Close-up of K'ómoks engraved pebble.
Photograph Erin Haluschak,
Comox Valley Record.
Excavations
by Simon Fraser University Archaeology Professor Bob Muir and his students in
the Comox Valley, British Columbia, have been exploring a midden ascribed to
the K'ómoks First Nation people, and they have turned up a rich assortment of
finds. A July 20,2016 article in the Comox Valley Record, by Erin Haluschak
described the finds of a field school conducted by Simon Fraser University
Archaeology professor Bob Muir. During the six-week field school students
uncovered around 80 engraved tablets and pebbles at a site on the traditional
territory of the K'ómoks First Nation.
K'ómoks engraved pebble.
Photograph Erin Haluschak,
Comox Valley Record.
"Muir described the pebbles or
tablets as flat pieces of stone with images sketched on one side - symbols
which could be interpreted as a tree, feather, or a symbol of fertility." (Haluschak 2016) These items have
only been found at two other sites in the Comox valley. They were originally
discovered when a roasting pit was being dug for a barbeque and artifacts were
turned up by the shovel. The excavations produced well-preserved shell and
animal bone (including bone needles for sewing or leather work, harpoons, and
herring rakes). Animal bones included deer, elk, and dog. (Haluschak 2016)
These
engraved plaques will be photographed and studied at Simon Fraser University
for a year or two and then returned to the K'ómoks First Nation to put on
display. Interesting things just keep turning up.
REFERENCE:
Haluschak,
Erin
2016 SFU Archeology Students Discover Tablets That
Could Be 2,000 Years Old, Comox Valley
Record, July 20, 2016.
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