Wayne Nine, a member of the Konkow Valley Band of Maidu, analyzes stone tools that were used by Native peoples, possibly thousands of years ago, that were uncovered recently at an Oroville dig site.
by Jennifer MacDonald
The hike to the archeological dig site is long, dusty and steep.
Scaling down the embankment on this winter afternoon, we see a dozen scientists hard at work hundreds of feet below, digging at what was once a thriving Native American village. The site is usually under the water of Lake Oroville, but the water level drops at this time of year, helping to uncover artifacts from a civilization lost long ago.
Anthropologists and archaeologists use shovels to sculpt deep but perfectly rectangular holes. Then they screen the dirt looking for artifacts. Arrowheads and stone tools lie just below the ground’s surface. The items they find are placed in plastic bags, tagged and shipped away.