The Coquille Indians have lived here for thousands of years
Posted by: Volcanoguy
N 43° 07.208 W 124° 24.872
10T E 384927 N 4775126
One of three Coquille Indians history signs on the Bandon Riverwalk.
Waymark Code: WM81CN
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 01/08/2010
Views: 2
Coquille totem pole on Bandon Riverwalk with three history signs about the Coquille tribe.
Marker Name: The Coquille Indians have lived here for thousands of years
Marker Text: A very old Indian village was once located near where you now stand. The Coquille River was central to the people who lived here in many ways. The fished its waters, hunted and gathered on its shores, and paddled its currents.
This was the site of the village of theNasomah band of Coquille. Archaeologists have dated this site to approximately 3500 years old. Nearby, men made canoes with bone, antler, and stone tools. Sometimes they burned large cedar logs and then carved them into canoes.
The river provided the people with salmon, an important food source. They caught salmon by corralling them behind weirs, or fences, and then using dip nets, basket traps or spears to harvest them.
Salmon was roasted over the fire or baked in earthen ovens. Many were dried for winter storage and later use.
Women gathered plants, mussels and clams along the shores. They wove beautiful baskets made from roots, grasses, cedar, and other materials.
30,000 BC - 20,000 BC - 15,000 BC - 10,000 BC - Where does the timeling begin? Anthropologists debate when people first arrived in the Americas. Some theorize a route over the Bearing Strait, some an entry by watercraft, and others back a combination of both. The Coquille (pronounced Ko-Kwell) maintain that life began right here. The Coquille have numerous creation stories passed on through many generations. One story tells how blue clay and basketry were used to hold the land together, protecting it from the harsh wave action of the ocean.
3500 years ago - Before the last ice age the coastline was twenty miles off shore. Evidence of early humans may now be under water. Coquille villages along the river have been dated to nearly 3500 years old.
Visit Instructions:
Include your thoughts and observations pertaining to this location and your visit. Provide any additional history that you are aware of that pertains to this location. If the marker commemorates a historic building tell us what it is used for now or share with us the circumstances of an earlier visit to bring this locations history to life.
Please upload a favorite photograph you took of the waymark. Although visiting this waymark in person is the only thing required of you to receive credit for your visit, taking the time to add this information is greatly appreciated.
Be creative.