Volume 032-4 - October 1978 (8 pages)

from a larger stone. This flake was usually removed by a blow from a hand held hammerstone. The flake was then thinned and shaped with the use of a section of deer antler. Flaking was a developed skill, requiring manual dexterity and patience. Well made points might be produced in less than twenty minn:<es. The debris from stone flaking activity litters the ground at prehistoric living and work areas. Flaked stone tool styles changed through time. Changes in material, size, and shape are the most obvious modifications which could occur. These changes are of importance to trained investigators, providing clues as to age and cultural affiliations. Whether broken and discarded or simply lost, these tools remain scattered throughout the county, evidence of an efficient stone age technology. Less commonly found but probably more indicative of local subsistence economy is the evidence of plant processing tools. These are primarily in the form of the two grinding complexes mentioned above, the mortar/pestle and the mano/metate. Most often associated with permanent or temporary campsites, these tools are primarily associated with female activities. Bedrock mortars are found throughout the county, being more numerous in the western foothills. ‘Holes in the bedrock were created during the pounding of acorns and other nuts or seeds. The fine stone grit created by this process was incorporated into the ground meal and ultimately eaten. The abrasive action of the gritin the foodstuffs created a distinctive tooth-wear pattern among native Californians, wearing down the enamel crowns of the teeth. Granite was a favored material for ground stone tools. Stone tools were readily made from the natural lithic resources of the county. Trade brought exotic or more desirable stone materials into the area, but local resources were sufficient for an efficient and practical tool inventory. Much has been made in recent years of the ecological practices of Native Americans. It is difficult to reconstruct such practices from the archaeological record, although ethnographic evidence is plentiful. It is fair to say, however, that the tool technologies of the Nisenan and Washo, including stone, wood, and bone, were sufficient to provide an extensive range of foodstuffs and other raw materials without damaging the natural environment. The effects of weathering and the passage of the years has erased much of the evidence of the native peoples of Nevada County. Most of the information about county prehistory must come from the stone tools scattered on and under the land surface. Collection, alteration, or removal of prehistoric evidence further reduces the potential for our understanding of the past. 30. it is hoped that this brief introduction will stimulate the interest of readers who will wish to learn more about the original inhabitants of Nevada County. The following bibliography includes cited references and other sources which examine county prehistory and ethnography. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Beals, R. L. 1933 Ethnology of the Nisenan. University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology Vol. 32, No. 6. Claytor, Michael 1973 An Archaeological Survey of the Bear Valley Locality, Placer and Nevada Counties. California. Unpublished M.A. Thesis, California State University, Sacramento. d’Azevedo, Warren (Ed.) 1963 The Washo Indians of California and Nevada. Anthropological Papers Number 67. University of Utah. Salt Lake City. Douglas, Belle 1960 The Last of the Oustomahs. Nevada County Historical Society. Vol. 13, No. 4. Downs, James F. 1966 The Two Worlds of the Washo. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. San Francisco. Duncan, John W. 1964 Maidu Ethnobotany. Unpublished M.A. Thesis, California State University, Sacramento. Elsasser, Albert B. 1957 Aboriginal Use of Restrictive Sierran Environments. Reports of the University of California Archaeological Survey, No. 41. 1960 The Archaeology of the Sierra Nevada in California and Nevada. Reports of the Univ. of California Archaeological Survey, No. 51. Elston. Robert G. —s Me S77, 1971 A Contribution to Washo Archaeology. University of Nevada, Nevada Archaeological Survey. No. 2. Reno. Foley, Doris 1953 The Indians of Nevada Cove(™ Nevada County Historical Soc. Vol. 7, No. 2. Nevada City. Kroeber, A.L. 1925 Handbook of the Indians of Califoxggia. California Book Co., Ltd. erkeley. Kroeber, Theodora 1961 Ishi in Two Worlds. University of California Press. Berkeley. Kroeber, Theodora and R.F. Heizer 1968 Almost Ancestors, The First Californians. Sierra Club. San Francisco. Merriam, C. Hart 1955 Stndies of California Indians. University of California Press, Berkeley. Peterson, Robert M. 1977 A Case Study of a Northern Californian Indian Tribe: Culture Change to 1860. R. and E. Research Associates. San Francisco. Powers, Stephen 1877 Tribes of California. Reprint: 1976, University of California Press, Berkeley. Ritter, Eric W. and Peter Schulz, eds. 1972 Papers on Nisenan Environment and Subsistence. University of California Center for Archaeological Research Publications No. 3. Davis. Simpson, Richard 1977 Ooti, A Maidu Legacy. Celestig Arts. Millbrae. Uldall, Hans J. and William Shipley 1966 Nisenan Texts and Dictionary. University of California Press. Berkeley. Wilson, Norman E. and Arlean H. Towne 1978 Nisenan. Jn Handbook of the North American Indians, California, Vol. 8. R.F. Heizer, ed. Smithsonian Institution. Washington D.C. ABOUT THE AUTHOR. Michael Claytor holds a Bachelor Degree from San Francisco State University and a Masters Degree from Sacramento State University. He has taught at the University of California Extension at Davis and at present teaches Physical and Cultural Anthropology, and also a course on the Indians of California at Sierra College, Rocklin, California. vdP. MINING MUSEUM GRASS VALLEY

from a larger stone. This flake was usually removed by a blow from a hand held hammerstone. The flake was then thinned and shaped with the use of a section of deer antler. Flaking was a developed skill, requiring manual dexterity and patience. Well made points might be produced in less than twenty minn:<es. The debris from stone flaking activity litters the ground at prehistoric living and work areas. Flaked stone tool styles changed through time. Changes in material, size, and shape are the most obvious modifications which could occur. These changes are of importance to trained investigators, providing clues as to age and cultural affiliations. Whether broken and discarded or simply lost, these tools remain scattered throughout the county, evidence of an efficient stone age technology. Less commonly found but probably more indicative of local subsistence economy is the evidence of plant processing tools. These are primarily in the form of the two grinding complexes mentioned above, the mortar/pestle and the mano/metate. Most often associated with permanent or temporary campsites, these tools are primarily associated with female activities. Bedrock mortars are found throughout the county, being more numerous in the western foothills. ‘Holes in the bedrock were created during the pounding of acorns and other nuts or seeds. The fine stone grit created by this process was incorporated into the ground meal and ultimately eaten. The abrasive action of the gritin the foodstuffs created a distinctive tooth-wear pattern among native Californians, wearing down the enamel crowns of the teeth. Granite was a favored material for ground stone tools. Stone tools were readily made from the natural lithic resources of the county. Trade brought exotic or more desirable stone materials into the area, but local resources were sufficient for an efficient and practical tool inventory. Much has been made in recent years of the ecological practices of Native Americans. It is difficult to reconstruct such practices from the archaeological record, although ethnographic evidence is plentiful. It is fair to say, however, that the tool technologies of the Nisenan and Washo, including stone, wood, and bone, were sufficient to provide an extensive range of foodstuffs and other raw materials without damaging the natural environment. The effects of weathering and the passage of the years has erased much of the evidence of the native peoples of Nevada County. Most of the information about county prehistory must come from the stone tools scattered on and under the land surface. Collection, alteration, or removal of prehistoric evidence further reduces the potential for our understanding of the past. 30. it is hoped that this brief introduction will stimulate the interest of readers who will wish to learn more about the original inhabitants of Nevada County. The following bibliography includes cited references and other sources which examine county prehistory and ethnography. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Beals, R. L. 1933 Ethnology of the Nisenan. University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology Vol. 32, No. 6. Claytor, Michael

1973 An Archaeological Survey of the Bear Valley Locality, Placer and Nevada Counties. California. Unpublished M.A. Thesis, California State University, Sacramento. d’Azevedo, Warren (Ed.) 1963 The Washo Indians of California and Nevada. Anthropological Papers Number 67. University of Utah. Salt Lake City. Douglas, Belle 1960 The Last of the Oustomahs. Nevada County Historical Society. Vol. 13, No. 4. Downs, James F. 1966 The Two Worlds of the Washo. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. San Francisco. Duncan, John W. 1964 Maidu Ethnobotany. Unpublished M.A. Thesis, California State University, Sacramento. Elsasser, Albert B. 1957 Aboriginal Use of Restrictive Sierran Environments. Reports of the University of California Archaeological Survey, No. 41. 1960 The Archaeology of the Sierra Nevada in California and Nevada. Reports of the Univ. of California Archaeological Survey, No. 51. Elston. Robert G. —s Me S77, 1971 A Contribution to Washo Archaeology. University of Nevada, Nevada Archaeological Survey. No. 2. Reno. Foley, Doris 1953 The Indians of Nevada Cove(™ Nevada County Historical Soc. Vol. 7, No. 2. Nevada City. Kroeber, A.L. 1925 Handbook of the Indians of Califoxggia. California Book Co., Ltd. erkeley. Kroeber, Theodora 1961 Ishi in Two Worlds. University of California Press. Berkeley. Kroeber, Theodora and R.F. Heizer 1968 Almost Ancestors, The First Californians. Sierra Club. San Francisco. Merriam, C. Hart 1955 Stndies of California Indians. University of California Press, Berkeley. Peterson, Robert M. 1977 A Case Study of a Northern Californian Indian Tribe: Culture Change to 1860. R. and E. Research Associates. San Francisco. Powers, Stephen 1877 Tribes of California. Reprint: 1976, University of California Press, Berkeley. Ritter, Eric W. and Peter Schulz, eds. 1972 Papers on Nisenan Environment and Subsistence. University of California Center for Archaeological Research Publications No. 3. Davis. Simpson, Richard 1977 Ooti, A Maidu Legacy. Celestig Arts. Millbrae. Uldall, Hans J. and William Shipley 1966 Nisenan Texts and Dictionary. University of California Press. Berkeley. Wilson, Norman E. and Arlean H. Towne 1978 Nisenan. Jn Handbook of the North American Indians, California, Vol. 8. R.F. Heizer, ed. Smithsonian Institution. Washington D.C. ABOUT THE AUTHOR. Michael Claytor holds a Bachelor Degree from San Francisco State University and a Masters Degree from Sacramento State University. He has taught at the University of California Extension at Davis and at present teaches Physical and Cultural Anthropology, and also a course on the Indians of California at Sierra College, Rocklin, California. vdP. MINING MUSEUM GRASS VALLEY