So our historian friend Rick sent word today of research on the heating rocks used by the Indians in Calaveras county. Guess what kind of meat it appears the natives regularly ate? Umm that would be beaver. You know, the aquatic mammal not present above 1000 feet? The lipids were taken from a Miwok cave at 3300 feet outside Arnold. Apparently they’d throw a hot cooking rock into a basket or hide vessel to make their dinner. The rocks were later analyzed by Tammy Buonasera to see what the natives were eating and to make sure the lipid analysis was accurate. She questioned whether this was the case, as there were some natural rocks (not used by human) that also tested positive for beaver. In a later paper she focused on ground stone which did not include such traces. Still, it’s a whiff of a clue and I can be excited about it if I want too. The beaver lipids date to around 250 years ago.
Could this mean beavers were on the western slopes of the sierras? Clearly Tappe and Grinnell, with 60+ years of false reporting to defend, would say no. Obviously it was a hard life to be an native. First you had to catch your dinner 2000 feet down the mountain, tracking a species with which you were totally unfamiliar and then haul it back up the mountain to cook it on a rock. Tough gig.
I still say wide open is the direction in which this particular beaver myth is going to be blown.
