Indians Win Delay On Artifact Dig -- Compromise In Wenatchee Dispute

WENATCHEE - The Indians won.

An agreement hammered out during a four-hour meeting here yesterday allows work to proceed at an 11,000-year-old archeological site, but delays important excavation that a New York archaeologist thought he had state permission to do.

``All of us had to compromise,'' said Michael Gramly of the Buffalo (N.Y.) Science Museum, the archaeologist selected by the owner of the apple orchard containing the site. But Gramly had to compromise the most.

The Colville Indian Tribe, believing the site likely contains human remains, succeeded in limiting the work under the present permit to removing tools already exposed in the excavation. In fact, Gramly promised to try to avoid finding more artifacts.

Future work, digging to see if still more artifacts lie beneath the orchard, will depend on a long-term management plan worked out with the Colvilles. Don Krupp, the state official who convened the meeting, said that means a delay of at least a year.

Krupp is an assistant director of the State Department of Community Development, which contains the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, which issued the permit.

``It is with a great deal of reluctance the tribe has agreed to this,'' said Mathew Dick, Jr., chairman of the tribe's cultural-affairs committee. ``But the science people have explained to us that the artifacts are exposed, at the mercy of the elements and the work needs to be done right away. We agree this should be done.''

The objects were first exposed two years ago by Washington State University scientists. They backfilled to preserve the objects until a major effort could be mounted.

Gramly's crew removed the backfill, re-exposing the objects and touching off a peaceful protest at the site on Monday by about 100 Native Americans and supporters. The dig is near East Wenatchee. Yesterday's meeting was at Wenatchee Valley College.

Gramly said he can see 17 objects in the excavation, including projectile points, stone knife blades and tools crafted from bones of extinct animals. Uses of the bone tools have not been determined.

The find will add to the 14 stone projectile points previously removed, which are now exhibited at the North Central Washington Museum here. The material has already made the site one of the most important in the Western Hemisphere. It is the oldest well-documented trace of humans in this state.

The projectile points, up to nine inches long, were among the largest ever found, so big they probably were thrust rather than thrown. Workers at the site said yesterday that one of the points still in the earth appears to be even bigger.

The projectile points are of a type used only during a 500-year period ending 11,000 years ago. They are known as Clovis points for the New Mexico town near where they were first discovered.

The Clovis people hunted the mammoth, mastodons and other big game that still occupied the country at the close of the ice age.

The Colvilles agreed that Gramly could continue work in two trenches dug near the site to determine geological context of the area and which apparently contain no cultural material. But removal of the exposed artifacts will be delayed at least a few days while the tribe, the landowner and the state discuss procedures.

``This was an important step we took today,'' Dick said, ``a step toward developing awareness of the beliefs of others.''

When the 17 points are eventually removed from the ground, Gramly said, they will be taken to the museum here for analysis and then loaned to the Buffalo Science Museum for further study. Where they will finally end up is still to be decided.

Despite the setback to his plans, Gramly was optimistic.

``This will slow us down, but we will be able to explain science to schoolchildren,'' he said. ``We will still be able to realize our educational objective.''

The North Central Washington Museum had planned to conduct school tours at the site beginning two days ago. Museum director Keith Williams said he would try to begin the delayed school visits today.

``A carnival atmosphere (of the school tours) was an initial objection of the tribe,'' Dick said. ``But now the Colvilles have no objection.''

The orchard containing the Clovis site is owned by Mack and Susan Richey of Medina. Richey, a surgeon, was unable to attend the meeting. Susan Richey said several points of the agreement were tentative until she discussed them with her husband.

Peter Mehringer, the WSU archaeologist who dug the site two years ago, was invited to the meeting and had intended to be there. But Krupp said that for unexplained reasons, Mehringer had been advised by the university not to attend. Krupp and the Colvilles conferred with Mehringer by phone during the meeting.

Mehringer and the Richeys had a bitter falling-out after the 1988 dig. Neither side will discuss their differences.

Dick said despite the Colvilles' concern over violation of what they consider sacred burial ground, ``As citizens of the nation, we are as interested as anyone in the scientific data from the excavation. We're interested in how our ancestors lived.''