(right) baked clay objects; (below) an incised bird bone tube made from a wing bone of a sandhill crane
Baked Clay and Modified Bone
Two other interesting kinds of artifacts were found at the Brazil Site: baked clay and modified bone. Archaeologists have found pieces of baked clay at many sites in Central California. Some of these were decorated by pressing baskets, sticks, or fingers into the clay while it was still wet; others are plain. At some sites, the baked clay pieces have been formed into animal or bird shapes, perhaps representing toys or religious items. Others may be fragments of clay pipes, sinkers for fish or bird nets, or crude pottery. Still others are large lumps resembling stones, leading some archaeologists to theorize that baked clay was used in place of stone for some purposes (this theory makes sense, given that stones are hard to find in the Sacramento Delta). Nearly 500 pieces of baked or shaped clay were found at CA-SAC-43, and over half of these were decorated or had basketry impressions.
The archaeologists who excavated at the Brazil Mound found more than 600 pieces of modified bone - pieces of animal bone that were turned into tools, musical instruments, or decorative objects. Unlike many other areas of California, archaeological sites in the Central Valley and Delta region often have large numbers of implements made from the bones of mammals, birds, or fish.
The antlers of large animals like deer and elk often were made into chisels, wedges, or hammers. Beads, tubes, and whistles were made from the hollow leg bones of birds or rabbits; often the makers decorated these with delicate and intricate patterns of incised lines. Canine teeth from large animals were perforated at one end, presumably for use as pendants. Prehistoric fishermen
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