Shell Middens: an Open Time Capsule into the Lives of Archaic Native Americans in the Coastal Bend by Debbie Griffith—Learn about shell middens and how they hold preserved tools, weapons, jewelry and food used by Native Americans as far back as 4,000 years ago (the Late Archaic period). Learn how a “trash pile” has enriched our understanding of archaic lives along the Texas Gulf Coast. What can we see? How and when did it happen?