Irvine Co. Archeologist Speaks on Burial Site

A crowd of about 200 people crammed into a meeting room Thursday night for an archeologist’s public unveiling of data from one of Orange County’s most important prehistoric finds.

The crowd at the Western Digital Building gasped as Michael E. Macko held up a mahogany obsidian blade, uncovered along with more than 2,000 bone beads and dozens of round stone balls during a controversial excavation above Newport Bay.

The Times reported Sunday that the remains of an estimated 600 or more prehistoric people were unearthed, moved and reburied in 1995 and 1996 to make room for 149 luxury homes in a gated community called Harbor Cove despite lobbying by some scientists. Macko was the archeologist who oversaw the 16-month Irvine Co. excavation, which cost more than $2 million.

The site, called ORA-64, was “clearly the most incredible site I’ve had a chance to work on,” Macko said.

The atmosphere in the room became tense when Macko finished his presentation and archeologists and residents began asking questions.

A Newport Beach woman asked why the public wasn’t told sooner about the site. “I live in the neighborhood,” she said. “Why are we just finding out about this now?”

Macko responded that there were several newspaper stories.

Another woman asked Macko if he ever recommended against excavation to the Irvine Co.

Macko responded later, “I’m not going to touch on political decisions.”

A man in the audience interjected, “It’s not a political decision. It’s an ethical decision.”

Radiocarbon dating of shell shows the 30-acre site to be 4,000 to 9,500 years old, Macko said. That would date human habitation there to the close of the Ice Age, experts said.

The Irvine Co. and the state Native American Heritage Commission, which oversees the treatment of Indian remains, said state law was followed. The state appointed two Native Americans they call “most likely descendants,” Jim Velasques and David Belardes, to assist at the site. The Irvine Co. said the two men forbade radiocarbon dating or DNA testing of the bones, which were reburied in trenches at an undisclosed location.

Thousands of artifacts from the site remain in storage and in laboratories under study.

Larry Thomas, Irvine Co. senior vice president, has repeatedly said that the site was not destroyed and that his company has continually sought to be sensitive to the site’s scientific and cultural importance.

Although the full scope of the burials was not public until recently--Macko confirmed last week that 600 or more burials were found there--Thomas said his firm went through a public approval process in excavating and developing the site. A research design for the dig was reviewed by the state Coastal Commission. And Thomas said that the home builder at the site, Standard Pacific, notified buyers. The homes in the gated community sell for $600,000 or more.

A number of Native Americans and archeologists say they were not aware of the scope of the project. Some Native Americans, for instance, say they learned only this spring and summer that 600 burials were found there.

Some prominent archeologists have expressed dismay that DNA testing and radiocarbon testing was not done, saying that valuable scientific information has been lost.

Nick Spain, an archeologist who did exploratory work at the site in 1971 and 1972, asked Macko what percentage of the intact portion of the site was excavated using scrapers, or heavy equipment.

Macko responded that an estimated 85% to 90% of the area was examined with scrapers. Any damage was extremely minor, and the process was monitored. The burials were excavated by hand, he said.