Thanks for visiting the Paleo-Indian site from the Banshee Reeks Archeology Society of Virginia:

• Bob Shuey Registered Professional Archeologist
• Hayden W. Mathews BRASV Chapter President/Environmental Historian
• Susan Grealy Rock Creek Companies
• Frank Mclaughlin ASV
  

Bluemont, VA – Dennis Banks, American Indian Movement (AIM) co-founder, held a sacred prayer pipe ceremony Saturday (Sept. 27) at the Paleo-Indian Site found in Bluemont VA after concluding AIM’s 2014 “Ride to Reverse Diabetes” in Washington D.C.
     Dennis Banks, 78 years old, led the 18,000 mile run across America educating Americans about reversing diabetes. The “Ride to Reverse Diabetes” began on Aug. 23 from Seattle WA and San Francisco, Los Angeles & San Diego, Calif. and ended Saturday, Sept. 27 in Washington D.C. by the White House.
     Following the conclusion of the “Ride to Reveres Diabetes” campaign, a small contingent visited the sacred ceremonial Paleo-Indian site in Northern Virginia. Paleo-Indian site guardians Chris (Comeswithclouds) White and René White (Feather) are custodians of the site which dates last used 10,470 years ago (see Thermoluminescence Dating)  

  Chris gave the AIM elders and young leaders a tour of the concentric rings, the sacred alter, standing stones and other features of advanced knowledge left behind thousands of years ago.
     Following the tour, Banks led a sacred prayer pipe ceremony with the AIM group and Native American Church of Virginia to honor the sacred land and land legacy of this area’s ancestors.

     Attending the sacred ceremony were: Dennis Banks, his daughter Darla Banks, nephew Adrian Sayers, granddaughter Mariah Lindsay, Leonard Seabolt, Mark Winslow, Bryan Halfday, Helen Wolfe, Kenneth Reid, Maria Pasho, Curt and Sheila Hansen, Diana Mullis and site guardians Chris & René White.
     Banks gave thanks to the thousands of people who supported the campaign and blessed him and his team of champions with hospitality, gas cards, food, shelter and friendship at various routes across America during the month-long campaign. Around the sacred fire, Banks also compassionately shared real stories about people whom he met across America who feel “hopeless,” many in wheel chairs and with no feet or legs.
     Banks said he dedicates the rest of his life to help reduce the suffering from diabetes while he balances that with his dedication ad love to his family, especially his grandchildren (grandchildren Mariah (below), daughter Darla (right)).

    “I have never seen anyone more authentic about saving lives and concerned for his family than Dennis Banks,” said René Lumbee Indian and president of the Native American Church of Virginia.
     “While we are not members of AIM, like Dennis, we are called to help reduce the suffering in the world," she added. "We offered to help Dennis and he accepted. We don’t know all the next steps, but we know our steps will include praying and looking to non-profits, educators and others for help.”

     Chris and René are involved in charitable work helping veterans, senior citizens, artists and many others. They are members of Oklevueha Native American Church, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and they are also officers with the Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem for the United States and Priory of Indigenous Peoples Worldwide. Together they volunteer to connect people and resources, transforming suffering to healing.
     Following the sacred prayer pipe ceremony, Chris and René hosted the 15-member group for feast and fellowship.

     The couple operates the Native American Church at their Sanctuary on the Trail, in the remote Virginia Blue Ridge Mountain. Their church’s vision is to “help leaders first,” “acknowledge the Indigenous of the Americas for their global contributions,” and “reduce suffering in the world.”
     Before leaving the D.C. area, Banks was scheduled to visit members of Congress and present them with a national diabetes policy. He decided to delay his meeting as he studies his research findings and develops a clear way ahead.

Thank You in Advance
    Thank you in advance for your generous contribution. In contributing you are helping advance and partnering with the ideal. Your contribution makes it possible for us help others who are suffering, because we believe suffering in the world is impossible to ignore.

Special Thanks
     Special shout out to David and Mary Ann Nalls of Nalls Farmers Market for donating 52 pounds of local Virginia grown apples for the AIM team to enjoy and share as they return home in all four directions.

By Michael Dowling
Original Article Posted Online at www.GrowingInterest.com.

Signs of life linger on the land. Like shadows that grow long as the day slips into night, the stories of past generations spread across the landscape waiting for the blazing light of curiosity to coax them from the darkness.

Perched on the slope of Mount Weather, an ancient timepiece sits quietly marking the passage of the sun. The stone day clock, built from boulders weighing thousands of pounds, overlooks what has now been identified as a sprawling solstice complex dating back thousands of years. Discovered on the property of Clarke County residents, Chris and René White, the site offers a window into the distant past where ancient people studied and developed the means to observe and measure the heavens. Since its discovery four years ago it has been meticulously researched and in 2011, Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources added it to the state’s inventory of archaeological sites. Yet despite its clear significance,  a scientific indicator of an exact date had proven elusive.

Now, a new milestone has been reached that fixes a date on the site’s last use. Using thermoluminescence dating techniques, an artifact discovered buried at the site has been dated back to 10,470 YBP (Years Before Present). This pinpoints the timeframe in which the site was last used but also means the elements constructed on the site are even older.

While the age of the site makes it a rare find, what truly distinguishes it is the fact that the features are above ground. Archeologist Dr. Jack Hranicky who has been working on the site and developing the initial research report said, that the prehistoric site, “is of unique national significance and offers a glimpse into a highly developed culture living in Virginia over 12,000 years ago.”

There are other Paleo-Indian era sites in Virginia, but the extant (above ground) nature of the site in Clarke County makes it a one of a kind historic site unique in all of North America.

When discussing how he discovered the first signs of the site, Chris White says he always had an intrinsic understanding that the land was important. He and his wife Rene’ are both Native American descendants and for years, had dreamed of creating a retreat center on their property. As a first step Chris decided to build a “medicine wheel.” Used for rituals and teaching purposes, medicine wheels are comprised of stones laid in rings and patterns on the ground. Chris identified what appeared to be a suitable spot, but was surprised to find subtle hints that stones had already been laid in concentric circles. He had walked the site many times before and had even held the marriage ceremony to his wife René  mere feet away from the spot, yet until he observed it through the lens of his Native American culture, the site remained hidden.

Convinced that his find was not a natural occurrence, he contacted archeologist Dr. Jack Hranicky. After some initial questions and a site survey, Hranicky recognized it as a possible Paleo-Indian site and research began in earnest. For the next four years the site was studied, portions excavated and seasonal observations logged to document the existing constructs and their possible uses. It was during a very methodical excavation that the artifact that would shed light on the date of the site was revealed. In what Hranicky theorizes would have been a fire hearth at the center of the stone rings, a worked piece of Jasper was discovered. The stone had been chipped away and formed into a tool, and since Jasper is not found naturally in this area it must have been brought to the site by human hands. That stone implement was the puzzle piece that clearly proved that the site was last used more than 10,000 years ago.

Through the millennia, the rough terrain has helped preserve the site. Even today, it protects its secrets as new discoveries continue to emerge. To date there over a dozen distinct features that have been documented including the massive day clock, petroglyph carvings in a stone shelter, and many solstice and seasonal observation stations.

The future of the site remains fluid. The White’s had already established a Native American Church prior to their knowledge of the site so they see a natural connection and hope to grow the two together into a location for learning and spiritual growth. Preservation and interpretation will consume the foreseeable future. While the features of the site seem to all point to time and the observation of it’s passing, the greatest obstacle to understanding the site’s meaning and importance is the chasm of time that exists between its builders and our world. Perhaps as the site calls to visitors to slow the pace of their lives and minds, that chasm may close and offer a bridge to better understand this important discovery.


Also read past articles from the Clarke Daily News:

• Archaeologist Claims 12,000-Year-Old Solstice Site in Clarke County
• Archaeologist Responds to Questions about 12,000-year-old Solstice Site
• Archaeologist Says Rockart Found at Local Paleoindian Site

The University of Washington State has agreed to use the Thermoluminescence (TL) method to help date heat-treated jasper found during the 2011 excavation. The TL technique has a range of 1,000 to 500,000 years, according to the U.S. Geological Survey web site. The team is also in the process of registering the Spout Run Site as a state-recognized prehistoric site with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and as a National Historic Landmark with the U.S. Department of Interior.

White said he is continuing plans to preserve the site for future generations and welcomes partners who wish to do the same. The team has been studying the PaleoIndian site for three years now.

Autumnal Equinox

On Sept. 22, during the Autumnal Equinox, the sun will be perpendicular (directly above) the equator. Viewers along the east coast will see the sun rise at a 90 degree in direct line-of-site to the east. In comparison, the site does not have direct line-of-site to the east coast because of the mountain so the sun has to rise higher and at an approximate 105 degree angle as it makes its way over the mountain to be seen at the Paleo-site here.

The Equinox is a precise moment in time which is common to all observers on Earth. Twice a year, in September and March, day and night become equal. There are only two Equinoxes only two days during the year, in September and March. The length of the day and night are approximately 12 hours a part, giving 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness at all points on the earth’s surface. The word Equinox comes from the Latin language “equi” meaning “equal” and “nox” meaning “night,” thus “equal nights.”

Most people recognize the September Equinox as the beginning of fall or autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere. Others believe the Fall Equinox marks the mid-point between Autumn (which begins in August and ends in October). Seasons are opposite on either side of the equator during the Equinox. Many cultures and religions celebrate holidays or observe festivals around the September Equinox.

The triangular lead stone with foot-type markings outlined in chalk.

The Fall Equinox day of transition shows up on Mayan, Judaism, Buddhist, Druid, ancient Irish, Native American Indian calendars and more. René White (White Feather) is a resident of Clarke County, Bluemont, Virginia and owns the property described above.

By René White (White Feather) is a resident of Clarke County, Virginia and owns the property described in this story

By Edward Leonard
Clarke Daily News

Bear’s Den Rock has captured the attention of travelers in the northern Shenandoah Valley since colonial times and for thousands of years before by the indigenous people who hunted and fished in the region. Now, a local archaeologist believes that the prominent outcrop just south of Virginia’s Route 7 in Clarke County is a part of a larger 12,000 year old celestial calendar used by Native Americans to mark the changing of the seasons.

 “Although archaeological sites have been discovered across the United States, there’s nothing like this above ground or this old in North America,” says Dr. Jack Hranicky about the site located just off Ebenezer Road. Hranicky, also known as “Dr. Jack” to friends and associates, is a Virginia Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA) credited with authoring 32 books on North America’s prehistory and discoverer of over a half-a-dozen other Native American solstice sites.

“This preserved site has numerous properties that prove its use 12,000 years ago by Paleo-Indians and classifies it as a major ceremonial and calendar site on the Shenandoah River,” said Dr. Jack “I classify it as an ‘Horizon Observation Station’ which produced a Paleo-calendar for early Americans.”

The story behind the presumed celestial calendar’s recent discovery is, in many ways, as intriguing as its ancient origins.

According to Dr. Jack, 12,000 years ago Paleo-Indians traveled throughout the area known today as the Shenandoah Valley and Piedmont Plateau. Although the Piedmont area provided the early Americans with a nearly unlimited food supply, the first Americans still ventured north and west along the Shenandoah River into areas that include modern-day Clarke County.

 “As the Paelo-Indians moved north along the river, Bear’s Den Rocks would have been a very prominent landmark for them,” says Dr. Jack. “They also would have been able to clearly see the site where we are standing right now.”

Dr. Jack is standing in the middle of several large, concentric stone rings – each ring inside a larger ring. The rings were discovered by Clarke County resident Chris White on property he purchased in 2000 located about two miles southwest of Bear’s Den on a lower bench of the Blue Ridge.

Not long after purchasing the property White began building a house on a beautiful rise overlooking his 20-acre parcel.

Medicine wheels, or sacred hoops, are constructed by laying stones in a particular pattern on the ground, often following the basic pattern of a stone center surrounded by an outer ring of stones with “spokes,”or lines of rocks radiating from the center. Originally, and still today, medicine wheels are constructed by certain indigenous peoples of North America for various reasons including astronomical, ritual, healing, and teaching purposes.

As White began clearing fallen trees and brush from his hoped-for medicine wheel site, something extraordinary began to unfold. As White removed debris, pre-existing circles of concentric rocks began to be revealed.  As White continued to work, he soon noticed another circular rock pattern next to the first circle.

At first White didn’t know what to think. Could it be that the stone rings might be nothing more than a natural anomaly created by some long forgotten rock slide or other random event? But certain features of the stone rings piqued White’s curiosity. For instance, why did it appear that larger stones were positioned at cardinal points within the ring? And why were there two rings positioned adjacent to each other?

White, who himself is of Native American heritage stemming from the Cherokee Nation, decided that a professional archaeologist might be able to give him a better idea of whether the rings had been formed  naturally or were man-made.

White then got in touch with Dr. Jack.

Like any scientist, Hranicky was skeptical at first, but was none-the-less intrigued by White’s find. After some preliminary investigation Dr. Jack decided that the site deserved additional archaeological investigation. With the assistance of Chris and Rene’ White, Hranicky conducted the first scientific excavation uncovering a small five by five foot area at the Spout Run Site that so far has produced jasper tools and other supporting artifacts dating back approximately 12,000 years before present.

“Finding jasper tools here is very important,” Hranicky said. “Jasper does not occur naturally in this area so its presence on this site is very important in establishing that Paleo-indians were once here.”

While the small pieces of jasper may be important from a science detective’s point of view, the more extraordinary feature from a layman’s perspective is that the ancient solstice calendar appears to still accurately mark the changing of the seasons today just as it must have done more than twelve millenia ago.

According to White and Hranicky, a person standing in the center of the stone rings is able to focus their line-of-sight with one of several large stone markers placed at precise positions in the ring’s outer-most perimeter.  The stone perimeter points can then be aligned with prominent landmarks further from the circle – for example Bear’s Den Rocks nearly two miles away.

Based on the stone alignments, Hranicky says, a viewer standing in the middle of the circle will observe the Sun rise directly over Bear’s Den Rocks on the Summer Solstice – the Sun’s furthest apparent northern position.

Harnicky claims that a similar Winter Solstice alignment coincides between a stone pillar in the circle and another prominent geologic feature high above on the ridge. Not far from the stone ring is a pile of stones that Hranicky believes may have once served as an altar based on its alignment with other features of the site.

Although on a recent Autumn day Bear’s Den rocks are obscured by the thick leaves and trees, Dr. Jack says that when the stone ring and altar were built some 12,000 years ago there were no trees on the mountain thus giving the Paleo-indians a clear line of sight from the center of the circle to the stone altar and continuing further up the mountain to Bear’s Den Rocks.

According to Dr. Jack, the stone calendar site was probably built not only as a place to hold ceremonies and observe solar positions, but also as a location for jasper tool-making. However, the primary value to the ancient tribes surely would have been in its importance to their survival in predicting the changing seasons.

“The site investigation included mapping and exploring resources around the site and confirms that Paleo-indian priests carried out ceremonies here using the angle of the sun, concentric rings and a stone altar that stands about five-feet tall,” Hranicky said. Hranicky is in the process of registering the site as a state-recognized prehistoric site with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and as a National Historic Landmark with the U.S. Department of Interior.

Hranicky and the Whites have coined the name “Spout Run” for the prehistoric site after Spout Run stream that winds through the property before making its way further down the mountain and into the Shenandoah River.

Hranicky who believes that Clarke County’s Spout Run Site is the oldest above-ground Paleo-indian ceremonial site in North America, will be presenting his research on October 22 during the Annual Meeting of the West Virginia Archaeological Society in Charleston, West Virginia.

“This prehistoric site located in Northern Virginia is of unique national significance and offers a glimpse into a highly developed culture living in Virginia over 12,000 years ago,” Hranicky said. “The site has above-ground concentric rings, jasper tools, Summer/Fall focus and calendar using the summer solstice as a start for the year.

Jasper is a cryptocrystalline stone in geology known to be a preferred mineral to fashion tools by Paleo-indians during the Younger Dryers period, which occurred after the Earth returned very quickly into near glacial conditions of cold, dry and windy. Dating also corresponds to the length of time that the Paleo-indians mined for jasper at the Thunderbird (Flint Run) Paleo-indian Complex in Warren County” Hranicky remarked.

Thunderbird is a jasper quarry excavated in 1974 by Catholic University’s late William Gardner. Gardner was among the first to uncover evidence that Paleo-indians used the Shenandoah River to reach jasper quarries there.

“Our goal is to seek donations and funds to help preserve the site for future generations,” said Spout Run owner Chris White. “Anyone interested in helping preserve this sacred site can contact White at the Native American Church of Virginia at [email protected]”.