Bertha Parker's Big Find

A dozen explorers set up camp in January 1930. They were just outside Gypsum Cave near Las Vegas, Nevada. They planned to search the cave system. They wanted to learn what lived there thousands of years ago. Bones, fossils, and artifacts are often preserved in caves. That’s because caves’ environments don’t change much over time.

The explorers searched the cave for several weeks. They looked for signs of ancient life. They found preserved animal droppings and bones. They also found bits of tools made by humans. The crew’s secretary organized the findings back at camp. Her name was Bertha Parker. She was a young Native American woman. She was of Abenaki (a-buh-NAH-kee) and Seneca ancestry.

Parker didn’t study archaeology in school. In the early 1900s, most professional archaeologists, like Harrington, were White men. Women, especially Native American women, faced barriers to education. Archaeologists sometimes hired Native Americans to join them on expeditions. But they were hired mainly to dig trenches or to share information about their culture.

Parker didn’t study archaeology in school. Most archaeologists in the early 1900s were White men like Harrington. Women faced barriers to education. Native American women faced even more. Archaeologists sometimes hired Native Americans for digs. But they were hired mainly to dig trenches. Or they shared information about their culture.

Parker’s father was an archaeologist of Seneca ancestry. He took Parker on digs when she was a child. There, she learned how to find buried ancient remains.

Harrington hired Parker in 1929. Many scientific groups did not include women back then. But other archaeologists accepted Parker. That was thanks to Harrington’s support. She was eager to get in the field and excavate. She found an ancient Indigenous site in Nevada that year.

Parker took the unusual skull she found in Gypsum Cave back to camp. It had belonged to a giant ground sloth. That was a grass-eating animal the size of a brown bear. The sloth lived during Earth’s last ice age, a colder time period (see Ice Age Giants). Giant ground sloths died out about 10,000 years ago. 

Scientists had found giant ground sloth bones before. So what made this one important? Parker found the sloth skull in the same layer of dirt as human-made tools. “In archaeology, items in the same layer of sediment are likely to be from the same time period,” says Desireé Reneé Martinez. She’s an archaeologist. She’s also a member of the Gabrielino-Tongva community. Parker’s finding suggested something. Humans likely lived in North America at the same time as giant ground sloths. This was new information in the 1930s. 

Scientists already thought humans arrived in North America over a land bridge. It once connected the continent to Asia (see Humans on the Move). But scientists weren’t sure when humans first crossed the bridge. Parker’s discovery helped show that humans were on the continent more than 10,000 years ago. That was much earlier than what many people thought at the time.

Parker’s find was big news across the country. Some were surprised that a woman had made the discovery. “Girl Leads Scientists to Nevada Prehistoric Find,” read one news article headline.

Despite facing obstacles in her life, Parker became one of the first female Native American archaeologists. She analyzed artifacts at the Southwest Museum of the American Indian in California. She also studied active Indigenous societies. Later, she advised filmmakers about Indigenous culture and hosted a TV show about Native American history.

But over time, Parker’s work was largely forgotten. “Bertha Parker is such an unsung hero,” says Joe Watkins. He’s an archaeologist of Choctaw ancestry who has studied Parker. Recently, Watkins, Martinez, and others have brought attention to Parker’s accomplishments. They created a scholarship in her name for Indigenous students. “Bertha Parker is a model for doing what you love, no matter what,” says Martinez.

Parker’s find was big news across the country. Some were surprised a woman had made the discovery. “Girl Leads Scientists to Nevada Prehistoric Find,” read one news article headline. 

Parker faced many challenges in her life. Yet she became one of the first female Native American archaeologists. She studied artifacts at the Southwest Museum of the American Indian in California. She also studied active Indigenous societies. Later, she advised filmmakers about Indigenous culture. She also hosted a TV show about Native American history. 

But Parker’s work was largely forgotten over time. “Bertha Parker is such an unsung hero,” says Joe Watkins. He’s an archaeologist of Choctaw ancestry who has studied Parker. Watkins, Martinez, and others have brought attention to Parker’s work in recent years. They created a scholarship in her name for Indigenous students. “Bertha Parker is a model for doing what you love, no matter what,” says Martinez.