Santa Cruz Island Reserve

12 Jul, 04 AM - 19 Jul, 08 AM

I propose to examine three different sites on Santa Cruz Island that contain bedrock mortars (at least one of which also contains portable mortars) located in the island interior to address long-term subsistence change. These bedrock mortar sites were chosen because of their clear association with plant processing and their location in the island interior. Two of these sites represent relatively brief periods of occupation; one (SCRI-814) corresponds to the period associated with the emergence of mortars and pestles, and the other (SCRI-813) to the period after AD 1300. The third site (SCRI-619/620) witnessed an extended period of occupation, from 2655 cal BC until after European contact, although interim dates have yet to be obtained as part of this proposed project. SCRI-814 has a single bedrock mortar located on an outcrop southwest of Diablo Peak, on the southern side of the northern range, overlooking the Central Valley to the east. The mortar is slightly oblong in shape and has been heavily weathered. The midden at SCRI-814 is primarily comprised of Mytilus sp. and Balanus sp. shells and extends 46 cm below surface, with a single piece of worked Tivela sp. shell identified on the surface. Two radiocarbon dates indicate an occupation beginning at least by 4190 cal BC and extending to ca. 2890 cal BC. Initial occupation at this site occurs on the early side of the emergence of mortars and pestles on the adjacent mainland. In addition, the majority of identified sites during this occupation period on Santa Cruz Island are associated with Red Abalone Middens on or near the coast. SCRI-813 also has a single bedrock mortar located on an outcrop near a small spring southwest of Diablo Peak, on the southern side of the northern range. The surrounding midden deposit consists primarily of rocky intertidal shellfish remains (Mytilus sp. and Balanus sp.), in medium-low density; the deposits extend only 40 cm below surface. The mortar itself appears to be in very good condition, with minimal evidence of weathering. A single radiocarbon date for this site from the 20-30 cm level indicates an occupation around cal AD 1355. This site dates to the period after Arnold?s Middle/Late Transition during a period largely defined by shell bead manufacture, intensified fishing, and regional trade. The Diablo Valdez Bedrock Mortar Complex (SCRI-619/620) includes a large bedrock outcropping located adjacent to a perennial stream northwest of Diablo Peak, at approximately 1500 ft elevation. The site consists of five loci with dense shell midden, chipped stone debitage, projectile points, bowl mortar fragments, doughnut stone fragments, shell beads and six bedrock mortars. Locus 1 is located on the northern side of the outcrop, overlooking the steep northern slopes, with views of the entire channel from Point Conception in the west to Mt. Pinos in the east on a clear day. Column samples (CS) taken at this location revealed a relatively shallow deposit extending 25 cm below surface (CS2) and 35 cm below surface (CS3). Locus 2, located at the southern extent of the site, contains four house depressions and is comprised of a dense shell midden that extends at least 120 cm below surface. An auger test encountered an obstruction at this depth and it is likely that the deposit extends deeper. Locus 3, located adjacent to the rock outcrop on the western side, contains one house depression and a dense shell midden that extends 140 cm below surface. Preliminary analysis of the faunal assemblage derived from augering indicates exploitation of rocky intertidal shellfish (mainly Mytilus sp. and Balanus sp.), rockfish, and sea mammal. Radiocarbon dates indicate initial occupation at the site by at least 2650 cal BC and occupation appears to extend through the Late Period, possibly after European contact. Initial occupation at this site falls into the poorly documented period between 3000 and 2000 cal BC, after occupation at Red Abalone Midden sites along the coast. Materials excavated during this project will produce collections from which the main data of my dissertation will be obtained. The excavation methods to be employed will generally be the same for all three sites, although deposits at the Diablo Valdez loci are expected to be much more complex in terms of stratigraphy, features, and the abundance of shellfish remains. No additional excavation will occur at Diablo Valdez Locus 1 due to shallow nature of the deposit and the sufficient data gathered from previous auger samples. Larger units will be excavated at Diablo Valdez Locus 2 and Locus 3, resulting in less than 1.5 cubic meters at each locus. SCRI-813 and SCRI-814 will be excavated using the same methods, although the shallow nature of each deposit will result in less than 0.5 cubic meters of excavated deposits at each site. For each site/locus, two 0.5 x 1 m units will be excavated adjacent to one another. The first 0.5 x 1 m unit will be excavated in 10 cm arbitrary levels, although divisions would also be based on obvious stratigraphic differences in deposits. All deposits will be screened through 1/8? mesh. Material from the first unit will be field screened for bone, lithic debitage, artifacts (including groundstone) and any obvious charred botanical remains caught in the screen. The remaining material will then be discarded onsite and used for backfilling the unit. Sidewall profiles will be drawn for each wall prior to excavating the second 0.5 x 1 m unit, which will be placed adjacent to the first. This second unit will be excavated by stratigraphic levels discerned on the sidewall profile of the first unit (although strata more than 15 cm thick will be divided into arbitrary levels). Any features that are encountered during excavation will be sampled for macrobotanical remains, with sample volume incorporating as much of the feature as possible. Material will be screened through 1/8? mesh on site, with all material collected in the screen bagged in its entirety and brought to the Collections Processing Laboratory at UC Santa Barbara. A 25 x 25 cm column sample will then be excavated by stratigraphic level, bagged as a bulk soil sample, and brought to the Paleoethnobotany Laboratory at UC Santa Barbara for flotation and analysis. Radiocarbon samples will be collected from as many stratigraphic levels as possible to allow for fine-grained radiocarbon dating. Once excavations, profiling and sampling are complete at each unit, it will be backfilled with screened soil, in addition to rock collected off-site. The excavation methods proposed here serve several purposes: first, the unit excavated in arbitrary levels will allow for more accurate stratigraphic excavation of the second unit; second, the unit excavated in arbitrary levels provides a larger overall volume for recovery of larger artifacts such as groundstone, without collection of an overly large sample of shellfish remains; third, the column sample combined with radiocarbon samples from several different strata will allow for a fine-grained temporal analysis of macrobotanical remains and other smaller remains such as fish bone if it is relatively abundant.

Visit #24949 @Santa Cruz Island Reserve

Approved

Under Project # 8498 | Research

Macrobotanical Investigations along the North Ridge

graduate_student - University of California, Santa Barbara

Reservation Members(s)

Group of 2 Graduate Student Jul 12 - 19, 2011 (8 days)
Group of 3 Research Scientist/Post Doc Jul 12 - 19, 2011 (8 days)

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Dorm 5 Jul 12 - 19, 2011
Jeep 5 Jul 12 - 19, 2011
Pickup Truck 5 Jul 12 - 19, 2011
Private Room 5 Jul 12 - 19, 2011