Archaeology of Oregon

Several perspectives on Oregon prehistory may be offered.
Certainly one of the most valuable is by native Americans
themselves. Descriptions of Oregon’s traditional cultures
provided by direct descendants are now gaining increased
availability to the publicin today’s literature, such as The First
Oregonians recently published by the Oregon Council for the
Humanities. As is apparent, this book is predominantly
derived from scientific investigations of the archaeological
record conducted over the past 60 years. Interpretations
providedby ethnohistories, ethnographies,and archaeological
studies each add to preserving the richness and diversity of
our region’s cultural traditions.

A major goal in archaeology is to document the differing
adaptations that groups have made to the various
environments over a lengthy time period. To this goal, each
chapteris organized utilizing thesame themes. Thusattention
is drawn, for example, to the reliance on salmon in the
Columbia Gorgé versus the use of roots, seeds, and small
game in the Northern Great Basin. Such differences must not
obscure, however, the fact that thereis a fundamental similarity
in the broad utilization of available resources and in the
resulting annual movement from lowland to upland and
return. Itis useful to observe that the same broad organizing
principle is found to some degree in all non-horticultural
groups to the extent that they are free from certain constraints.
Inferences are also drawn, whenever possible, about the
changes in lifestyles that occurred through time. The lack of
major, clearly defined changes within narrow time spans is a
hallmark of Great Basin, western Oregon, and Plateau cultures
and represents only one of afew cases where both culture and
environment have remained stable over a period of several
thousand years. Such stability in culture has and will continue
to evoke considerable scientific interest.

Richard C. Hanes

scene



Preface

The Nortl

Coast and

Southweste Mi 1 environments hé
been explor rious peoples for
atleast the »f that use has beer
painstakingl 1}

their descript
and considerab! iby presen y native
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Archaeology of Oregon

Acknowledgements

I thank Y

for generating the it

Gach

Management ¢
to the writir
Hanes, Jack’s success¢
continuing encouragen
this third editior

Phil Carroll and
the original photog
edition were 1

raphic

well
vade

production of this
Hursteach contrib
meticulouslyrevi

consideré

edition

Most of the ar
come from the
Anthropology
Dumond, OSMA Directo:

k) Witherspoon for
support of

sense of mission and
the Bureau of Land
im that led originally
n. I thank Richard €
prog
ort in the completion of

um, for his

taffers deserve thank
made all buta few of
graphs for the second
ho was responsible for
Iaase also directed the
ideth Moisen and Steve
and Kathy Helms
Michael Hamel provided

1e typesetting of thi

trated in the book
zon State Museum of
f Oregon campus. Don E

ermission to photograph
a



of REGON

by:
C. Melvin Aikens

1993

U.S. Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
Oregon State Office

1300 N.E. 44th Avenu

Portland, Oregon 97213



Archaeology of Oregor

thespecimensand made available the facilities of the museum

for the project. Martha Frankel and Pamela Endzweig pulled

themany specimens together for photographing,and returned

them to safekeeping when the job was done. Richard E. Ross

and David R. Brauner Oregon State University made

available for phot the specimens illustrated in figures

3, 6.4, 6.5, and 6.6. William G. Loy, University of Oregon

Department of Geogray

, generously permitted and
collaborated in the adaption of figures 1.3, 1.4, 2.1,3.1,4.1,5.1
and 6.1 from maps originally published under his editorship
in the Atlas of Oregon. The contributors of other illustrations
are acknowledged in text captions. The University of Oregon
made it possible for me to undertake the writing of this book
as part of its overall teaching and research mission, through
the continuing support of its Department of Anthropology
and Museum of Natural I



Archaeology of Oregor

Forward

The Bureau of Land Management State Office is proud to
present Archaeology of Oregon by Dr. C. Melvin Aikens. This
volume presents a synthesis of the information available
concerning the prehistory of Oregon. Dr. Aikens, through
analysis of the archaeological and anthropological data, has
added the insights and conclusions that have come to him
through twenty years of concentrated study of the subject
area. The Bureau of Land Management publishes this study
as a part of its “Adventures in the Past” public outreach effort
and in recognition of its responsibility to make information
gained through its Cultural Resources ManagementProgram
available to scholars and to the general public

ex
isa
Ses ¥ ck ye

State Director
Oregon/Washington Bureau of Land Management



zy of Oregon