Book Description

"At the request of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, archaeologists from the university of Idaho and the Nez Perce Tribe conducted a series of investigatins at the 120 acre Kooskia National Fish Hatchery in 1993. This project was conducted in response to the construction of a pipeline which had adversely affected cultural resources in portions of the property. Although the hatchery was associated with several recorded sites including the ethnographic Nez Perce Indian village known as Kam'-nak-ka (10-IH-820) and a historic lumber mill (10-IH-987), only limited archaeological fieldwork had ever been conducted here. Initial reconnaissance and testing confirmed the presence of both sites and data recoveery excavations were undertaken at 10-IH-820. Analyses of diagnostic artifacts and features indicataes that a variety of activities associated with hunting, fishing, plant processing, and the manufacture of both lithic and bone tools occurred onsite. Seasonality of the faunal remains suggests that this occupation occurred in the fall and early winter. Stratigraphy and radiocarbon dates demonstrate that 10IH-820 possesses stratified deposits dating from ca.4500 B.P. into the historic period. These investigations indicate that Kam'-nak-ka is eligible for listing on the National Register of HIstoric Places."--Page iii.