A Historic Context for Native American Procurement of Obsidian in the State of Utah

Summary

Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass that occurs at many locations in western Utah. It was an important natural resource used by Native Americans as a raw material in stone tool production for millennia, and obsidian stone tools and manufacturing debitage occur within site assemblages dating from the Paleo-Indian period until the Proto-historic period (Macdonald 1994). The many obsidian quarries and related stone tool manufacturing sites associated with Utah's obsidian sources document 12,000 or more years of Native American use of this material, testifying the importance and value placed on this resource.

A total of thirteen obsidian sources have been identified within the state of Utah. Most of these obsidian sources are situated on federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and many of these sources are affected by a variety of contemporary land use practices. Historic preservation statutes, including Sections 106 and 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act, require the BLM to: (1) consider the effects of their actions on properties listed or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (historic properties) pursuant to 36 CFR 800; and (2) provide stewardship to historic properties on federal lands. This historic context was developed to assist the BLM in meeting these requirements.

Treatment of important cultural resources such as obsidian sources should take into account their cultural value or significance. The value of such resources is most readily identified when considered in an historic context. This document defines a historic context for the prehistoric human procurement of obsidian in the State of Utah that began 12,000 or more years ago and extended to the period of contact with Euro-Americans and the disruption of traditional Native American lifeways in the mid-19th century.

This historic context describes each of the 13 obsidian sources in Utah and provides a framework for evaluating archaeological resources associated with those obsidian sources. Management recommendations are offered for obsidian sources on federal land.

This document is intended as a springboard for future research on Utah's obsidian sources by offering basic descriptions, and common methods and terms for studying the obsidian sources.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Utah

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Contact(s): Bureau of Land Management, Utah State Office

Submitted To(s): Logan Simpson Design, Inc.

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