Arthur Picford - Grant Keddie

Originally published in The Midden, 24(3). 2011. By Grant Keddie David Scott’s Discovery and the Never Ending Story The topic of trans-Pacific contact is a controversial one. It is often said of academics that they ignore evidence that does not fit the accepted status quo. The story of this case is an interesting scenario of how the discovery of an artifact is dealt with when it does not fit our understanding of local history. This story transcends a period of four Museum Curators and now 62 years later is still unresolved. Are we dealing with evidence of ancient long distance trans-Pacific voyaging, long distant trade between the continents of the New World, or an example of unusual refuse from the … Continue reading “The Mystery of the Saturna Island Figurine Head”

Originally published in The Midden, 20(1). February 1988. By Grant Keddie Flat, paddle-shaped, stone hand-mauls are found in some large prehistoric village sites in the southeastern interior of British Columbia. Many people have been curious as to what they were used for and how old they are. The specimen shown in Figure 1 seems to me to represent the native artisan’s “mental template” or perfect idea of what a hand-maul of this type should look like. The specimen is one of several hundred handmauls collected by Keith and Ellen Edgell from intermittently flooded sites along the Arrow Lakes. This particular specimen does not appear to have been used. Many similar artifacts are worn down almost to their handles; the bottoms … Continue reading “Kootenay Lichen Pounder”