Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology

Santa Cruz Island, lying some 30 km. south of Santa Barbara, was occupied by the Chumash and their ancestors for several thousand years, up until about 1815. More recently, the island has been privately owned and it is currently operated as a cattle ranch. A private club allows hunting of feral sheep and pigs, which range over most of the island. A few years ago, one of these hunters found an unusual wooden object in the course of unauthorized hunting for Indian artifacts. The purpose of this paper is to describe the object and to consider archaeological, historical, and ethnographic evidence which can shed light on its possible age and function.