Archaeology

Wetsite artifacts, such as the basketry hat pictured below, are a unique cultural resource. Waterlogged areas, such as wetlands and riverbanks create an anaerobic environment that helps preserve organic objects made from plants, bone and leather. 

The ancient hat was excavated in 1976, along with the remnants of a fish weir and fiber netting. Though it is crushed and damaged, this unusual hat retains enough of its original shape to allow contemporary weavers, such as Karen Reid-Peters, to study and recreate its ancient style. The blackened color is from the polyethylene glycol used to preserve it after removal from the wet site.

Archaeological evidence shows that people have been living in the Seattle area for at least 13,000 years. The Burke Museum cares for several archaeological collections from Seattle and the wider Puget Sound area, which can provide information about early Native American life.

Burke archaeological collections also cover more recent history of non-Native settlement and the growth of Seattle after the 1850’s, as well as collections from Native American settlements such as the Sba'badil site, which help illustrate how Native Americans in the Seattle area lived alongside their new neighbors.

In addition, the Burke holds one of the largest collections of Japanese-American artifacts from archaeological excavations in the world, and these collections help us learn about the early history of Japanese-Americans in Washington, as well as the early lumber milling and coal mining communities in which these immigrants often lived and worked.

Many public agencies and tribes in the Pacific Northwest request that the Burke Museum care for collections from their properties to ensure long-term preservation and access.

Burke Museum Archaeology curates collections for a number of government agencies, including the Washington State Department of Transportation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Puyallup Tribe of Indians and many others. Some of these collections are stored at the Burke only temporarily while others have been deposited for long-term care. These collections are not owned by the Burke Museum. Research access may be restricted.

Learn more about Curation Services.

A small comparative faunal collection is being created for archaeologists with a focus on domesticated animals and small mammals to help supplement the extensive skeletal collections already available at the Burke Museum.