In addition, campus administrators are working with Patwin representatives and campus Native Americans to find ways to commemorate the earlier presence of Native Americans along the former stream. The remains were located underneath a former parking area south of the main campus between Old Davis Road and Interstate 80. The area was being thoroughly studied by archeological consultants prior to construction. The tribal representative was notified of the new discovery and performed a brief ceremony at the burial site. The campus has also notified the Yolo and Solano county coroner's offices.
Significant earth moving is scheduled to begin next week.
As with the October find, the remains found this week appear to be those of a Native American adult and likely date to between A.D. 700 and 1200, but this time frame will be confirmed later, according to John Nadolski of Pacific Legacy, Inc. , an archeological consultant hired by UC Davis to investigate the campus improvement area. Two years ago, an original archeological survey recorded evidence of stone tool manufacturing in the fields where construction is under way. The area, considered a zone of cultural sensitivity because of its proximity to the former creek bank, has been closely monitored by archeologists since construction of a roadway and parking structure began last summer. The skeletal remains discovered Tuesday were about 48 inches below the surface in an area that had previously been paved as a parking lot. In September 1993, human remains believed to be Native American were discovered during construction at the campus' Solano Park student family housing complex, which is also located south of the main campus along the former banks of Putah Creek.