BROOKFIELD, Conn. — A dozen archaeology buffs spent two sweltering August
weekends digging in a farm field for artifacts of an ancient culture, and
were rewarded with a rare prize: a stemmed quartz knife that dates back at
least 3,000 years.

The event, Family Archaeology Weekend, was hosted by the Institute for
American Indian Studies, which is located in nearby Washington. The weekend
included an orientation session on a Friday night and four days of digging
in the soil over two weekends. Participants were evenly divided between
adults and children.

Archaeologist and anthropologist Dr. Lucianne Lavin, who has been director
of research at the institute for a year and a half, held several such
weekends when she taught at a community college. This was the first Family
Archaeology Weekend held by the institute, and Lavin hopes to make it an
annual event.

“The goal of the weekend was to introduce people to archaeology and why
it’s important to preserve these sites, and also how to dig them properly.
The whole idea is to share the scientific information we find about these
long-dead cultures not only with our colleagues, but also with the general
public so they understand the importance of these archaeological sites and
how it really is a part of our heritage,” Lavin said.

The dig took place on a farm that has belonged to a local family for more
than 200 years. The area is rich with American Indian history and legend.
The site is close to the Housatonic River opposite Lover’s Leap, a hilltop
where Lillinonah, the daughter of Weantinogue Chief Waramaug, and her white
lover reputedly died in a “Romeo and Juliet”-type tragedy.

“The Weantinogue were a fairly large tribe, but we don’t know much about
them because there’s very little written about them. Their land was taken
over quite early, sold off for money, but mostly for trade goods. They had
no idea of single proprietorship, so they had no idea they were selling it
forever,” Lavin said.

When Weantinogue lands were sold off, many tribal members moved up the
river to Schaghticoke, “which was a major Native American refuge for
Pootatucks, some Pequots and tribal people from all over coming in —
Tunxis, Narragansetts — just trying to get away from the white man. Some
stayed and some just moved further west,” Lavin said.

Archaeologists from the institute first began to conduct digs on the farm
site in the 1980s, and have found artifacts carbon-dated to more than 4,000
years old, Lavin said.

Hundreds of artifacts have been found over the years, the quartz knife
among the best, Lavin said.

“Usually they’re broken and shattered, but this was a complete stemmed
knife. The fellow who found it was on a dig for the first time. He was
thrilled. He shrieked, ‘Look! Look!’” Lavin said.

The dig also yielded a number of prehistoric hand spades and arrowheads
made out of jasper, a material whose nearest source is the Delaware River
valley: “which means they actually had trade routes into the Delaware
valley,” Laving said.

The diggers also found non-portable artifacts, such as post molds and
fireplaces, as well as historic glass from the 1700s and 1800s.

Michelle Balfour, one of the weekend diggers, brought her 12-year-old son
and his friend to the event.

“I’ve always wanted to do an archeological dig. It’s history and it’s like
an adventure. I’m not at all familiar with Native Americans or the local
Native American history, so it’s a neat way to come and learn about history
in our area and introduce the kids to the idea of archaeology and to make
history seem like a real living thing, instead of something you do in the
classroom,” Balfour said.

It was the first “official” dig for Kevin Pierwola, too, but he has been
finding American Indian artifacts for years.

“Mostly, I just surface-hunt on plowed cornfields. When I was a kid my
father got me into artifact hunting, and I just never left it alone. I have
thousands of arrowheads,” Pierwola said.

Pierwola said he was not familiar with the details of current events of the
local Schaghticoke Tribal Nation, which is seeking federal acknowledgement,
but he understood the concept of federal recognition.

“It means they can say they are who they are. It means you can have a
casino, but I don’t think that’s necessarily why many tribes try to get
acknowledgement. It’s more like saying, ‘We do have a culture that goes
back before English contact,” Pierwola said.

Both Balfour and Pierwola said they will participate in a dig again next
year if it is offered.