Life on the River: The Archaeology of an Early Native American Culture

by William Hildebrandt, Michael Darcangelo

Life on the River presents archaeological findings from Site CA-SHA-1043, located on the Upper Sacramento River and inhabited by Wintu tribes before (and during) the arrival of Europeans to the area in the mid-nineteenth century. Informative and descriptive, the book carefully explains archaeological techniques and discoveries while creating an accessible link to early Indian life.

136 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2008

Reviews

[James]

Scandal transcends time in the Big Easy

Feisty reporter Corlis McCullough isn't afraid to push boundaries in the name of journalistic integrity. When passion for the truth lands her in New Orleans in need of a job, an assignment at a TV station pits her against her old college nemesis, King Duvallon.

The sultry streets of the French Quarter, the glamorous Garden District, derelict riverfront cotton warehouses, and gritty back alleys come alive as the reporter's story inexplicably slips between the nineteenth century and today. A long-forgotten drama of blackmail, swindles, and a love affair that is still changing lives leaves Corlis and King wondering if their burgeoning, unholy attraction will render them pawns in a matrix of mystery and deceit.

"A must read...Ware transports you to New Orleans...and captures all its charm."
-Rendezvous Reviews

"Vibrant and exciting... such an intriguing plot full of rich characters that I couldn't wait to see what happened."
-Literary Times

"Well-researched and entertaining... excellent."
-Library Journal

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life on the River is a culmination of an archaeological dig around the upper Sacramento River (SHA-1043) which was conducted by Far Western Anthropological Group, members of the Wintu tribe among others. the books focuses on the Wintu tribe, whose ancestral homelands are in the upper Sacramento Valley according to tribal history. The book is written for the general audience or possibly for an introductory archaeology class, thus the writing style lacks the technical language of most scholarly journals. The authors even go as far as to explain flaked stone tool production. Even though the book is written for a general audience, it is quite informative and demonstrates how the Wintu an their neighbors lived in prehistoric times.
The book itself is interesting, however for those of us who an anthropological students or scholars, the book leaves much to be desired. I found the research to be quite fascinating and I was interested in doing further research, but without a list of references a person of my educational status is left in the dark. I was often left with more questions than answers. For instance, what documentation were they using to show that a person was considered more wealthy because of the number of beads they were buried with in their burials? Of the three individuals who had a large sum of beads, they seemed to be of different ages, but according to Hildebrandt and Darcangelo (2008) they were of the same class. As a researcher, I have no where to go beyond starting my research from scratch. Overall its a well written book, but it leaves much to be desired beyond the casual reader.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book, and yes, my husband wrote it!