The first people to inhabit northeast California relied on natural resources and their skills to survive and flourish in a demanding environment.
Today’s residents can get a hands-on glimpse into how they hunted, prepared food, made tools and communicated, when the Bureau of Land Management and Susanville Indian Rancheria hold their first Public Archaeology Day, Saturday, October 4th, from 10:00a.m. to 3:00p.m., at the Hobo Camp area west of Susanville.
Marilla Martin, an archaeologist with the BLM Eagle Lake Field Office, said participants will be able to learn how to throw an atlatl (spear), grind acorns into flour, learn how animal skin and bones were used and try their hands at creating their own rock art.
“This event is perfect for families,” Martin said. “We’ll give everyone a chance to try archaeology excavation techniques and talk about the artifacts and the important information they provide to us. Information will be available about ‘Leave no Trace,’ or leaving minimal impacts on the public lands.”
Vendors will be on site with food and refreshments.
The event is part of California Archaeology Month, an annual observance of the California Society for Archaeology designed to call attention to the study of ancient societies through examination of what remains behind.
On its website, the organization explains the science this way:
“… Imagine for a moment that you have a 10,000-piece jigsaw puzzle – but no picture to tell you how it’s supposed to look. Then imagine that the puzzle was buried in your backyard many years ago by someone who lived in your house before you were born, and you’ve just dug it up again. The pieces are all scattered around; some of them have gotten wet and the picture is gone; others are caked with mud; many others have been eaten by gophers or carried away by kids digging in the dirt, never to be found again. Now take what’s left of the puzzle pieces into your kitchen, clean them off, count them (of the original 10,000, say there are 4,000 left), lay them all out on your table – and try to put the puzzle back together, to see what the picture was.”
