Page 7 - cemex_culturalresources_peerreview2000

Soledad Canyon Sand and Gravel Mining

Project EIR and EIS Peer Review and Com-

ment Concerning Cultural Resources Element

prepared for City of Santa Clarita
by Chester King, PhD
December 17, 2000

discoveries including the discovery of a cache of ceremonial
Background to Native Use of artifacts at Bower s Cave, excavations of cemeteries,
recording of rock paintings and an area survey to gather
the Project Area data to be used for interpretation of the settlement at
Vasquez Rocks County Park have increased our knowledge
The purpose of the following analysis of the status of of pre-mission Tativiam society. Existing information
contemporary scientific knowledge about cultural resources indicates ties to surrounding groups including the Serrano,
within the Soledad Canyon area is to provide a context Chumash and Tongva/Gabrielino. The map on page 2
for understanding the formal significance of the sites indicates the distribution of native settlements in Los
situated within and immediately adjacent to the Southdown- Angeles County. The map indicates the locations or relative
Transit Mix Concrete property. Further, this background locations of the settlements that are discussed
information is essential for establishing what traditional
native Californian ethnographic groups occupied the The San Fernando Mission registers name two settlements
area historically. This tentative identification of cultural of native people in the immediate vicinity of San Fernando
affiliation with the TMC property needs to be established Mission One place was at the actual site of the mission.
based on available sources of ethnohistoric and ethnographic Historic documents indicate migration of Indians to a
evidence to enable the BLM to meaningfully involve the ranching and farming center in the San Fernando Valley
Ii ving descendents of these ethnographically identified before the mid 1790s. This center became the site of the
groups into the research, consultation, and significance San Fernando mission in 1797. On August 19, 1795, Father
evaluation phases of work necessary for this undertaking. Vicente de Santa Maria described the settlement in his
expedition diary:
This background data should be of use to the BLM and
other federal agencies who need to study the sites situated We went to explore the place where the
within the boundary of the TMC property. The report alcalde of the pueblo (Los Angeles),
specifies research questions and types of inquiry that should Francisco Reyes, has his rancho ....
be explored in the design of testing programs at the sites We found the place quite suitable for a
within the project boundary. It is important to emphasize mission, because it has much water, much
that the known sites in the TMC boundary may not represent humid land, and also limestone; for we
the inventory of all sites or properties of significance under came upon a party of gentiles who were
federal standards and guidelines. This background should finishing a kiln for burning lime which
be of utility to the interpretation of the sites identified thus they had already heaped up. ... there is
far on the TMC property. a lack of firewood; for the place has no
more than is found in the arroyo, which is
Native Settlements in the Vicinity of the about one league long. There we found
Project Area willows, poplars, alders, and a few live
oaks, at a distance of a quarter or a half
league from the mission, should it be
At the time of Spanish colonization, the vicinity of the founded there. In this place we came to a
project area was the location of settlements of Tataviam rancheria near the dwelling of said Reyes
people. Most Tataviam people were recruited into San with enough Indians. They take care
Fernando Mission and many of their descendants continue of the field of corn, beans, and melons,
to live in the San Fernando area. The Tataviam language belonging to said Reyes, which with that
was most closely related to Tongva/Gabrieleno, Serrano and of the Indians could be covered with
other southern California Takic languages that are members two fanengas of wheat. These Indians
of the Oto-Aztecan language family . Archaeological are the cowherds, cattlemen, irrigators,
bird-catchers, foremen, horsemen etc. To