Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology

In this paper, the age and context of two distinctive shell beads recently found at the DJ Ranch site in south-central Oregon are discussed. These beads, which almost certainly originated on the southern California coast, clearly indicate the existence of extensive trade networks during the Middle Holocene. Such beads have also been identified as evidence of an early cultural interaction sphere linking the southern Channel Islands and adjacent mainland coast with peoples of the western Great Basin. The examples from the DJ Ranch site significantly extend the spatial distribution of such beads. Archaeologists working throughout the Great Basin and California should be aware of these distinctive beads and their potential implications.