Description
For centuries, legends of a race of giants living in the Lovelock Cave in Nevada have been passed down through generations of the Paiute tribe. These red-haired, white giants, known as the Si-Te-Cah, were said to be vicious, unfriendly and cannibalistic. But were these giants real? Or are they a myth?
The first written account of the giants came from Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins, daughter of a Paiute Indian chief. In her book, Life Among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and Claims, she describes the giants as a race of red-haired, white “barbarians” who were driven out by the Paiutes after years of warfare. According to legend, the giants sought refuge in the Lovelock Cave, only to be driven out by smoke created by a fire set at the entrance.
The cave is located 20 miles south of modern day Lovelock, Nevada and was once underneath Lake Lahontan, an ancient lake that once covered most of northern Nevada during the last ice age. The cave was discovered in 1886 by John T. Reid, a mining engineer from Lovelock, who was told of the legend by local Indians. Reid was unsuccessful in getting an archeological dig started immediately, but two miners, James Hart and David Pugh, realized the value of guano as an ingredient of gunpowder, and created a company to start digging it out in 1911. A year later a team led by L.L. Loud of the University of California. During the excavation, Loud and his team uncovered thousands of artifacts, including tools, bones, baskets, and weapons. Most notably, 60 average-height mummies were discovered, as well as a sandal measuring 15 inches in length, and a donut-shaped stone with 365 notches carved along the outside and 52 corresponding
A second dig took place in 1924 and after finishing the excavations, Loud collaborated on a report that was published in 1929. What Loud found was nothing short of amazing. Approximately 10,000 archaeological specimens were uncovered including tools, bones, baskets, and weapons.
According to the report, 60 average-height mummies were unearthed. Duck decoys (among the oldest known in the world with feathers still attached) and a sandal over 15 inches (38 cm) long were excavated. A donut-shaped stone with 365 notches carved along the outside and 52 corresponding notches inside was found, which some scientists believe is a calendar.
Interestingly, radiocarbon dating done on follow up visits found vegetable material dating back to 2030 BC, a human femur dating to 1450 BC, human muscle tissue dating 1420 BC, and basketry dating back to 1218 BC. Archaeologists concluded from this that human occupation of Lovelock cave, by this culture, started in 1500 BC. Today's anthropologists call the people who lived in the area the Lovelock Culture with the Period lasting some 3,000 years. Many archaeologists believe that the Lovelock Culture was replaced by Northern Paiutes.
The debate regarding the veracity of the claims made regarding the Lovelock Giants has been ongoing for more than a century. Skeptics have argued that chemical staining of the earth after burial is the likely reason why mummified remains have red hair instead of black, like most Indians in the area. A study done at the University of Nevada indicates the “giants” were about six feet (1.83 m) tall, and not up to 8 feet (2.44 m) tall as had been claimed.
The discovery at Lovelock Cave is significant in an archaeological context because it is an example of a legend being confirmed by archaeological evidence. Many of the original artifacts found at Lovelock can be viewed at a small natural history museum located in Winnemucca, Nevada. Objects such as the duck decoys are housed at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C., and the basketry and bones belong to the Nevada State Museum.
The mysterious giants of Lovelock Cave have captivated the public's imagination for generations, and the debate over their existence remains ongoing. But what is certain is that the site is an important archaeological window into the past, offering us a unique glimpse into the lives of a lost race and the culture they created.