West Mojave Plan FEIR/S - Desert Managers Group

have been dated by radiocarbon and other dating methods and the area appears to have beeninhabited from the late Pleistocene-Early Holocene (c. 11,000 years ago) down to the historicperiod. The Lava Mountains should also be included in this high sensitivity area.Historic mining occurred in a number of areas, including Darwin and adjacent areas, andHomewood Canyon. Extraction of borax and borates from Searles Lake that began in the late1800s left historic remains on and adjacent to Searles Lake. Red Mountain, Randsburg, andJohannesburg all began as centers for historic mining operations in the area and remains ofhistoric mining, milling, and prospecting are abundant.The very low inventory levels, less than 1% in most areas, leaves the probability thatthere are many unrecorded prehistoric and historic resources and areas of high sensitivity thathave not yet been identified.3.7.1.7 Ethno-historic OverviewThe ethnohistoric period begins with European contact in the 18 th century, and isdocumented in diaries, official documents, narratives, and scholarly studies, the latter includinginterviews with native peoples. At the time of European contact, Paiute, Shoshone, Kawaiisu,Kitanemuk, Serrano, Vanyume, Chemehuevi, and Mojave occupied the planning area. OwensValley Paiute occupied the far northern edge of the planning area, near Owens Lake, althoughthis was peripheral to their primary areas around Owens Lake and River. The Western Shoshonelived south and east of Owens Lake, as far south as Little Lake. Kawaiisu occupied the southernSierra, as well as Indian Wells Valley, El Paso Mountains, Tehachapi Mountains, and adjacentareas. Kitanemuk and Serrano occupied the southwestern portion of the planning area, as farsouth as the San Bernardino Mountains. The Vanyume lived along the Mojave River, north andeast of Victorville. The Chemehuevi are the southernmost band of the Southern Paiute, and theirextensive traditional territory included the eastern Mojave Desert. By the mid-19 th century, theyhad settled along the Colorado River in traditional Mojave territory. The Mojave controlled thearea north of Bill Williams River up to the Nevada border, but their main settlements were in theMojave Valley.The Owens Valley Paiute, Mojave, and Chemehuevi, after the latter’s relocation to theColorado River, farmed as well as harvested native wild plant foods. There is no record offarming among the other tribes. Ethnographic and ethnohistoric accounts indicate nativepopulations had efficient processes to obtain food and raw materials, and had extensiveknowledge of plants, animals, and the environment. Group settlement and subsistence patternswere within well-defined territories, but the length of time spent in any one camp varied amongthe tribes. Organization of society also varied among tribes, but can generally be described asloosely structured, allowing families to be self-determining while recognizing an importance ofkinship lines. A sense of tribal identity, including language, customs, history, and religiousbeliefs, held members of each tribe together.Under the National Historic Preservation Act, a federal agency consults with tribes soChapter 3 3-287