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A Story About Beads
by Dr. M Raab
One of the afternoon sessions was given by Dr. M. Raab who did a lot of
research on the grooved beads made by the Gabrielino in the Channel Islands.
These beads are very special in that they are marine shell beads, rectangular
in shape and have holes in them (allowing them to be strung) which was cut
or ground with Native American implements until a hole was formed. This
makes them unusual because many other beads made in this time period were
punched through or drilled to make their hole.
Perhaps the most amazing thing Dr. Raab has discovered is that these beads
have been found in unlikely places, almost mysteriously. If you look at
a map of the Western United States you will be able to locate the other
places they have been found. In 1991, during an archeological dig in Little
Harbor on Catalina Island, these special beads were found, along with some
on San Nicholas and on the adjacent coast of the mainland (California).
This was not so surprising, as we know the Gabrielino used beads for trading
and certainly traded with other groups of Native Americans near by. But
the amazing thing was the discovery of these exact kind of beads (which
were not common) were also found in a cluster area of Nevada near Carson
City, and in one site in central Oregon. These beads were carbon dated and
found to have been all from the same time period. (It might be a good idea
to get a map you can write on and mark the above mentioned locations, take
a close look at them and think for a minute or two as to what this might
mean before reading on.)
Well, what Dr. Raab and some other research scientists believe is that his
means that the Gabrielino trade area was much larger than originally thought
and yet this trade was done in very specific areas. The finding of these
beads indicates that the Native Americans of the Channel Islands had connections
with other cultures in the Western United States. This is a new idea. Good
food for thought!
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