Masters Thesis

A possible Chumash trading site in the Santa Monica Mountains

In 1980 a rockshelter and three adjacent sites near the coast in the Santa Monica Mountains were excavated and three adjacent sites above it were surface collected. Several propositions concerning the aboriginal utilization of the rockshelter and sites were generated. These were (briefly): use of the rockshelter and sites for trade, hunting, permanent habitation, or both trade and hunting. After analysis of the derived data, it appears that the rockshelter and sites were used as a trading/hunting site. This thesis examines and interprets the archeological data derived from the excavation of the rockshelter and the surface collection of the sites, while examining the relationship of these sites to sites along the coast.

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