AMERICAN-INDIAN ARTIFACTS BECOME PART OF MUSEUM.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem

Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA -- More than 7,000 American Indian artifacts collected from a Santa Clarita development site were turned over Thursday to a local museum in a ceremony that brought together descendants of an ancient tribe, a major developer and historians.

The Newhall Land and Farming Company collected the treasures -- among them tools, arrowheads, cooking utensils and beads -- before beginning construction of its 1,089-home River Village project on the banks of the dry Santa Clara River bed.

The stone-crafted artifacts, some dating back perhaps 3,500 years, will be displayed at Heritage Junction in Newhall, a museum run by the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society.

"They've been unearthed and now they will be shared with the community," said Rudy Ortega Jr., a tribal administrator for the Fernandeno Tataviam Band of Mission Indians. "The people who live here now will see a little bit of the local history."

When Newhall Land began preparing to build the residential project near the heart of Santa Clarita, environmental studies found the site likely to be an American Indian village dating back thousands of years. Artifacts were retained and the decision made to turn them over to the local group, which will store and display them.

"I think it's wonderful they're keeping them in the valley where they really belong so the residents here can see our history," said Pat Saletore, president of the historical society.

"A lot of people who have moved in in recent years don't realize the important history that we have."

Newhall Land consultants worked with archaeologists to unearth the artifacts, and the company will preserve acreage where there were significant finds.

"These artifacts demonstrate to us the life-ways of this area's ancient inhabitants," said Steve Zimmer, executive vice president of Newhall Land.

The company, he added, is honored to ensure that the artifacts will be preserved locally for future generations.

"They're at home; they're not going anywhere," Ortega said. "It's the only rightful place."

His Tataviam ancestors' village sat on a bend of the river facing the rising sun, Ortega said. The river flowed in those days, key to any settlement because water meant survival.

Ortega's cousin, Charlie Cooke, who said family DNA tests proved a link to a 3,000-year-old tooth found years ago in the region, also attended Thursday's conveyance ceremony, which began with a Tataviam blessing.

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Photo:

Princess White Feather, a Navajo,, and Charlie Cooke, of the Tataviam tribe, were on hand Thursday for the unveiling of artifacts put on display by the Santa Clarita Historical Society.

David Crane/Staff Photographer