynolds said it wasn't uncommon for villages to have several hundred people. Those people roamed between the mountain, foothills and valley, depending on the season and the availability of food, he said.
”The tribe knew when it was time to move,“ he said.
Archeologists say the site was used 5,000 years ago, based on samples of obsidian, which can be age-dated.
Obsidian is form of volcanic rock that Native Americans used as tools because of its sharp edges. Obsidian was used to make chopping instruments, arrows and spearheads.
Some of the items found at the Yuba County site had to be hauled in from great distances, said Havelaar. Beads made of shells came from tribes along the coast who traded the items inland. The grinding rocks were not native to the valley floor and had to be hauled in from the hills, he said.
Archeologist also uncovered remains of animals they say villagers hunted.
The human bones were turned over to the Yuba County Sheriff's Department. They included partial jaws, ribs and femurs from people ranging in age from infants to adults, said Ashkar.
Clifford Angle, a tribal member, said the tribe would like the remains returned to the site and buried if possible, then have plants such as blackberries and poison oak planted on top of them to keep people out of the area.
The fate of the bones has not yet been determined.
Any would-be scavenger hunters most likely won't find anything because most of the recognizable remains were removed in May, he said.
Appeal-Democrat reporter Daniel Witter can be reached at 749-4712. You may e-mail him at dwitter@appeal-democrat.com.
By Daniel Witter/Appeal-Democrat
Dave Nielsen/Appeal-Democrat
Archeologist Christian Havelaar looks over a site in south Yuba County where an ancient Maidu village was discovered. The Native American site was identified in the 1960s, but archeologists didn’t excavate until May. The remains of six humans were found.
Standing on a natural terrace in south Yuba County, Ren Reynolds could reach out and touch 5,000 years of history on the ground - his history.
In a time long before the Acropolis in Athens was even an idea, Reynolds' ancestors were fishing and hunting in what is now Yuba County.
On Monday, Reynolds, a member of the Enterprise Rancheria, based near Oroville, examined what was a village his Maidu ancestors settled centuries ago.
Reynolds' touched the bones pulled from the earth and said he felt the presence of their spirits.
”It's a major find for our tribe,“ said Reynolds. ”These are our family remains, our ancestors.“
Archeologists uncovered the Native American site in the 1960s but didn't excavate until May.
They found stone tools, grinding rocks, bits of jewelry and the partial remains of six humans, according to Christian Havelaar, an archeologist with Jones and Stokes, a consulting firm that has age-dated the surrounding soils and tools.
”At one time, it was a rich village,“ Havelaar said.
Ren Reynolds of the Maidu tribe of Enterprise Rancheria talks about the site in Yuba County where Native American remains and artifacts have been discovered. One of the oldest items recovered at the site has been dated back to 5000 B.C.
Nothing remains of the village, however. He and fellow archeologist Shahira Ashkar said the area has been heavily disturbed by farming.
”We can't tell what the size is,“ said Ashkar, answering a question regarding how big the village might have been.
Reynolds said it wasn't uncommon for villages to have several hundred people. Those people roamed between the mountain, foothills and valley, depending on the season and the availability of food, he said.
”The tribe knew when it was time to move,“ he said.
Archeologists say the site was used 5,000 years ago, based on samples of obsidian, which can be age-dated.
Obsidian is form of volcanic rock that Native Americans used as tools because of its sharp edges. Obsidian was used to make chopping instruments, arrows and spearheads.
Some of the items found at the Yuba County site had to be hauled in from great distances, said Havelaar. Beads made of shells came from tribes along the coast who traded the items inland. The grinding rocks were not native to the valley floor and had to be hauled in from the hills, he said.
Archeologist also uncovered remains of animals they say villagers hunted.
The human bones were turned over to the Yuba County Sheriff's Department. They included partial jaws, ribs and femurs from people ranging in age from infants to adults, said Ashkar.
Clifford Angle, a tribal member, said the tribe would like the remains returned to the site and buried if possible, then have plants such as blackberries and poison oak planted on top of them to keep people out of the area.
The fate of the bones has not yet been determined.
Any would-be scavenger hunters most likely won't find anything because most of the recognizable remains were removed in May, he said.
Appeal-Democrat reporter Daniel Witter can be reached at 749-4712. You may e-mail him at dwitter@appeal-democrat.com.