Ancient Digs! + In Situs!

[athometoo]

ok , i need help . i am going to explore my deer lease , and the owner has a letter from the state of texas certifing the site on his land as a village and burial ground . this is 25 miles north of the famous caddo indian mounds in ALTO TEXAS . the state wants him to either donate the land or let the archeological team back on the place to dig . they used ground radar to map it out and i know where the village and burial site was . my deerstand is on the same hill . very sandy area and drops off to a steep slope down to a big creek which runs year round . ozarka pulls there water 10 miles downstream . (wood county) . funny thing is there is bamboo growing along a section of the creek . it is not found anywhere else around the county . the guy that owns it has had it in the family for the last 150 yrs .there has never been a house site on it . was the bamboo for house building? . i am going to take a probe and walk the creek with waders , and search the draws . is it illegal to probe for burials and what do you feel for with it? they were renown for their pottery making and the owner has several examples along with points and stones , from his chilhood . he actually admitted to breaking several clay bowls found by him when he was young after a flood . what to look for ? just need some help with areas of interest . walking the creek and draws and surface finds are all i really know to do . thanks sam p.s if i can get a copy of the letter i will post it .

 

[bearswede]

Best to leave that area alone, especially since it's already on their radar...


Citation: Antiquities Code (Texas Code Ann. §191); Heath and Safety (Texas Code Ann. §711.004). Date Enacted: 1969, most recently amended 1991 Summary: Texas does not have specific NAGPRA-type legislation to protect human remains in unmarked graves. It’s Antiquities Code incorporates all prehistoric and historic sites including American Indian or aboriginal campsites, dwellings and habitation sites. Responsibility for protecting sites is placed in the Texas Historical Commission which issues permits for excavations. §131 of the Antiquities Codes prohibits anyone from intentionally or knowingly defacing an American Indian or aboriginal site including burials. This section also requires owners permission for actions on private lands. The Health and Safety codes deal with general provisions pertaining to abuse of corpse. Penalties are misdemeanors with fines between $25-$1,000. Jurisdiction: State lands and waters and private lands.
Statute of Limitations: Not specified.
Areas Covered Under Act: Archaeological sites, including American Indian burials.
Ownership: State claims responsibility for state lands and waters.
Review/Consultation Committee: Not specified.
Liable: Anyone who violates the act and disturbs a site without a permit or permission from the private land owner.
Penalties: Penalties are misdemeanors with fines between $25-$1,000.
Exemptions: Not specified.
Permitting: The Texas Historic Commission issues permits.



Ron

 

[athometoo]

i know he will never sell it . and he is the private landowner . think we will stick to the village and creek . from what i interpret that is legal . from what i have read though , they had mounds for the cheifs house , the common cooking house , the religious shrines and finally their burials . lotta monds . think we might stick to surface and creek finds . sam

 

[lexdigger]

Yeah, messing around with burial sites is a good way to wind up in prison. Not to mention having your entire collection confiscated!!! Besides that, all you will really find is a bunch of bones... and who wants those??? I would stick to surface hunting or digging out rock shelters.

 

[bearswede]

I would stick to surface hunting or digging out rock shelters.

As the resident archeologist in this joint, I'd urge you to stick to already disturbed areas like plowed fields... Removing artifacts from their in situ context without careful documentation using scientific methods essentially destroys their value to inform our body of knowledge about human behavior...

Ron

 

[sandchip]

ORIGINAL: bearswede

I would stick to surface hunting or digging out rock shelters.

As the resident archeologist in this joint, I'd urge you to stick to already disturbed areas like plowed fields... Removing artifacts from their in situ context without careful documentation using scientific methods essentially destroys their value to inform our body of knowledge about human behavior...
Ron

Point well taken, and actually I agree, but on the other edge of this sword are the countless sites totally destroyed with total impunity by wealthy, connected developers and even our own hypocritical government, who, with pans and dozers do far more damage to archaeological sites than anybody with a shovel.

 

[ancientdigger69]

i agree with both bear and sand. both of you make very good points. however, some of the best documented finds have been made by amateur collectors such as us. i do not agree with being a maverick rapist of burials by any means. but if its not picked up, how can anyone learn about it by letting it stay buried? i also do not agree with how the states and museums just lock things away and forget about them. not all museums will allow the public to view collections they have locked away even if asked to see them. i worked in a museum back home as a volunteer doing prep work in the paleo lab cleaning and prepping dinosaur bones. we were opening field jackets that had been sitting in the basement since the 1940's. what a waste because they lost all records of what they were and where they came from. pretty irresponsible for a world renowned museum. there were mixed feelings on the subject of amateur collecting throughout the staff of the paleo department. as it was though, the museum had its own policy on employees even owning their own collection. it was against the rules. B/S if you ask me. but this is a debate that has ensued for years and will for years to come. both amateurs and professionals make good points but i dont think they will ever come to a rock solid agreement on the subject.

i had a run in with a state archeologist not too long ago. i was walking along the illinois river with another guy who hunts the spot. we were approached by a very rude man who made it very clear he didnt want us there. needless to say, he left rather abruptly when told he was about to get his teeth knocked down his throat. now had he been nice about it, that would have been a different story. i might have even given him the finds of the day. the moral of the story is, dont treat us amateurs like crap, we can be very useful to the documentation of a site. this particular site is a known village site that produces some beautiful artifacts. im sure he would have loved to get his hands on the gorgeous drill i had in my pocket.

 

[bearswede]

It's true... There are sites being destroyed by construction... But in Massachusetts and other states as well, if there is any state or federal money involved (and there almost always is), archeological survey has to be done before the bulldozers move in... And when I was doing CRM work, a developer ASKED to have a survey done even tho his project was all private money!

It's also true that some institutions that are supposed to be preserving our past have dropped the ball by poor conservatorship...

In Massachusetts and other states, archeologists are working with amateurs, cataloging their collections, setting up and supervising amateur excavations on private land and organizing clubs...

If Mr. Gunsmoke cares to join this discussion, he can tell you what he's been up to in Texas... You out there, Kelly...???

Ron

 

[Ohio Rob]

Great to see other guys hunting arrowheads as well. My family has been surface hunting in Central / Northeast Ohio since the 60's. Oddly we have never tried to screen for them. I will definitly try in 2010.
lexdigger - Taking a camera is an awesome idea. Seeing the serrated point (pic 7) sticking out makes me want to hunt today. Was it whole - I'm guessing a bifurcate?
I also must agree - great way to spend some quality family time.

Post some collection pics if you get a chance

 

[bostaurus]

Back in the early 90's we were stationed at MacDill in Tampa Bay. There was a guy in the bottle club there that used to dig a lot of sand mounds along the beaches. They were disappearing fast as condos and hotels went up along the coast. They were not burial mounds but more like middens. He had a very good relationship with a local archeologist (I don't remember if he was with a museum or with the State) that would come to the meetings. This young guy would bring in all his finds to the meeting. He and the archeologist would go through them. If there was any thing that was important he would give it to the archeologist. I am not sure if there was a law about digging the mounds or not at the time. I know that they both found this to be a very good working relationship that worked to their mutual benefit.