Tura, Feb. 7: A team of researchers excavating in the Rongram-Ganol river valley in West Garo Hills have found large number of finished stone tools from Mishimagre village, on the outskirts here.

"The finding of cores (from which stone tools are made) and waste flakes (by-products of tool-making) are indications of a factory site where tools were made in large numbers," said Prof. Queenbala Marak, department of anthropology, North Eastern Hill University (Nehu).

Marak believes that there were many sites in the river valley, where a large number of finished stone tools, waste products and cores can be found. They have discovered the largest concentration till date in Mishimagre.

"In fact, there could have been as many as six sites in the region and the finished stone tools were probably transported to other places in Garo hills. To understand more about the timeframe and the behaviour of prehistoric people and their movement, more thorough research is required," she said.

Marak is leading the team along with Gangotri Bhuyan, Milan Meitei and Tengnang D. Sangma. They strongly believe that public awareness is required for maintenance of the sites since the people are stakeholders as well as custodians.

On Sunday, an awareness camp on the importance of prehistoric sites and how to conserve them was held at Misimagre village, which was organised by the Nehu anthropology department in collaboration with the state arts and culture department.

Marak spoke to the villagers on the importance of stone tools in the creation of history and how proper research on these tools and sites was required. She stressed the need and ways to conserve the sites. Assistant curator of district museum Tura, Kimde R. Marak, said, "It was important to keep proper record of all the studies done on stone tools in Garo hills."

Archaeologist Kanchani Koch said there was a need for proper documents to undertake this type of study.

Mishimagre village chief Obinash Ch. Marak assured the researchers and experts that they would conserve the stone tools.

T.C. Sharma, an expert on Neolithic culture in the Northeast, had said that Garo hills was a potential area for Neolithic culture. Many researchers have also observed that Garo hills had Palaeolithic elements and the stone tools of this area are a topic of debate among scholars. Last year, a lot of ancient artefacts, dating back centuries, were discovered at Rongkhon Songittal near Tura, which included a clay smoking pipe, iron materials along with a huge amount of pottery items.

Prof. Tilok Thakuria, archaeology department, Nehu, had said the tools belonged to prehistoric times. He had said the discovery was accidental but the evidence of Neolithic remains in Garo hills have been reported by several scholars.