Prehistoric Central Californians used baskets for many of the same purposes that other groups used pottery. Native California basket weavers were - and still are - some of the best in the world.
Perhaps the most common bone tools from our area are awls: slender, pointed tools made from mammal bones and used to weave baskets. Thus, even though the baskets themselves have long since decayed and disappeared, the presence of bone awls in a site tells us that baskets probably were made by the people who lived there. Indeed, almost all Native Californian groups made baskets instead of pottery; many of these groups are known even today for their beautiful and finely crafted baskets.
THE DIETARY REMAINS
Archaeologists are interested in more than just the arrow points, shell beads, and bone whistles made by prehistoric peoples. In our quest to understand how these people lived, we must examine whatever clues they left behind...including their trash. For that is precisely what many archaeological materials are: broken tools, waste flakes, and other unwanted objects that were discarded by the inhabitants of a site. For many years, American archaeologists ignored these materials in the search for more spectacular artifacts; only in the last few decades have we begun to realize that this ancient refuse holds many clues about daily life in prehistoric times.
Mammals, Fish, and Birds in the Prehistoric Diet
The bones and shells of mammals, fish and shellfish, and birds make up a large part of the archaeological record in many sites, including CA-SAC-43. In fact, these faunal remains are often the second most common items in a site, after waste flakes (the 1968 excavations at the Brazil site, for instance, recovered more than 19,000 bones from mammals, birds, and fish). There are two reasons why these materials are so abundant: 1) bone and shell are fairly durable, and survive in most soils for a long time (though they do become brittle and are easily broken); and 2) the preparation and consumption of animal foods was a primary activity at many prehistoric camps and villages - just as it is in most of our homes today. The animals captured by prehistoric hunters and fishermen provided not only food but also hides for blankets and clothing, and raw materials for the bone and antler tools, beads, and whistles found at the site.
By identifying the different
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