To bead or not to bead

[johnger1]

Looks like a clay bead. I've never seen one before, so that's just a guess.

 

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[unclemac]

i would call it that...what context did you find it in?

 

[johnger1]

I found it in the back yard when I was landscaping. I was told, that in the fifty's, they were building an elks lodge nearby and found some native american artifacts. This resulted in the project being delayed while they removed remains or artifacts. All the excavated soil removed from the construction site was dumped on a ridge where my home was built a few years later. I confirmed the elks lodge/artifact info in the local newspaper records and a portion of my home was built on loose fill, but I don't now if its the same fill. I've found some things peices of pertified wood, fossiled bones, something that looks like a sandstone fang or tooth , a blue stone marble, and some possible artifacts. That's the only bead we found. Is there any way to tell who used it and when?

 

[Tnmountains]

Looks to be clay they fired them with a stick in then that would burn out leaving the hole. They did not always turn out perfect. Hard to say but if you tap it against your teeth fired clay is softer than a geode. Check and see what culture was in your area. Good luck.

 

[unclemac]

I would pick it up and keep it as a bead, no hesitation.

 

[johnger1]

The local culture, the tongva,were very skilled craftsmen, I've seen some examples of there work. Due to the lack of clay deposits, they adapted and used what was available. They carved bowls and pots out of basalt and weaved baskets out of the local reeds, which were capable of holding water. They also traveled between the mainland and the channel islands on reed boats, so they did get around. If the bead is artifact, its probably not from around here. Is there anyway to connect it with which culture did make it. Also, if anyne knows, what time period were clay beads like this produced?