[Aztlan] WALKER SITE ARCHAEOLOGISTS FIRE BACK

[michael ruggeri]

Let the debate begin: State Archaeologist, LLHSP disagree on how  
Walker Hill stone artifacts were made
by Gail DeBoer, Staff writer
The Pilot-Independent
Last Updated: Wednesday, March 07th, 2007 04:13:05 PM

In a Feb. 20 report posted on the website of the Office of the  
Minnesota State Archaeologist, Archaeologist Scott Anfinson and  
others conclude that the "stone tools" found at the Walker Hill site  
were made by natural processes, not by early humans.
However Thor Olmanson, director of the Leech Lake Heritage Sites  
Program (LLHSP), disputes that conclusion. LLHSP is the  
archaeological consulting firm that discovered the artifacts while  
conducting a survey at the site of the new Walker Area Community Center.
In a March 1 e-mail to The Pilot-Independent, Olmanson declared it is  
far too early to draw any definitive conclusions about the site and  
defended LLHSP's methodology and ongoing analysis.
"We remain comfortable with our earlier impressions and with the  
ongoing analysis and study of the materials. In our opinion, the site  
is becoming ever more difficult to ignore from a strictly scientific  
perspective," Olmanson stated.

The backstory
In January, reports of the discovery of what was thought to be  
evidence of human activity dating back 14,000 years on a hillside  
overlooking Leech Lake drew a flurry of media attention and resulted  
in the city of Walker calling a temporary halt to a road project, in  
order to preserve the site.
On Feb. 10, LLHSP presented its report on the Walker Hill site at the  
Council for Minnesota Archaeology (CMA) research symposium in Mankato.
This was the first chance for the larger Minnesota archaeological  
community, including Anfinson and his colleagues, to hear first-hand  
about the excavation and examine the recovered lithics (stone objects).
Following the examination of the Walker Hill artifacts that were  
brought to the symposium, Anfinson said he discussed the collection  
with eight other archaeologists with expertise in lithics,  
independently polled most and asked a standard set of three questions.
• Did you see any clearly-obvious stone tools of human manufacture?
• Did you see anything that could not have been produced by a natural  
process? and
• What is your overall opinion on the reality of the human occupation  
of the site?

OSA says it was nature
"... It was the unanimous conclusion of the experienced lithicists  
(scientists who specialize in the study of rocks) that the great  
majority of the collection was produced by natural processes, there  
were a few 'maybe' flakes, and there were clearly no stone tools of  
obvious human manufacture or use," Anfinson wrote.
"The majority of the other archaeologists ... (myself included) who  
don't claim to be lithicists but have extensive experience dealing  
with stone tools came to the same conclusion."
Anfinson listed other factors, such as no non-stone tool evidence  
such as fire-cracked rocks; natural actions that can produce the same  
flaking as human tool-making; and the uninviting environment of the  
Leech Lake area in late Glacial times.

'Massive glacial outwash'
"In the end, the most convincing evidence that the site is not an  
early occupation is the fact that a glacial geologist has suggested  
that a 'high energy environment' (in other words, massive glacial  
outwash) produced the sediment layers that contained the 'artifacts' ...
"Such environments have been shown to produce 'nature-facts' that  
greatly resemble artifacts," he concluded.
Anfinson's eight-page report is available on the State Archaeologist  
Office website, www.admin.state .mn.us/osa/.

LLHSP stands by original findings
"We and many others at the CMA symposium had a completely different  
overall impression than the view selectively presented by Anfinson,"  
Olmanson responded.
"It is far too early to draw any definitive conclusions about the  
site, especially based on scanty second-hand impressions of a few of  
the artifacts from the site without any understanding of the context.
"There is nothing wrong with our methodology or ongoing analysis. The  
only thing we would do differently would be to not allow the media to  
run away with [the story]."
Olmanson added that unfortunately, there is nothing surprising or  
especially disturbing about differences of opinion and "unfounded  
peer attacks."
He said that LLHSP will try to proceed with its analysis and report  
preparation.
"Only when our analysis and report is complete will anyone have  
anything to actually disagree with," he stated. Olmanson was  
preparing a posting for the CMA website, where he said there will be  
further discussion on the topic.
The Council for Minnesota Archaeology's website is www.mn  
archaeology.org.

LLHSP plans further site study
Olmanson said that, with the cooperation of the city of Walker and  
WACC, LLHSP hopes to organize a volunteer effort to further study the  
site this summer.
"Despite [Anfinson's] attempts to discredit and destroy the site  
(along with our credibility), there are many interested  
archaeologists, soils scientists and glacial geologists who are  
willing to donate their time, expertise and energies to further our  
understanding of the site."

Experts need to study site
Anfinson thinks that more site work would only confirm the  
conclusions in his report. If investigators want to pursue it, he  
recommended a recognized stone tool expert examine the collection. If  
the expert concludes there may be some real artifacts, he recommended  
an outside unbiased archaeologist, experienced in excavating complex,  
early sites, be brought in.
He also recommended that a similar setting nearby also be examined —  
one distant enough to assure independence, to see if the same  
sediment horizons produce similar lithics — since, he explained, it  
would be unlikely that both would be rare, early prehistoric sites.



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