Sac History Happenings

More than 3,000 archaeologists from around the world will meet in Sacramento tomorrow for the 76th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The sessions will consider a wide range of subjects and time periods, including several of interest to California scholars. In his walk-up to the conference, The Bee's Matt Weiser describes research on the close relationship of Central Valley Indians and their dogs.

Among the other state-related papers, symposiums and forums to be offered:

Symposium: California I & II. These sessions "will highlight recent research on pre-contact, contact-era, and post-contact California emphasizing aspects of the region's past that are mirrored in its present."

Symposium: Ishi, Repatriating the Story. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the last Yahi, "we provide a venue for addressing the meaning of Ishi and his entrance into civilization, as well as his importance academic history, Native Americans, California, local historical societies, and the general public."

Symposium: Small Islands, Big Implications: The California Channel Islands and their Archaeological Contributions. "Through inter-island comparisons, this session will highlight the tremendous importance of the Channel Islands and their contributions to archaeology as a whole."

Symposium: Prehistoric Occupation of in the Ballona Lagoon, West Los Angeles. "This session details human behavioral responses to a changing physical and cultural world over 8,000 years of native occupation in the Ballona, in west Los Angeles."

Symposium: Bioarchaeological and Archaeological Perspectives on Migration and Health in Prehistoric Central California. "This symposium offers an array of papers drawing upon new archaeological and osteological data from numerous sites around San Francisco Bay and the Central Valley."

Symposium: The Sacramento River and Its Mounds, A Fresh Look at Its Prehistory. "Looking at the fields of paleobotany, faunal remains, and geoarchaeology; analyzing artifacts from old collections and ongoing excavations, and applying a variety of theoretical backgrounds provides a more thorough look at the prehistoric lifeway of the Sacramento River watershed."

Paper: California, A Land of Violence. "There is evidence for a wide range of violence and war throughout California's pre-European past."

Paper: The Last Meals of the Yahi, Contact Period Faunal Remains from Kingsley Cave. "Comparison of these remains with the underlying prehistoric materials may provide a window into the refuge survival strategies employed by Ishi and his fellow Yahi in the decades preceding 1911."

What: Society for American Archaeology, annual meeting, open to the public
When: March 30 to April 3, 2011
Where: Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J St.
Registration (on-site, nonmember): $205; $165 students
More info: www.saa.org or (202) 789-8200