California Research

My interest in California prehistory began as a contract osteologist with burial excavation and analysis at CA-SCl-674, a large Ohlone cemetery where my colleagues and I documented a pattern of cutmarks and body part removal. A resulting article on inter-personal aggression and forearm trophy taking was published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, and a monograph of the site was published through Coyote Press. This research explored the implications of trophy taking for developing sociopolitical complexity in central California groups. The investigation continues in documenting trophy taking on a regional scale, with the goal of transforming CRM “gray literature” into widely disseminated publications.

I have also analyzed burials from the site of CA-CCo-235, allowing a unique opportunity to study the prehistoric culture of the Saclan tribelet of the Bay Miwok tribe. This tribelet was one of the first to undergo missionization during the historic period, leaving few accounts of their pre-contact lifeways. Although many prehistoric sites have been recorded in this region of Contra Costa County, few have been subjected to in-depth osteological study. The analysis of CA-CCo-235 thus provides essential information regarding the skeletal biology and cultural practices of the Saclan people.