Archaeologist Forms Group to Address Issues
Raised by Clovis Point Find
• Among Goals of Friends of Farpoint
Is Legislation Assuring Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites
The archaeologist at the Malibu location
where an authenticated Clovis cultural era spear
point was found in 2005 has announced the formation of a
group to try to protect the site that could date back 11,000
years, as well as raise public consciousness about the need for
ways to address conflicts over site access with private
property owners.
Dr. Gary Stickel said the first aim of the
organization, called Friends of Farpoint, is to
“immediately save the Farpoint site for its proper
preservation and conservation.”
To this end, the archaeologist said the
group seeks to “foster a National Park Service connection
to the site.” Stickel said he has met with officials of
the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and
discussed the possibility of a future Farpoint exhibit, as well
as enlisted support from the NPS and other public agencies for
the site’s protection.
Stickel said the primary longterm objective
of the Friends is to “foster better legislation (not only
for the City of Malibu, but at the county, state and federal
levels) to preclude problems, such as at Farpoint with access
to the site and concern about destruction of artifacts, from
occurring at other locations.”
The archaeologist said the new organization
will also “seek creative ways to enhance the
cultural resources,” emphasizing the ability of
these resources to provide potential answers to some
of the many questions that exist about prehistoric North
American migration and habitation.
Among the broad-brush issues is whether the
data support the “European origins” theory for the
origin of the Clovis culture in the New World, as opposed
to the traditional theory, which holds that the first Clovis
people were the ancestors of Native Americans who came
from Siberia across the Bering Land Bridge into
Alaska and then inhabited North America.
Stickel said, “Actually there are
problems with both theories, and I am neutral, wishing to keep
an open mind until more evidence can be produced, hopefully in
part from our Farpoint site, and that is why it is so important
for our nation’s history.”
He also emphasized that “we collected
a good deal of data that indicates that the Chumash Native
American People occupied the Farpoint site for thousands of
years, and we were not allowed to fully document their
occupation or even how long they occupied the site. That needs
to be done.” The Chumash are Malibu’s first
recorded residents.
There is also the desire to do more work at
the site because “the Clovis Point was dug up by a
backhoe, not carefully and scientifically,” but
Stickel indicated, “I am actually emphasizing at
present the need to preserve and conserve the site for future
research (perhaps 50 to 100 years from now) when archaeological
techniques will be greatly improved.”
He said, “The site has been suffering
destruction in the forms of many long trenches, pits and
excavations for a reflecting pool, all of which were
unnecessary as there were other options to provide those
facilities for the new mansion complex, and all of that
destruction was done without any archaeology on those affected
site areas.”
Stickel stressed that “it is a sad
fact that our laws, not just in the City of Malibu where the
site is located, but in general, are not strong enough to
protect and allow us to conserve such a unique, highly
significant site, one that may well yield critically needed
information on how our continent was first
inhabited.”
Anyone seeking more information about
Friends of Farpoint can contact Stickel at 323-937-6997 or
dregarystickel@netzero.net.
