Archaeological Report
Harney County Oregon, Range Seeding Projects

A unique, pottery bearing archeological site was discovered in the summer of 1980 in southeastern Oregon. The people responsible for its discovery and further study encountered it on a routine systematic archeological survey of a proposed project area of the Burns, Oregon District, BLM. The site is unique because it is the first well documented site in Oregon to contain aboriginal earthenware pottery. Because of its uniqueness and richness in terms of information potential, the BLM made the decision to collect the artifacts and map their locations. This action was necessary to preserve the information contained in the site's surface component and to obscure its location from relic collectors. Our collection methods were nonsystematic. Originally, each artifact and all of the pottery scatters were mapped from a permanent datum with a surveyor's transit and stadia rod and then collected. Later when we decided to collect a sample of lithic waste, bone fragments and teeth fragments, the most likely 4m² units were visually selected, mapped in from the permanent datum and collected. The following is a brief report concerning the site in general and the results of the first stages of the artifact anyalysis.

35HA792 is located in the northern Great Basin approximately 30 miles SSE from Burns, Oregon. It is situated in a series of small sand dunes at the base of a butte 3 miles east of the Donner und Blitzen River valley. The site is primarily confined to the sand dunes and sandy slopes at the base of the butte and has a total surface area of 159,000 m². The cultural material is seen in blowouts on the windward side and top portions of the dunes. Considerable artifact density is encountered in the blowouts, while vegetation obscures the other portions of the site. The surrounding terrain is rolling lava plains that are a combination of fairly level, rocky plains bisected by numerous lava flows and pressure ridges. Although there are many water courses that bisect these plains, none contain any observable water; nor are there any extant springs in the vicinity. The vegetation in the site area is moderately sparse and is characteristic of big sagebrush steppe.

The least conspicuous and possibly most important cultural material present at 35HA792 is the pottery. 189 sherds of various sizes, contained in 7 distinct scatters, were collected from the surface of the site. Apparently, each scatter represents a single vessel as a majority of the sherds from each are homogenous. By homogeneous I mean that the temper size, presence or absence of inclusions, surface treatment and general appearance is consistent for the various sherds from each scatter. Very few inconsistencies were noted. In addition, the scatters were seperated from one another by at least 10m and were present in fairly compact groups. As a result, little, if any, interscatter mixing has occurred.

The quality and form of the vessels represented in the collection is variable. While the vessels differ in shape, size and quality of construction, all evidence indicates that the pottery can be classified as what is commonly referred to in literature as Shoshoni Ware. Shoshoni Ware is typically thick walled, coarsely tempered, light brown to gray in color, has a friable, crumbly texture and is commonly found in a flat-bottomed, flower pot vessel form. Generally such vessels were fired at relatively low, uncontrolled temperature in a reducing atmosphere. The following is a brief description of each pottery scatter collected from the site.

Sherds from pottery scatter A are crumbly, coarsely tempered, thick walled, have a small amount of mica in their paste or temper and were fired in an uncontrolled reducing atmosphere. The form of the vessel represented by scatter A and how it was manufactured is not known, but its surface was finished by horizontal wiping with a pliant material while the clay was still moist.

In contrast, the sherds from pottery scatter B are finely tempered, thin walled, have a large amount of mica in their paste or temper and have a much harder texture. The vessel represented by scatter B is flat bottomed with a basal flange and has an estimated basal diameter of 11 cm. However, its wall and rim shape is not known. It was constructed by coiling, as is indicated by numerous sherd fracture lines along coil junctures. A black core color and light brown sherd surfaces indicates that it was fired in an uncontrolled reducing atmosphere.

The sherds from pottery scatter C are very similar to those from scatter B. They also are finely tempered, whin walled, have a large amount of mica in their paste or temper and have a hard texture. The basal form of the vessel represented by sherd scatter C is unknown but the rim form is excurvate with a slightly bevelled exterior edge. One rim sherd is decorated with 7 incised lines on top of the lip arranged at right angles to its circumfrence with a horizontal incised line just below the lip. The vessel was constructed by coiling as coil junctures were incompletely obliterated and breakage occurred along them. The interior and exterior surfaces of the vessel were wiped horizontally and somewhat polished before the vessel was fired in an uncontrolled reducing atmosphere.

The sherds from scatter D are somewhat crumbly, exfoliated, fairly finely tempered, thin walled, and have no mica inclusions in their paste or temper. They represent a fairly small, flat bottomed, basally flanged, jar-like vessel with an estimated rim diameter of 14.1 cm. The greatest diameter occurs below the rim, giving the vessel a somewhat constricted mouth. This form is not a commonly reported Shoshoni Ware variant. Apparently it was coiled as faint coil juncture-like lines can be seen on one body sherd. However, according to Coale (1963), extremely exfoliated Shoshoni pottery was probably constructed by the paddle and anvil technique. Portions of the interior and exterior surfaces of the vessel were vertically wiped with a pliant material. In addition, some areas appear to have been vertically thinned with a 2mm wide blunt instrument. It was fired in an uncontrolled reducing atmosphere.

Pottery scatter E is composed of 5 widely scattered sherds, of which 4 are probably from the same vessel. They are slightly crumbly, coarsely tempered, moderately thick with organic material and possibly shell fragments in their temper. The basal sherd indicates that the vessel represented is flat bottomed without a basal flange and has an estimated basal diameter of 13.7 cm. The shape of the remaining portions of the vessel is unknown. The exterior and interior surfaces were wiped while still moist and have a fairly rough texture while a portion of exterior body wall just above the base has a very polished appearance, possibly produced through use. The color of the core indicates that the vessel was fired in an uncontrolled reducing atmosphere.

The sherds in pottery scatter F are quite thick, coarsely tempered, crumbly and have mica inclusions in their temper or paste. The reconstructed portion of this vessel indicates that it is a fairly large shouldered bowl with a nearly vertical rim that has an estimated diameter of 18.1 cm. The basal section of this vessel was not recovered and its form is unknown. The technique of manufacture for this vessel is also not known. Its interior and exterior surfaces were finished by horizontal wiping with a pliant material while the vessel was still moist and it was then fired in an uncontrolled reducing atmosphere. A thin layer of carbonized material was found on the interior surface of a large rimsherd. The contents of this material are not known, but may represent food remains. This vessel form has not been reported in the literature as a variant of Shoshoni Ware.

Sherds from pottery scatter G represent the only extensively decorated vessel in the collection. They are moderately thick, coarsely tempered, crumbly, and have some mica and organic inclusions in the temper. Some of these organic inclusions appear to be seeds, but have not been identified. The vessel has a flanged, flat bottom. However, its wall and rim form is not known as vessel reconstruction proved to be fruitless and no large sherds were collected. As with the other vessels, the exterior and interior surfaces were wiped with a pliant material when the clay was still moist. The striations that result from this operation run in a horizontal fashion on both surfaces. How this vessel was constructed is not known, but it was fired in an uncontrolled reducing atmosphere. The most important feature of this vessel is its decoration. It consists of a number of vertical and diagonal rows of horizontal fingernail punctate marks. The exterior surface of one sherd shows three rows, two diagonal and one vertical, converging and seperating in a geometric pattern. This sort of decoration is referred to in the literature concerning Shoshoni Ware, but is not explicitly described or illustrated.

The final pottery scatter, scatter H, is represented by 11 sherds that are thin, fairly fine tempered, have a hard texture and have a few mica inclusions in their paste or temper. The vessel form represented by these sherds is unknown but both surfaces were wiped, as usual, with a pliant material when the clay was still moist. The surface texture is quite smooth as both surfaces were slighly polished during the finishing process or during the use-life of the vessel. It is not known what method was used to construct the vessel, but its dark core color and medium brown surfaces indicate that it was fired in an uncontrolled reducing atmosphere.

In conclusion, it appears that the pottery collection falls into two general categories according to fineness of construction: one category being the crumbly, coarse tempered, thick and poorly finished pottery, while the other is represented by a more finely tempered, thinner, harder textured and more finely finished pottery. If these two categories are derived from a single component, then the situation where they occur together is unique. To the best of my knowledge, this situation has not been reported in the literature. Further, it has been shown that there are two previously unreported vessel forms in the collection: one, a large shouldered vessel and the other a small jar-like flat bottomed vessel. Therefore, it is apparent that 35HA792 has a potential to contribute to what is known of Shoshoni pottery.

The more conspicuous cultural material present on the surface of the site is a vast array of lithic artifacts. This is an important feature because rarely has a fairly large and varied lithic tool assemblage, associated with Shoshoni pottery, been discovered and described. In the literature usually brief and sometimes vague mention is given the lithic tool assemblage associated with this pottery tradition. The following is a discussion of the various categories of lithic artifacts that were collected from the site.

Fifty three projectile points were collected from the surface of the site. The collection is composed of the following types: 26 Desert side-notched (DSN) of which there are 15 of the Sierra subtype, 2 of the general subtype and 9 with the subtype unknown. In addition there are 16 Cottonwood triangular, 5 Rose Spring corner-notched, 4 Elko eared, 1 Humboldt concave-base and 1 of unknown type. Judging from this tally, the Desert side-notched - Cottonwood triangular - Rose Spring component is dominant at 35HA792. Small triangular, corner and side-notched projectile points are reported to be commonly associated with Shoshoni pottery. The older point types present at the site may represent another occupation or may have been picked up elsewhere and then deposited at the site.

Most of the DSN and Cottonwood triangular points appear to have been made from blade or flake sections as most the them are plano-convex in cross-section and have been finished by pressure flaking alone.

A majority of the projectile points were made of obsidian of several color varieties. Other materials used for point manufacture were ignimbrite and several varieties of chalcedony.

During the metric analysis it was noted that the short Desert side-notched points tended to have broader stems than the longer ones. In order to determine if this trend could be demonstrated statistically, eight complete Desert side-notched specimens were sampled from the collection and Bartlett's Three-Group Model II linear regression was performed on the data. The regression equation, y=49.29 - 1.58x, where y = projectile point length in mm and x = stem width in mm, was derived from the data. X and y have a correlation coefficient of -.83 that is significant at the .01 level. What this means is that there appears to be a strong negative correlation between Desert side-notched projectile point lengh and stem width. This result is important because it shows a relationship between point length and width in Desert side-notched points and enables the investigator to estimate, with a certain degree of accuracy, the length of a broken specimens from its stem width or vica versa.

After the metric analysis of the projectile points was completed, it became apparent that, judging from flaking patterns, overall dimensions, and original blank size and shape, the Cottonwood triangular projectile points may be unfinished Desert side-notched points. Desert side-notched points are completely thinned before notching and many of the Cottonwood triangular points appear to have the same thinning flake pattern, so that the only real difference between the majority of the Desert side-notched and Cottonwood triangular pointts is the presence of two side and, generally, one basal notch in the former. Thus, Cottonwood triangular projectile points may have been used as projectiles and represent a production stage in the manufacture of Desert side-notched points as well.

In addition to the projectile points, a fairly wide variety of other flaked stone tools was collected from the site. The following is a list of the tools recovered: 13 unifaces, 11 biface fragments, 3 drills, and 2 drill preforms. Twenty seven additional fragments that were collected are blade sections with one or more edges thinned and nondiagnostic projectile point tips. Many of the former are considered to be projectile point preforms that were broken during thinning. Some of the biface fragments may be preform fragments as well. The importance of these preforms can not be overestimated because they, together with the lithic debitage recovered from the collection grids and the cores, may represent the entire lithic reduction system practiced by the occupants of the site.

It appears that chalcedony was preferred for making tools other than projectile points and preforms. This may be related to tool function because chalcedony has a longer use-life than obsidian when used for scraping, drilling and punching.

Four abrading stones were collected from 25HA792. These are considered abrading stones because of the longitudinal grooves present on one or more of their surfaces. Three of the abraders are made of a highly vesicular welded tuff and the fourth appears to be made of sandstone. Their intended function may have been awl or antler tine sharpening.

Four fragments of one grinding stone were collected. The specimen is ground on both upper and lower surfaces and is shaped on at least one side. The ground stone is made of a slightly vesicular, reddish, volcanic rock and is assumed to have been used for processing vegetable material.

From examing the lithic material recovered in the twelve collection squares, it can be said that several different techniques of lithic reduction were in use at 35HA792. Percussion and pressure flakes both appear to have been present along with blades, which were produced from polyhedral cores. The blades were then utilized to make projectile points and other tools. The lithic manufacturing at 35HA792 ranges from decortication of the raw material or blanks to the production of finished artifacts.

A limited number of large bone fragments were collected from the surface of 35HA792. Two of these, a scapula and a long bone fragment, appear to have been purposefully broken and possibly worked. In addition, many small burnt, bone fragments were recovered from the flake scatters. Much more conspicuous are the extremely large number of tooth enamel fragments that are found in concentrated scatters throughout the site. As yet the animal genus represented by the enamel fragments is not known, but Dr. Grayson of the Univ. of Washington indicated it is either Bison or Bos.

As yet, only a tentative date can be given for this site. As no historic artifacts were discovered on the site, it was either occupied in pre-contact times or, due to sampling error, such artifacts were not located during the surface collection process. At any rate, the major component of Shoshoni pottery, Desert side-notched points, Cottonwood triangular points and Rose Springs corner-notched points establishes that 35HA792 was occupied during the protohistoric period of Great Basin history.

In conclusion, 35HA792 appears to have been a protohistoric hunting camp. The large number of bone and tooth fragments that occur in concentrations throughout the site indicate that a number of large grazing animals were processed in the site area. The kinds of tools necessary for hunting the animals and processing their meat, bone and hides are found in the assemblage from this site. On the other hand, vegetable processing apparently was a minor activity as only one grinding stone fragment was discovered in the site area. However, the recovery of only one such fragment may be due to sampling error and further surface observations and testing may uncover more specimens. As with any study in its preliminary stages, we have more questions to answer than conclusions to offer. We hope to perform some subsurface testing to learn the types of animals that were being slaughtered at or near the site, to recover carbon-14 samples, to locate any remants of house features and to learn the depth of the cultural deposits and the stratigraphic history. In addition, we plan to determine source areas for a number of obsidian samples from the tool and flake assemblage and perform a limited obsidian hydration analysis of several of these obsidian samples. These data are useful to determine the minimum site age in the absence of other dating methods such as carbon-14. Finally, we plan to do a microscopic study of the pottery, continue to reconstruct the vessels and will possibly try some experimental lithic and ceramic replication studies.