I spent my spring 2019 semester as a collections intern at the Witte Museum in San Antonio. Working under Leslie Ochoa, Director of Collections Management, I had the opportunity to work hands on with the Eagle Bluff archeological material. My role at the Witte mainly focused on cataloguing the artifacts at the museum’s off-site warehouse that houses the collections when they are brought in and cleaned. It is also where the artifacts that are not on display are stored. This report will further discuss the archeology of the Eagle Bluff site and my role in accessioning the collection.
Eagle Bluff:
The Eagle Bluff site, known by the Texas Archeological Society project number 41ME147, is located in Medina County, Texas—on a terrace above Hondo Creek—where previously discovered artifacts reference a long-standing cultural history from the Late Paleoindian times. Excavations have unearthed that, over the past 7,000 years, different areas of the river terrace had been occupied intermittently, including the Toyah occupation form 1300-1350 (Bryant 2013: 2). Evidence of the Toyah is highly distinctive due to their earthenware pottery and a toolkit. This unique stone toolkit consisted of the Perdiz arrow point for hunting, beveled knives for butchering, end scrapers to process bison hides, and drills. Many Toyah adopted a flint-knapping technique of striking a core to create blades from which points, tools, and scrapers could be made, giving toolmakers more practical pieces www.texasbeyondhistory.net/plateaus/prehistory/images/toyah.html
When originally excavated in 2010 by the Texas Archeological Society Field School, TAS FS 2010, the Eagle Bluff site was divided into four large block sections. Regional Archeologist Tiffany Osburn and Collections Manager Braford Jones from the Texas Historical Commission supervised Areas 1 and 2 of the block excavations across the site. Area 3 hosted the youth group, led by Antiquities Advisory Board member Doug Boyd, and assisted by Jeff Durst, Regional Archeologist at the Texas Historical Commission. Area 4 was supervised by Bryan Jameson from the Texas Archeological Stewardship Network (TASN), accompanied by other members of TASN. Meanwhile, State Archeologist Pat Mercado-Allinger introduced beginners to background information of the sites and survey areas, including important concepts and terminology (Martínez 2010: 24).
As of 2013, the site is still being excavated by field schools by the Texas Historical Commission, Archeology Division. Dr. Tom Hester, from the Hill Country Archeological Association (HCAA), was the Principal Investigator of the June 15-22, 2013 field school-style outreach program of high school age youth or older (Bryant 2013: 2). There is a multilayer benefit to the program. The members of TAS learn from native people about traditions and cultural background that further explains the archeological sites, and those in the field school learn the hands-on archeological study of history by working with the professionals at Eagle Bluff. Pat Mercado-Allinger again took part to educate about basic archeological terminology. TAS Native American Scholarship Subcommittee chair, Marie Archambault reported the success of the program in 2013, including seven scholarships awarded to people from four different tribes from Oklahoma and Texas. These tribes include the Alabama-Coushatta of Texas, Lipan Apache Band of Texas, Navajo Nation, and Seminole Nation. www.thc.texas.gov/blog/digging-school
The material that was collected from each excavation lot was placed into protective plastic bags with labels stating where the objects were found, the condition they were in, and any identification notes. If there were multiple small pieces such as stone flakes or bone fragments, they were grouped together based on lot location. Then each of these individual artifacts were placed within the larger bag encompassing the entire excavation area with another note detailing the elevation, excavation crew, who lead the group, and lot number to identify the area.
Since being donated to the Witte Museum in 2015 by William Calvert and Janie Evans, owners of the Eagle Bluff land, the artifacts had remained relatively untouched (Collection Committee 2017: 23). At the warehouse, my job was to gently unpack the artifacts, measure, and take comprehensive photos in order to document them using the digital catalogue, Re:Discovery, as part of the permanent collection. Out of the 89 boxes just from Area 1, I sorted through 3 boxes, which consisted of a little more than 200 various artifacts in total. Boxes containing Areas 2 through 4 were buried under the first.
While sorting through the boxes, I came across an assortment of artifacts of various sizes and shapes. I documented hundreds of miniscule shells and small animal bone fragments. There were numerous bags of stone flakes from making stone tools, all of which were different materials including chert. The projectile points were not always in one piece or the same size and shape, but were all beautifully crafted. Occasionally, I came across a hefty stone core or hammerstone—both critical in making tools. Charcoal was frequently wrapped in aluminum foil to keep it from crumbling. However, my favorites to examine were the fire cracked rocks (probably from a hearth), and the stones with the outlines of roots imprinted on them, which came with instructions to not wash them in case the root shadow came off with the water.
Although my focus in archeology is centered more on art and ceramics, it was intriguing to see what was left behind by the Late Paleoindian, Early Archaic and even Late Prehistoric people who lived in Eagle Bluff. This area held a variety of people over time, resulting in remarkable deposits of history spanning seven millennia. As groups occupied the area and progressed, they left behind traces of life like hearths and stone tools (www.thc.texas.gov/blog/digging-school). Many of these people were more than likely following food, or seasonal travelers, perhaps settling down in small groups in the later periods.
This internship began out of my interest in both archeology and a future career in museum studies. Under the guidance of Leslie Ochoa, each day was a learning opportunity about the mechanisms of a modern museum. Not only did I gain insight into preservation of how people lived in the past at Eagle Bluff, but I left the internship with an appreciation for the behind-the-scenes work it takes to maintain a museum collection and install exhibits. It confirmed my ambition to one day work in museum either in archeology or in collections management.
References:
Brought, Katye. 2016. “B. Naylor Morton Research and Collections Center.” Witte Member Newsletter: 11.
Bryant, Penny. 2013. “7,000 Years of Prehistory at Eagle Bluff.” Hill Country Archeological Association 14 (5): 2.
Collection Committee. 2017. “Anthropology Collection.” Collection Plan: 23-24.
Martínez, María. 2010. “State Archeology Programs Staff Work on Diverse Projects.” Current Archeology in Texas 12 (2): 24