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, P. O. Box 644, Davis, California 95617, USA(e-mail: cosmos{at}dcn.org)
For at least 13 000 years, California Indians mined and worked obsidian, trading the precious volcanic glass near and far, including obsidian and its uses in their everyday lives and beliefs. The cultural importance of obsidian is emphasized by the fact that a number of tribal groups created myths specifically about obsidian. Not only do the myths illustrate tribal religious beliefs, they help to trace geological and archaeological histories, as well. That obsidian still plays economic, artistic, and religious roles in the lives of today's Californians offers testimony to its qualities the Indians discovered long ago.
