The upland piñon zone has long been an important source of data for archaeological theory-building in the Western Great Basin. Recent excavations in the piñon zone on Sherwin Summit, eastern California, the traditional homeland of the Owens Valley Paiute, have shed much light on the role of rock rings and charcoal stains in green-cone piñon processing and storage. Radiocarbon dating points to a late prehistoric intensification of green-cone processing in the area (ca. 500-100 b.p., uncalibrated), which we suggest is the result of scheduling conflicts during late summer and fall. Green-cone procurement allowed local residents to harvest piñon earlier in the season, freeing time to harvest irrigated and wetland seeds, to participate in annual festivals, and to hunt.
Volume 29 Number 1-2 (Spring and Summer 2002--2004) Table of Contents