PLEASANTON, Calif., Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Work was stopped at the California site of a new supermarket when remains of members of an American Indian tribe were uncovered, officials said.
Archaeologists called in say they've found the remains of at least 19 members of the Ohlone Indian tribe along with artifacts at the Pleasanton building site, the Contra Costa Times reported Monday.
The discovery was the fourth in the last decade of remains of the Ohlone people, who inhabited the California central coastal area.
The remains were found after Safeway Stores hired William Self Associates, a cultural resource management firm, to survey the land for a new store near the Alameda County Fairgrounds.
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The recent discovery increases the number of remains found by the company on or near the site in the last decade to more than 500.
"Modern folks in the area are finding out what the Ohlone Indians knew, that the Tri-Valley was a great place to live," said Andrew Galvan, an Ohlone descendant and curator of Mission Dolores in San Francisco.
"It appears to be the case that Ohlone Indians called this area home," said James Allan, WSA vice president and principal. "Given the number that we have found, and the close distance, it appears to be a fairly large population."
Safeway received approval from Pleasanton's City Council in October to build the store after agreeing to hire a qualified archaeologist to conduct land surveys.
Safeway broke ground on the new store last week but work on the site where the remains were found has been suspended. Allan said the cataloging and excavating could take three months to complete.
Under state law, the California Native American Heritage Commission has assigned a person known as "the most-likely descendant" to consult with the landowner.
The remains could either be moved to another site for burial or be reburied on the same area in a spot where they won't be disturbed, Allan said.
