On the northern edge of Quissett Harbor

After finding that arrowhead, I went to have a closer look out the path to the Knob. Not seeing anything interesting, I walked back along the shoreline on the edge of Quissett Harbor. Saw this and didn't think too much of it:

Maybe just someone having a fire by the beach. Then there was another:

And another:

It looked like there might be a secondary ring outside the first. 

By this time, maybe I was seeing things:

Anyway, the question arises: could these things be old? They are a little peculiar. In the first three, the larger rock has a kind of "eye socket" flaked out of it.

Closer to my car, here is a midden that people around here have never mentioned, so they may not know about it:

The midden is a layer of broken shells, showing white in the picture, above left of the right-hand boulder.
Back near the car, the juniper berries are a nice deep blue:

Squibnocket Stemmed point from the Knob

The Knob is a popular stroll in Falmouth - a little peninsula sticking out into Buzzard's Bay. I heard they widened the path and today confirmed that the workers went through at least one archaic site in the process. There are still plenty of little bits of quartz on the path. Found this:

It's so nice: you are walking along chatting with friends, look down, and - what do we have here?! Lots of people walked across it, lying flat in the gravel of the path. The real punch in the gut is realizing there was a person attached to this, at the other end of time.

Concerns about Massachusetts Bill H.3982

The other day I posted a note from Curt Hoffman about supporting this bill, along with the full text of the bill. Since then, I received a message that the bill may not be quite right. Looks like we all should read the thing. Here is the new concern, from "Al"

***

Here's the link to Greg's email:

The Commonwealth is Back Big Time with New Proposed Legislation – Nayyag Preserve

He's saying that this is a re-introduction of a similar bill which it lay dormant since 2014 after public opposition and if I understand correctly his concerns are both whether the final bill will give the state full ownership and control of all sites and artifacts discovered in Massachusetts and to what extent indigenous folks will actually be involved in the process of crafting the bill this time. He writes the following which I find concerning given that the bill is already quietly working its way through the legislature:

"I spoke to John Brown, Chief Tribal Preservation Officer of the Narragansett, and he said he had not been made aware that the bill was reintroduced. No consultation. Mark Andrews of the Aquinnah Wampanoag – same thing."

Again, given his experience over the past year in leading the public opposition to the roundabout project in Northampton (which has for now succeeded in stopping the destruction of a rare Archaic habitation site although the artifacts recovered are still stored somewhere and have yet to be made accessible to the public, last I heard) I trust Greg has good reason to be drawing our attention to this. If you click the "subscribe" link at the top of his page you can sign up to receive updates as he learns more:

http://nayyag.org/

Summing up, I just wanted to be sure you're aware of the situation. I believe adding the link to Greg's letter to your post will be of interest to others and I'd be interested in reading any knowledgeable replies. Hopefully the more attention paid to the process will result in a bill acceptable to everyone.

Best mounds in Woods Hole

This one is hard to find:

This one, not so hard. They are across from each other in a little valley behind the fire station.

There is a third, which I did not see this time, at the foot of the slope, in the above photo.

Catamount (Mountain Lion, Puma) or Anthropomorphic

 Lost a little in looking for tool marks at my house, here are the results of my Stonerorschach Test: 

Nose too long for a bear, I'd have to say "Big Cat" or maybe a human - or a human who can shape shift into a big cat, such as a panther - possibly an underwater panther!

11/15/2021 - Jeremy Haloskie: “Reminds me of the face in Balanced rock, NY.”

(And I realize he means this view below:)

Cellar Steps Something Interesting

On the left:

In the terrace retaining wall in front of the house,

exposed to weather, a similarly dressed stone:

The other end of the other side of the stone outside:

The snake above is on the end on the right in the drawing,

 a different snake at the other end:

And then there's that turtle motif of "forelegs extended laterally,

on each side of a head stone" - this one with

that feather and plug mark at the nuchal notch:

I know there's a bale of these sort of turtles around:

I've just got to collect a bunch of similar images

or take new and better photos...

My "there is something more interesting in the photo" photo.

 "But maybe there is something more interesting in the photo. Do you see it?" Peter asks (of a different photo).

I have one of those photos too:

There is the obvious:

But maybe there is something more interesting in the photo. Do you see it?

Small structures on knolls in Wrentham State Forest (Madison Street)

Wrentham State Forest is full of little knolls of bedrock sticking out above the wet lowlands. There are things to see on most of them. Saw this feature, symmetric, and clearly purposeful. 

I would guess that this has something to do with light passing through the slit. 

A few yards away on the same knoll:

Makes me think we need a name for this type of thing.  

Scene in Wrentham

I took this because of the nice fall colors (muted a bit in the photo) and because of the sense that one is supposed to look through the spaces:

But maybe there is something more interesting in the photo. Do you see it?

Bill H.3982 will allow investigating Massachusetts archaeology resource management.

Curt Hoffman asked me to post the following bill, along with this text:

The Mass. House of Representatives is currently considering a bill filed by Daniel Carey of Easthampton, co-sponsored by Jack Lewis of Framingham, to create a commission to investigate the practices of the Mass. Historical Commission and to recommend changes.  I have expressed my concerns about MHC to Rep. Lewis, who is my state representative, and he has forwarded them to Rep. Carey.  If you are a Massachusetts resident, please consider contacting your state representative to urge passage of this bill.

 

Curt Hoffman

*************

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4255        FILED ON: 6/4/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3982

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Daniel R. Carey

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
               Court assembled:

               The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying resolve:

Resolve relative to protecting the archaeological, geological and fossil resources of Massachusetts.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:	District/Address:	Date Added:
Daniel R. Carey	2nd Hampshire	6/4/2021
Jack Patrick Lewis	7th Middlesex	6/9/2021

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4255        FILED ON: 6/4/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3982

By Mr. Carey of Easthampton, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Daniel R. Carey and Jack Patrick Lewis for an investigation and study by a special commission (including members of the General Court) relative to access to the archaeological, geological and fossil resources in the Commonwealth.  Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

^{_______________}

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

^{_______________}

 

Resolve relative to protecting the archaeological, geological and fossil resources of Massachusetts.

 

            Resolved, There is hereby established a special commission on protecting the archaeological, geological, and fossil resources of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Said special commission shall review existing special and general laws, may hold hearings at various locations across the Commonwealth to obtain written and oral testimony and may consult with state and federal agencies, educators, technical experts, town boards and commissions and Native American tribes to determine if existing state laws and regulations adequately protect and provide public access to the archaeological, geological and fossil resources located within or from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Said special commission shall be comprised of two members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker, whose districts have significant fossil, archaeological or geological deposits, one of which shall be from a district in western Massachusetts that includes a portion of the Connecticut river valley; two members of the Senate, appointed by the President, whose districts have significant fossil, archaeological or geological deposits, one of which shall be from a district in western Massachusetts that includes a portion of the Connecticut river valley; the State Geologist or a designee; nine of whom shall be appointed by the Governor, of which one shall be a professor of archaeology from a Massachusetts college or university, one of whom shall be a recognized authority on Massachusetts geological formations who is a professor at a Massachusetts college or university, one whom shall be an environmental police officer, two who shall be members of town historical commissions within the region and four of whom shall be of Native American descent or active in efforts to preserve and educate the public about Native American living, meeting, spiritual and burial sites and ways of life; one member shall be appointed by the secretary of the commonwealth, who shall be knowledgeable of the archaeological and historic resources of the Connecticut river valley. Said special commission shall review all statutes, regulations, ordinances and practices related to these resources, including but not limited to how public and private institutions and agencies collect, preserve, display, notify the public of discoveries, return objects and sacred remains to Native American tribes and related organizations and provide public access to educate and inform the public about these archaeological, geological and fossil discoveries.  Said special commission may receive funding through state appropriation or grants, federal appropriation or grants, private gifts and donations, provided, that said special commission shall file its report with the joint committee on environment, natural resources and agriculture and the clerks of the House and Senate no later than November 1, 2022.