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  • flora

    • Artifact ID #: 935
    • Excavation Unit: 2N 9W
    • Level: Unknown
    • Identification: Broken half of a coconut. Perhaps one of the most unique discoveries at German Gulch, was this half of an imported coconut. Likely imported from Hawai’i, Polynesia, or other South Pacific islands, the coconut must have been an expensive item for the Chinese in German Gulch. It is likely that the coconut was consumed for the milk and meat, but in some instances these fruits were used in medicinal cures. This is the only known example of a coconut discovered on a historic Chinese site in Montana, or the Pacific Northwest and is an important reminder of the significant trade networks in the 19th century.


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