Archaeologist Forms Group to Address Issues Raised by Clovis Point Find
• Among Goals of Friends of Farpoint Is Legislation Assuring Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites
BY ANNE SOBLE The archaeologist at the Malibu location where an authenticated Clovis cultural era spear point was found in 2005 has announced the formation of a group to try to protect the site that could date back 11,000 years, as well as raise public consciousness about the need for ways to address conflicts over site access with private property owners.
Dr. Gary Stickel said the first aim of the organization, called Friends of Farpoint, is to “immediately save the Farpoint site for its proper preservation and conservation.”
To this end, the archaeologist said the group seeks to “foster a National Park Service connection to the site.” Stickel said he has met with officials of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and discussed the possibility of a future Farpoint exhibit, as well as enlisted support from the NPS and other public agencies for the site’s protection.
Stickel said the primary longterm objective of the Friends is to “foster better legislation (not only for the City of Malibu, but at the county, state and federal levels) to preclude problems, such as at Farpoint with access to the site and concern about destruction of artifacts, from occurring at other locations.”
The archaeologist said the new organization will also “seek creative ways to enhance the cultural resources,” emphasizing the ability of these resources to provide potential answers to some of the many questions that exist about prehistoric North American migration and habitation.
Among the broad-brush issues is whether the data support the “European origins” theory for the origin of the Clovis culture in the New World, as opposed to the traditional theory, which holds that the first Clovis people were the ancestors of Native Americans who came from Siberia across the Bering Land Bridge into Alaska and then inhabited North America.
Stickel said, “Actually there are problems with both theories, and I am neutral, wishing to keep an open mind until more evidence can be produced, hopefully in part from our Farpoint site, and that is why it is so important for our nation’s history.”
He also emphasized that “we collected a good deal of data that indicates that the Chumash Native American People occupied the Farpoint site for thousands of years, and we were not allowed to fully document their occupation or even how long they occupied the site. That needs to be done.” The Chumash are Malibu’s first recorded residents.
There is also the desire to do more work at the site because “the Clovis Point was dug up by a backhoe, not carefully and scientifically,” but Stickel indicated, “I am actually emphasizing at present the need to preserve and conserve the site for future research (perhaps 50 to 100 years from now) when archaeological techniques will be greatly improved.”
He said, “The site has been suffering destruction in the forms of many long trenches, pits and excavations for a reflecting pool, all of which were unnecessary as there were other options to provide those facilities for the new mansion complex, and all of that destruction was done without any archaeology on those affected site areas.”
Stickel stressed that “it is a sad fact that our laws, not just in the City of Malibu where the site is located, but in general, are not strong enough to protect and allow us to conserve such a unique, highly significant site, one that may well yield critically needed information on how our continent was first inhabited.”
Anyone seeking more information about Friends of Farpoint can contact Stickel at 323-937-6997 or
dregarystickel@netzero.net.
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