Today’s artifact of focus is a rhyolite biface found amid an archaeological site in Lancaster. The Antelope Valley has been home to Native American tribes for up to 12,000 years, occupied primarily by the Kitanemuk, Chemehuevi, Tataviam, Kawaiisu, Vanyume, and Serrano cultural groups.
These groups maintained a mobile way of life that was centered around hunting and gathering resources. To properly obtain and utilize said resources, various types of tools were necessary, including projectile points and grinding stones.
Materials for the tools were acquired from the local terrain and manufactured into whatever item needed. One of the most common materials used for manufacturing lithic tools among the Antelope Valley was rhyolite.
Antelope Valley Indian Museum, Antelope Valley Indian Peoples, AVIM.parks.ca.gov
Hobart M. King, Rhyolite, Geology.com
Photo courtesy of MOAH Collections