From Stone Darts to Dismembered Bodies, New Study Reveals 5,000 Years of Violence in Central CA

While California may be a relatively peaceful place now it use to be as violent as many other hunter-gather-forager societies

Blunt trauma and spears

Chronicling 16,820 burials from 329 sites among 13 different ethnographic groups, the data reveal that the most common type of violence over the millennia was so-called sharp-force trauma, caused by projectiles like arrows or atlatl darts, which appeared in 7.2% of the burials studied. Another 4.3% of the hunter-gatherers suffered apparent blunt-force trauma to the head, while just under 1% showed evidence of dismemberment, with limbs, scalps, or heads having been removed after death.

There were two particularly violent times

Firstly

The first, and arguably more gruesome, episode spanned from 500 BCE to 420 CE, when dismemberment and trophy-taking appeared to peak.

Secondly

The second spike in violence detected in the skeletal remains took place much more recently, during the early historic period from 1720 to 1899.

An interesting read

a reply to: Hanslune

Links broke
westerndigs.org...

California Crime Rates 1960-2012

Peaceful. Yeah...

The notion that modern, technologically advanced human society is more "civilized" than (morally and intellectually superior to) hunter-gatherer band society has absolutely no evidence to support it.

The predominant belief that hunter-gatherer life was comparatively "nasty, brutish and short" or "savage" is a lie perpetuated by those with vested interests in maintaining the perceived legitimacy of contemporary Western culture.

I won't even get into war, genocide, yadda yadda. So-called "primitive" societies don't even begin to approach the scale of violence and destruction unleashed on the world through (or in spite of) our supposed "enlightenment".

a reply to: NthOther

Violence wise you had a much better chance of dying violently in a traditional HG/ AS society, especially if a male.

Study on war in pre state societies

originally posted by: [post=1790477have killed rveryonethOther[/post]
California Crime Rates 1960-2012

Peaceful. Yeah...

The notion that modern, technologically advanced human society is more "civilized" than (morally and intellectually superior to) hunter-gatherer band society has absolutely no evidence to support it.

The predominant belief that hunter-gatherer life was comparatively "nasty, brutish and short" or "savage" is a lie perpetuated by those with vested interests in maintaining the perceived legitimacy of contemporary Western culture.

I won't even get into war, genocide, yadda yadda. So-called "primitive" societies don't even begin to approach the scale of violence and destruction unleashed on the world through (or in spite of) our supposed "enlightenment".

Well for one, 5% of us aren't being speared to death. Second, we aren't dismembering ppl for sport. Also, If these ppl had guns they probably would have wiped one another out. You make them sound like they would invite you in their home for a nice steak dinner.

a reply to: kevinp2300

I get dubious when archaeologists come up with the whys and wherefor's because they are only guesses based on often very limited information.

Look at a body where someone accidentally fell into the path of an oncoming vehicle. It is smashed and perhaps in x hundreds/thousands years if exhumed, archaelogists may decide ours was a violent and dangerous time to live. Life has always had its wars I suspect, but can anyone be sure that CA was a violent place between cherry-picked dated. Perhaps other bodies if found in the future that corresponde to these dates, would contradict these findings.

I suspect when a group went out hunting and their prey ran amok arrows, darts or stones flew in all directions, it doesn't mean people were deliberately targeted - although we know in the wars that occasionally feuds were settled.

With all of our digital data, were a catastrophe to happen, people in the far future would have to guess at an awful lot of things, as most of our information would have gone with the wind.

a reply to: Hanslune

Upheaval and change?

What happened in the earlier peak in violence? Wasn't that primarily Aztec country at that time?

originally posted by: kevinp2300

originally posted by: [post=1790477have killed rveryonethOther[/post]
California Crime Rates 1960-2012

Peaceful. Yeah...

The notion that modern, technologically advanced human society is more "civilized" than (morally and intellectually superior to) hunter-gatherer band society has absolutely no evidence to support it.

The predominant belief that hunter-gatherer life was comparatively "nasty, brutish and short" or "savage" is a lie perpetuated by those with vested interests in maintaining the perceived legitimacy of contemporary Western culture.

I won't even get into war, genocide, yadda yadda. So-called "primitive" societies don't even begin to approach the scale of violence and destruction unleashed on the world through (or in spite of) our supposed "enlightenment".

Well for one, 5% of us aren't being speared to death. Second, we aren't dismembering ppl for sport. Also, If these ppl had guns they probably would have wiped one another out. You make them sound like they would invite you in their home for a nice steak dinner.

You aren't being speared to death, but you are getting shot, droned, bombed, etc... We have more ways of killing and do it on a larger scale. spears and bullets both leave people dead.

I'll give you the point about sports of death,but you say if they had our technology they'd do the same, doesn't doing the same mean we aren't better. Yea blood sports...but not day to day violence.

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
a reply to: Hanslune

Upheaval and change?

What happened in the earlier peak in violence? Wasn't that primarily Aztec country at that time?

Hey big furry,

Not at that time nor in that region the Aztecs came late to the party but the proto- Aztecs( Nahuatl ) might have been near the area at that time as they are thought to have migrated from what is northern Mexico in the 6th century

a reply to: Hanslune

Last night it was Wrabbit's Anarchy thread. Tonight, i am digging into this story.

Thanks for sharing.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Let us know what you uncover

originally posted by: NthOther
California Crime Rates 1960-2012

Peaceful. Yeah...

The notion that modern, technologically advanced human society is more "civilized" than (morally and intellectually superior to) hunter-gatherer band society has absolutely no evidence to support it.

The predominant belief that hunter-gatherer life was comparatively "nasty, brutish and short" or "savage" is a lie perpetuated by those with vested interests in maintaining the perceived legitimacy of contemporary Western culture.

I won't even get into war, genocide, yadda yadda. So-called "primitive" societies don't even begin to approach the scale of violence and destruction unleashed on the world through (or in spite of) our supposed "enlightenment".

Its not a lie. Primitive societies were a bloody mess and so was the world long before Western culture became the poster boy for violence. Listen to folks whine about the Aztecs, not primitive but storied, and their great and wonderful world before the Spanish but in truth a nasty bloody mess long before the Europeans joined in.

a reply to: Logarock

If you are interested in this subject an excellent book on the subject is

War before civilization, by Lawrence H. Kelley, ISBN 0-19-511912-6

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan
Hi bfft,
It wasn't "Aztec" territory per se, but there is good evidence that the california is the original home land for the all of the uto-aztecan speakers.
Here is an interesting factoid, Aztec creation myth has the origins of the people in seven northern caves. The southern miwok, one of the groups relavent to both of hans' recent threads, have their creation from the survivors of a great flood . These survivors were led by seven chiefs from seven caves.

originally posted by: punkinworks10
a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan
Hi bfft,
It wasn't "Aztec" territory per se, but there is good evidence that the california is the original home land for the all of the uto-aztecan speakers.
Here is an interesting factoid, Aztec creation myth has the origins of the people in seven northern caves. The southern miwok, one of the groups relavent to both of hans' recent threads, have their creation from the survivors of a great flood . These survivors were led by seven chiefs from seven caves.

Cool, thanks for expanding on my less than precise answer to Furry

a reply to: Hanslune
Hans,
Thanks for bringing both of these article to light.
In my own readings I have found a great deal of info about the more northern groups , the bay and delta miwok, Pomo, costoans, and such, but little on the more southerly groups.
I'm surprised that it is thought the atl atl is a newer tool for the people. There are projectile points in the archeological record , going back 16k years, that are small enough to only have been used as arrow or dart points.

These photos are at the mouth of one of the seven caves. This cave is said to be the center of the southern miwok world , where the great chief led his band to survive the flood.
I agreed to keep it's location secret, as it is in nearly pristine condition and some how survived the gold rush.

a reply to: punkinworks10

Has it been excavated?

a reply to: Hanslune
As far as I know , it has not been professionally excavated.
I think the 150' drop to entrance has helped keep this place relatively unknown

a reply to: punkinworks10

That might have limited previous human use also, do you happen to know if their is a fresh water resource within a half a kilometer of the sight?

As you have been there any stone flakes?