Archeology in Yosemite National Park: The Wawona Testing Project

The Wawona Testing Project evaluated three potential sewage development locations and examined some other sites to produce general information on Wawona prehistory. Systematic surface collections and/or test excavations were conducted at five sites. Two of these were relatively
large and important prehistoric sites for the Wawona valley. Host of
the material recovered relates to the late prehistoric occupation, the
Mariposa Complex, or protohistoric Miwok. There is also evidence of
occupation during the Crane Flat Complex, probably before A.D. 500.
Analysis of the obsidian tools and debitage revealed that an important
activity at the Wawona sites was the working of obsidian bifaces, probably
obtained by trade from the Great Basin groups across the Sierra to
the east. This was a longstanding tradition in Wawona prehistory, evidenced by the similarity of material at all the sites studied, and from
the latest to the earliest levels. Historic material relating to the
early settlement of Wawona and the development of the Sierran tourist
industry was also analyzed. The intensive analysis of a small amount of
excavated material proved effective in producing new information on
Wawona's past, and in aiding management decisions.

瓦沃纳测试项目（Wawona Testing Project）对三处潜在的污水处理设施建设选址进行了评估，并对其他若干遗址开展调查，旨在获取瓦沃纳地区史前史的基础研究资料。研究团队对五处遗址实施了系统性地表采集或试掘工作，其中两处为瓦沃纳谷地规模较大、学术价值突出的史前遗址。出土的大部分遗存均与晚史前时期的定居活动相关，属于马里波萨文化复合体（Mariposa Complex）或历史早期的米沃克人（Miwok）遗存。此外还发现了属于克兰弗拉特文化复合体（Crane Flat Complex）的定居遗存证据，其年代大致早于公元500年。通过对黑曜石工具与石片剥屑（debitage）的分析可知，瓦沃纳遗址的一项重要生产活动为黑曜石双面器（obsidian bifaces）加工，这些黑曜石原料大概率通过贸易，从横跨内华达山脉东侧的大盆地族群（Great Basin groups）处获取。这一生产传统在瓦沃纳史前史中延续已久，所有被研究遗址的出土遗存（从最晚到最早的地层堆积）均呈现出相似特征，可为此提供佐证。研究团队同时对与瓦沃纳早期定居开发以及内华达山脉旅游业发展相关的历史遗存开展了分析。对少量发掘遗存的精细化分析，不仅为瓦沃纳地区的过往历史研究提供了全新资料，同时也为相关管理决策提供了有力支撑。