[243] APPENDIX C
PERISHABLES FROM EIGHT ROCKSHELTERS
ON QUILOMENE BAR

By Carolyn Osborne

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The western edge of Quilomene Bar is flanked by high basalt cliffs in which there are numerous small rockshelters. Many of these shelters have been used for storage during the late prehistoric period, and a few may possess cultural fill from earlier times. Unfortunately, all have been completely or partially destroyed by relic hunters.

The following is a report on artifact assemblages from eight of the less thoroughly disturbed rockshelters in the area. 45KT48 is located at the south of Quilomene Bar, overlooking the mouth of Quilomene Creek. The rest of the sites (never formally designated) have been numbered with Arabic numerals. Site 1 is near the southern end of Quilomene Bar, Sites 3, 4, and 5 are adjacent to the central portion of the bar, and Sites 6 and 7 are located on the southwestern side of Sunset Creek canyon. With the exception of 45KT48 and Site 3, cultural deposits were superficial and derive from the late prehistoric or early historic periods.

45KT48

Field Specimen 1 (Fig. 104, a) from this site is the proximal or butt end of a stake or wedge; it is broken and eroded and appears to have been burned at one time (no char is visible but the erosion is typical of a burned surface). The wood is either cottonwood (Populus sp.) or willow (Salix sp.); the choice of material seems to indicate that it was a stake — a wedge would ordinarily be made of harder wood. The fragment measures 206 mm. in length and has a maximum diameter of 30 mm. The butt end was cut by notching for approximately three-fourths of its circumference and then broken; this end has been much hammered, and a central depression appears to have been formed by striking with a rounded object such as a hammerstone. The cuts to weaken the stick so that it could be broken were probably made with a metal tool.

Site 1

Site 1 yielded two fragments of cordage (F.S. 1 and 2); both are of sage bark (Artemisia sp.), 2-ply S-twist, diameters 4 and 7 mm. Lengths are short (150 and 90 mm.); they are similar to cordage used in mat sewing (see mat fragments from other sites).

In addition a shell disc bead (Fig. 104, f), a core tool (Fig. 104, c), a fish vertebra, a piece of mammal bone, and the horn core of a mountain sheep were recovered.

Site 2

Site 2 yielded 28 perishable items. Short lengths of cordage (Table 4) make up about one third of the specimens; the size and plant material of the cordage bits fall into the range used in the mat fragments from this site (Table 5). Whereas all cord used in the matting is 2-pty S-twist,there are two specimens of Z-twist cord in the unused cord fragments. Both of these are of sage bast (Artemisia), as apparently are the bulk of me cordage samples (Table 4). It should be noted that F.S. 6 is knotted at both ends.[243]

[244] Table 4. Cordage from Site 2

There are seven fragments of sewed cattail matting (F.S. 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23). The cordage used for the sewing has been tabulated in Table 5. A brief description of each specimen will follow:

F.S. 12: one warp of cattail 88 mm. long and 9 mm. in diameter; warp element is round, no evidence of creaser having been used; one sewing cord is present.

F.S. 14: two warp elements of cattail, 55 and 65 mm. long; 9 and 5 mm. in diameter respectively; round; one sewing cord.

F.S. 15: two cattail warp elements, longer is 195 mm; 9 mm. in diameter; slightly flattened but no evidence of creaser use. Warp elements are widely spaced, and tied to the sewing cord between the two warps are two lengths of the same cord; one is tied at midsection with the ends hanging down for 120 mm., the other now has one end of 120 mm. A pierced hole in the longer warp indicates a sewing interval of 110 mm.

F.S. 16: two warps of cattail, lengths ca. 113 mm.; diameters 8-9 mm.; round. Sewed with one length of cord.

F.S. 17: fragment 43 mm. wide, using small cattails approximately three to the centimeter; maximum length of warps 115 mm. Sewed with one cord length; warp elements are slightly twisted in the sewing area, probably accidental as the sewing was done.

F.S. 22 (Fig. 103, d): fragment of nine cattail warps, not closely spaced; diameters around 8 mm.; slightly flattened. There is one sewing row through the center, indicating a sewing interval of at least 115 mm. Size: 190 x 115 mm.

F.S. 23: fragment of eight cattail warps, approximately 30 mm. long; slightly flattened; diameters 6 to 8 mm. Three sewing rows are indicated, spaced 100mm. apart; two have intact cordage. Size: 300 x 55 mm.

Table 5. Cord used in mat fragments, Site 2

Eight specimens (F.S. 11, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24a, 24c) are fragments of twined matting:

F.S. 11 (Fig. 101, d) appears to be the selvage of a mat. The warp elements are of slightly twisted sage bast; there are two bundles bent over at the top and secured with a twined row with pitch up to the left. The twining weft [244/245] is also a bundle of barely twisted sage bast, ca. 13 mm. in diameter. The whole is exceedingly crude and fragmentary. The total length of warps is 120 mm.; the width 77 mm.

Field specimen 13 may be the selvage of a twined mat. The specimen is highly fragmentary (61 x 16 mm.) and consists of a twined row of slightly twisted cattail, pitch up to the left, through two interstices of which arc caught short lengths of the same material. This may be the heading for a mat.

Field specimen 18 is a fragment of twined cattail matting. The warps consist of two to three cattails secured by one row of twining of untwisted sage bast with pitch up to the right There are only three warp groups with a width of 65 mm., length of 220 mm., and an indicated interval of at least 160 mm. between the rows of twining. The whole is highly disintegrated.

Field specimen 19 is the selvage of a twined sage bast mat. The warp consists of large (17 mm.) bundles of untwisted shredded bast, folded over at the top. These are secured with one row of heavy (10 mm.) 2-ply S-twist cord of sage bast, pitch up to the left. This was a crude mat.

Field specimen 20 is similar to 19 but even more disintegrated. The warp consists of bundles of shredded sage bast; there is one row of twining using untwisted bast bundles for weft, with pitch up to the left

Field specimen 21 (Fig. 101, c) is, like 19 and 20, a disintegrating mass of shredded sage bast with two weft rows and a portion of selvage. The warp consists of wide (20 to 25 mm.) bundles of bast untwisted; the weft is a narrower bundle of bast, barely S-twist; the twining pitch is to the left; the interval of rows 90 mm. At the end of the row the paired wefts are twisted together and carried down to the next row.

F.S. 24a and 24c are fragments of twined matting of ryegrass (Elymus sp.); 24a has warp bundles of crowns of the grass, 10 to 12 mm. in diameter, and a maximum of 110 mm. in length. The twining weft is of loosely S-twist ryegrass 5-6 mm. in diameter. The pitch is up to the left and there is only a single row in the length of the specimen. The whole is exceedingly loose at present. Specimen 24c measures 110 x 85 mm. The warp bundles are untwisted, 9-10 mm. in diameter; there is only one row of weft, on loosely S-twist grass, ca. 7 mm. in diameter. The twining pitch is up to the left.

F.S. 24b may be a fragment of a twined soft bag or of fine matting. The warp consists of untwisted bundles of sage bast, ca. 5 mm. in diameter, 160 mm. maximum length. The weft is loosely twisted 2-ply Z-twist cord of sage bast, diameter 3 to 4 mm. There are four rows of twining, approximately 10 mm. apart, pitch to the right. The fragment is unwoven below these four rows; no selvages are present.

Field specimens 1, 9, and 10 are separated knots of untwisted bast bundles. All are of sage; 1 is solely a knot; 9 is a knot of two bundles of bast, loose, both ends broken; 10 is also a loose knot. All of these "knots" were too disintegrated to identify

Site 3

Site 3 yielded five perishable items: one a mat fragment, the remainder lengths of cord.

The matting fragment (Fig. 103, c) measures 340 mm. (warp) x 65 mm. (width). It consists of three warp bundles of ryegrass (Elymus) each approximately 20 mm. wide. They are held by a single row of twining (including a selvage) with a left pitch, near one end. The weft is 2-ply S-twist juniper (Juniperus sp.) or cedar (Thuja sp.) bark, 4 mm. in diameter, folded at the selvage to from the two weft elements for twining.

The cordage is summarized in Table 6. It should be noted that field specimens 3a and 3b are loosely twisted together, some of the twists having interstices as though the cords had been twining wefts; the cord appears identical to that used in F.S. 1. The twining pitch of these was left. [245]

[246] TABLE 6. Cordage from Site 3.

Site 4 had 27 perishable items; one coiled basket fragment; one wood fragment; 18 cordage lengths; three twined cattail mat fragments; and four sewed cattail mat fragments.

The coiled basket fragment (Fig. 104, e) is tiny (20 x 7 mm.). It consists of one row of coiled warp element, a rod and splint bundle, and a few stitches of the sewing weft. Each sewing stitch in the row penetrates the bundle of the adjoining coil; there are approximately five stitches to the centimeter.

The wood fragment (F.S. 27) is a fragment from the edge of a sawed pine board, possibly from a packing crate. The end, one surface, and one edge are sawed or planed.

The twined cattail mats (F.S. 2, 12 (weft only), 23) are all highly fragmentary. One (F.S. 12) is matting only by inference.

F.S. 2 (Fig. 101, a) is a selvage fragment 600 mm. long (warp) x 230 mm. wide (weft). The warp is of cattail, approximately 6 mm. in diameter; these are folded at the top and caught in the first row of twining; the end is secured in the same twined stitch as the third warp beyond (i.e., passes over 2), on the under surface. The twining pitch is to the left; there are three weft rows in the fragment with an interval of 20 mm. The weft varies in plant material; the top binding row and the third row are of juniper or cedar (Thuja) bark loose S-twist, 4-5 mm. in diameter. The second weft is of cattail, loose S-twist. The matting is firm and compact.

F.S. 23 is a fragment (80 x 90 mm.) with two untwisted cattail warp bundles of approximately 9 mm. diameter with two rows of wefts of untwisted cattail. Twining pitch is up to the left with a row interval of 30 mm.

F.S. 12 appears to be the weft from a mat; it is of cattail, slightly twisted, twining pitch to the left. The spaces where warp existed are clearly visible.

The sewed matting fragments are represented by portions of only a few elements. F.S. 20 is matting only by courtesy; it consists of a long cattail fragment, constricted at one end as if from a twined row and with evidence of sewing 25 mm. below. The fragment is split at the pierced hole; only a tiny fragment of cord remains.

F.S. 21 also consists of a lone cattail warp, 95 mm. long and 10 mm. in diameter with one sewing cord intact The warp is slightly flattened but there is no evidence of creaser use. F.S. 24 has one whole warp element and a splinter from a second cattail warp. The length is 110 mm., diameter 12 mm.; it is round and shows no evidence of creaser use. One sewing cord is intact. Field Specimen 25 has two warp elements, 10 mm. in diameter with a maximum length of 161 mm. There is one intact sewing cord, no flattening of warps.

Sewing cords from the mats are listed in Table 7. It should be noted that field specimens 21, 24, and 25 are portions of mats, and field specimens 18 and 19 are each knotted at one end.

In addition, a metal point (Fig. 104, d) and iron axe head (Fig. 104, b), and nine flakes were recovered. [246]

Table 7. Cordage from Site 4. [247]

Site 5

There are two fragments of sewed cattail matting. In both, the cattail warps are round with no evidence of a creaser having been used; the diameter of the warps is 9 to 10 mm.; length 117 to 155 mm. The sewing cord is 2-ply S-twist, 3 mm. diameter. It is of juniper or cedar bark. Both fragments could have been from the same mat.

Site 6

This rockshelter contained few perishable items other than bits of cordage and wood fragments.

There are two fragments of twined matting and one matting selvage without weft. F.S. 18 (Fig. 103, b), the largest piece of matting, measures 305 by 85 mm. There are six warp bundles of cattail, varying in diameter from 8 to 15 mm. The weft is untwisted cattail. Twining pitch is up to the left; the two rows in the fragment are approximately 135 cm. apart. There are no selvages. F.S. 9 is the end selvage of a cattail mat 25 mm. long by 70 mm. wide. The end selvage arrangement is the same as that of F.S. 2 from Site 4. The weft is untwisted cattail, pitch up to the left; the warp bundles are about 10 mm. in diameter. F.S. 7 consists of a pair of twined cattail wefts, pitch to the left, with a fragment of cattail warp caught into one twist. The specimen measures 22 mm. (warp) by 84 mm. (weft). The final matting specimen (F.S. 17) has a series of warps bent over at the end but has no wefts present. The warps have an extra twist in the selvage. Since there are no holding wefts the warps have lost their proper placement, and no diagram of weave could be made.

The finest object in the perishable collection is a portion of a twined soft bag (Fig. 102, b) or fine mat, measuring 100 by 130 mm. with no selvage remnants. The warp consists of flat strips of sage bark, 3-6 mm. wide. The weft is untwisted strips of sage bast 2-3 mm. in diameter. The weave is twined with pitch up to the left; weft rows are 10-15 mm. apart. The whole is fairly loose, but the weave is even, forming a serviceable textile, easily and quickly manufactured.

The cordage fragments are tabulated in Table 8. Field specimen 2 may be a cord fragment. [247]

[248] TABLE 8. Cordage from Site 6.

Wood fragments (F.S. 11, 12,13, 15) are all of cedar with lengths from 85 to 175 mm., and widths from 20 to 37 mm. (Fig. 104, g). All are slightly charred on ends and sides; all seem to be fragments of split shakes, either aboriginal or recently manufactured. One (F.S. 13) seems to have been smoothed on the larger plane surfaces. One end of each has been cut (shows best in F.S. 15) apparently with a knife. F.S. 14 differs from the others; it has an oval cross-section and is completely charred. It is also a heavier piece of wood, perhaps cedar heartwood. It may, however, also be part of a shake.

Site 7

Site 7 contained the largest fragments of sewed matting in the series. Two fragments make up F.S. 1 (Fig. 101, b): one with portion of side selvage remaining measures 285 x 170 mm.; the other, with no selvage, 270x 120 mm. Warp is cattail, 2 to 6 mm. in diameter; the weft is 2-ply S-twist bast (unidentified) with diameter of 3-5 mm. The mat is sewed with a row interval of 160 mm. At the selvage, the sewing cord is carried down the edge, reinforced with another cord, the sewing cord, the sewing cord passing through the twist of the other.

Field specimen 4 (Fig. 102, a) is a fragment of soft bag or fine mat of cedar or juniper bark, measuring 130 x 95 mm. The warp consists of flat strips of bark, 5 mm. wide; the weft is single-ply S-twist of the same bast. The textile is twined with pitch up to the left; rows are 10 mm. apart at the center and 15 mm. at one end, which may indicate an attempt at shaping. There are no selvages. The object was crude but evenly executed and serviceable.

F.S. 3 is barely worked -- it consists of long strands (520 mm.) of slightly S-twist sage bast, tied at one end to a length of 2-ply S-twist cord. The object appears to have been made for some momentary use.

There are five cordage lengths (P.S. 2). All appear to be of sage bast, are 2-ply S-twist with diameters from 3 to 7 mm., loose to medium degree and lengths from 195 to 320 mm.

The final object from the site is the end of a wood dibble or a pointed stake (Fig. 103, a). The object is 470 mm. long, broken at the proximal end; it is 25 mm. in diameter at the broken end, tapering smoothly to a blunt, rounded point ca. 10 mm. in diameter. It has been burned at the broken end and the burned section largely eroded. [248]

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LAST REVISED: 25 AUG 2015