News From The Field

May 29, 2007

	Middle school students from California excavating at Goodman Point Pueblo.

A great deal of dirt was moved during the first three weeks of our participant dig season, and we've made substantial progress in new excavation units in Blocks 600, 1200, and 1300. Middle school students from California, Colorado, and Missouri—nearly 200 in all—kicked off the final season of research at Goodman Point Pueblo. In addition, the field staff recently welcomed the first two field interns of 2007, Annie Garcia-Roberts and Elizabeth Cutright-Smith, and we know they'll be a valuable addition to the crew.

We've begun excavations in the last untested block at the site—Block 1300. In the kiva we selected for excavation in this block, a pilaster has already been defined. Also, a few burned, small-diameter roofing timbers have been collected for tree-ring dating, and we anticipate more of these all-important samples as digging progresses. The resulting dates will be important in building our chronology of the village (see the Goodman Point research design), because this was the southeasternmost block in the village.

	Project director Kristin Kuckelman and field archaeologists Steve Copeland and Grant Coffey.

Our efforts to increase our midden collections this spring have been mostly successful. Excavations have already confirmed the presence of refuse beneath collapsed wall debris south of the kivas in Block 600. The midden south of Block 1200 continues to be productive, and numerous projectile points, including this Elko Side-Notched dart point, have been found. Our final unfinished midden unit in Block 400 is yielding abundant artifacts—this " tinkler" is made from a burned bird bone. We think objects like this were affixed in multiples to ceremonial regalia or costumes and that they created a tinkling sound by striking each other when the wearer moved. Dense midden at the southeast edge of Block 1100 also contains unusual artifacts; this slender pendant is probably made of jet. We hope that comparisons of midden contents from different blocks across the site will help us differentiate ordinary residences from structures or blocks used for special purposes or by special people.

The weather at the site continues to be changeable. Generally pleasant conditions this past week ended with a thunderstorm and pelting hail. Lucky for the field staff, the middle school students who were digging at the time are natives of Colorado and took the chilly downpour in stride. Nobody said archaeology is always easy!

Kristin Kuckelman, Senior Research Archaeologist, Project Director, Goodman Point Pueblo Excavation