Native American bones found at Carmel construction site

Residents of Carmel are being reminded that their home is not only rich in natural beauty, but rich in history.

Tuesday, a local construction crew dug up an ancient artifact: human bones. An archeologist confirmed that they are Native American.

” I’m not surprised that there might be findings of that nature here. I think most of the coast was pretty well populated with Native Americans long before we arrived, ” said frequent Carmel visitor, Alan Walker.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said the bones were discovered at a construction site on 17th Avenue in Carmel. They said the bones were determined to be human and ancient.

Historian at Harrison Memorial Library, Kathleen O’Connell, said it has been years since Native American bones were discovered in the area. ” Many visitors and many locals may not really realize that they are a part of this history. This has been, and is, their home for thousands of years, ” said O’Connell.

O’Connell said Native Americans are believed to have traveled through Carmel many centuries ago. She said the Native American tribes were also a big part of the settlement of the Carmel Mission in the 1770s.

Based on history, O’Connell said she can guess how old the bones may be. ” Assuming they were connected to The Mission, in that case, not very old. 100 years, give or take. If they were not connected to The Mission, and this was part of the settlement before the Spanish colonization, they could be thousands of years old, ” said O’Connell.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said the bones are now in the hands of the Native American Heritage Commission. They would not confirm whether construction has been halted since the discovery. ” They will designate a most likely descendent who will determine the outcome of the bones, ” said Commander with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, Kathy Palazzolo.