SFU Archaeology Press

The Birth of Polynesia

2023-02-13T14:27:30-08:00

The “Birth of Polynesia” provides an archaeological narrative of the first people to settle in Polynesia in the Kingdom of Tonga, and the ensuing expansion from the founder settlement on Tongatapu northward through a myriad of islands to Sāmoa and beyond. It presents a comprehensive synthesis of the author’s three-decade-long research program tracking this settlement through a distinctive type of decorated pottery referred to as Lapita. The impact of the first Polynesians on pristine tropical environments, their subsistence practices as inferred through archaeological data, their material culture and art, the chronology and motivations behind the expansion, and the reflections of this past in the Tongan present are addressed in different chapters. Insights into the individuals, events and decisions influencing such a lengthy research endeavour are integrated throughout.

The Ancient Past of Keatley Creek

2017-05-03T14:11:33-07:00

In order to present as full a picture of the data upon which the previous interpretations were based, relatively detailed reports of all the test trenches and extended excavations are presented in this, the third and final volume. This volume also contains a description of the lithic typology used by the project (Chap. 1), an illustrated catalog of all the modified bone tools from the site (Chap. 2), and a special analysis of unusual scapula tools at the site (Chap. 3). The intention is for this volume to be used as a kind of reference book, similar to a dictionary. It should be consulted whenever any questions about excavation or stratigraphic details of a housepit arise from reading analyses or interpretations in the other volumes.

Marpole

2017-04-29T13:15:56-07:00

The following work formed the main text for my [David V. Burley] Doctoral dissertation in Archaeology at Simon Fraser University. Although several modifications have been made for publication, the context remains basically the same. Descriptive reports for the Marpole and False Narrows sites which have been appended to the original dissertation are not reproduced. They will, however, eventually be published as separate studies and hopefully add to the growing body of archaeological data within the Gulf of Georgia region.

Origin and Spread of Microblade Technology in Northern Asia and North America

2017-04-23T13:09:09-07:00

This 222 page paperbound volume dedicated to the late Richard G. Morlan contains 12 chapters detailing the complexities of the various microblade technologies found throughout northeast Asia and northwestern North America over the past 30,000 or more years, and gives their distributions in time and space. All of the types and many examples are illustrated with line drawings or photographs and their distributions and frequencies are shown using maps and graphs. Discussions center around origin, use, and meaning in the contexts of culture history and environmental adaptations.

Salvage '71

2017-05-02T11:44:20-07:00

This volume contains reports on the preliminary findings of archaeological salvage projects carried out
by the Department of Archaeology at Simon Fraser University during the summer of 1971. A total of 26 archaeological sites endangered by industrial expansion, timber leases and logging, park and housing development, or the forces of natural erosion were excavated. In addition, four archaeological surveys of localities threatened by flooding or other activities were conducted. The projects were spread throughout the province from Kimsquit in the north to Kamloops in the east, and from the Skagit Valley in the south to the Gulf Islands in the west (Fig. 1). These activities yielded over 5000 artifacts, and a quantity of other archaeological information, and provided a valuable experience in archaeology for 60 students.

Archaeology of the Lower Fraser River Region

2017-05-18T11:10:25-07:00

Since Charles Hill-Tout’s pioneering investigations at the famous Marpole site in the terminal 1800s, a considerable number of significant and richly informative archaeological studies have been conducted within the Lower Fraser River Region of southwestern British Columbia. As a result, a great deal has been revealed and learned about pre-contact period and early post-contact period human occupation, settlement, and use of natural resources. The majority of these projects have occurred within the last 50 years due to routine culture resource management assessment and mitigation studies required for land-altering developments, and there have also been several purely research-based investigations that have contributed new and significant data. While detailed unpub- lished final reports are available for most of these past archaeological studies, results from only a few have been summarized and formally published. Consequently, in order to gain a broad and comprehensive understanding of the human occupational history of the Lower Fraser River region, researchers have been compelled to seek out these many reports individually, and then wade through their often lengthy and dry contents in search of new, interesting, comparative, or otherwise useful information.

Recognizing a glaring and long overdue need to round up and publish summary accounts for many of these studies in a single volume that would be widely available to all, in 2011 I approached Dr. Roy Carlson, Department of Archaeology at SFU, and related that I would be willing to solicit and edit chapters if Archaeology Press would publish it. Dr. Carlson instantly and graciously agreed, and shortly thereafter I sent out a call for chapter submissions to our professional community. The initial response from our colleagues was immediate and overwhelming, with over 50 chapter abstracts being submitted within a few weeks.

Evolution of Maritime Cultures on the Northeast and the Northwest Coasts of America

2017-05-11T11:13:22-07:00

The evolution of maritime cultures on the Northeast and the Northwest coasts of America

The Zhokhov Island Site and Ancient Habitation in the Arctic

2017-05-05T11:13:57-07:00

A Mesolithic wet site in the Arctic Ocean.

Tsʼishaa

2017-05-05T12:45:11-07:00

The Tseshaht Archaeological Project was initiated as a joint endeavour of the Tseshaht First Nation and Parks Canada. The Tseshaht, one of the 14 members of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council on western Vancouver Island, reside today on their reserves near the city of Port Alberni. Their traditional territories, however, include the Broken Group islands of Barkley Sound, now within Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. This volume reports the results of three seasons of fieldwork in Barkley Sound at Ts'ishaa, the ancient village that was the centre of the Tseshaht world for millennia and from which they derive their name. This was the location in which the Tseshaht people first came into being according to their creation story. This volume presents extensive ethnographic information on Tseshaht culture and traces the changes in social and political organization through amalgamations with neighbouring groups in the early historic period. It also provides detailed descriptions and analysis of the materials recovered through large-scale archaeological excavation at this important site, documenting an occupation that spanned the last 5000 years. Appendices present specific contributions to the research by Michael Wilson (Regional Geology, Geoarchaeology and Artifact Lithologies), Marty Magne (Lithic Analysis), Ian Sumpter (Analysis of Shellfish Assemblages), Gay Frederick and Susan Crockford (Analysis of Vertebrate Fauna) and Iain McKechnie (Small Fish Remains from the Column Samples). The results make a significant contribution to our knowledge of Nuu-chah-nulth prehistory and, more generally, Northwest Coast archaeology.

The Prehistoric Use of Nephrite on the British Columbia Plateau

2017-05-05T09:54:34-07:00

This study is an examination of the pre historic use of nephrite on the British Columbia Plateau. It was undertaken in order to deter mine whether nephrite was primarily used by Plateau societies to fulfill utilitarian wood working requirements or as an item of status, property or wealth. To understand these issues, it will be necessary to evaluate the costs and benefits involved in manufacturing and using implements made of nephrite compared to those for other stone materials available for woodworking in the British Columbia interior. It will also be essential to determine how pre historic plateau societies exchanged, utilized and disposed of nephrite objects. This study helps to establish how complex hunter-gatherer societies made use of commodities of potenti ally high value.

The Economic Prehistory of Namu

2017-05-04T16:23:09-07:00

The vertebrate faunal remain recovered from the Central Coast site of Namu are a rich source of information concerning the changing patterns of fauna utilisation in the region. The descriptive data of taxonomic abundance and fauna characteristics presented are the basis for an interpretation of the prehistory economy and settlement of the site over the period from 7000 cal. B.P. to approx. the time of European contact. The data indicates a long-term pattern of marine resource utilisation, in which changes in the availability of salmon played a key role in the scale of site settlement and cultural activity.

The Archaeology of Kamloops

2017-05-04T14:28:01-07:00

This report is concerned with archaeological excavations in the south-central interior of British Columbia, in the vicinity of Kamloops. The principal results of the research are the description and incorporation of new archaeological data into a cultural-historical synthesis for the Kamloops locality. The purpose of the first section is to introduce the objectives of the research, the area investigated, previous archaeology, and the list of archaeological units utilized to interpret the new data. The ultimate research objective is the reconstruction of the culture history for the Kamloops locality. Since at the outset of the research, the prehistory was very little known, the immediate research objective was to sample a selection of sites to determine their cultural content and temporal range. As the funding for field research was directed towards salvage of threatened sites, the sites chosen were, for the most part, those in the greatest immediate danger of destruction. I n the reconstruction of the culture history for the locality, the archaeological features and materials are described in detail, and a sequence of archaeological units is devised. This sequence is then compared to cultural sequences for other localities in the Interior Plateau of British Columbia. The research area is termed the Kamloops locality, the definition of locality being an archaeological unit "...small enough to permit the working assumption of complete cultural homogeneity at any given time" (Willey and Phillips 1958:18). The Kamloops locality has as its focal point the confluence of the North and South Thompson Rivers. It extends along the river valleys eastwards to Monte Creek, northwards to Rayleigh, and westwards to the shores of Lake Kamloops. Figure 1 shows the location in southcentral British Columbia of the Kamloops and other archaeological localities mentioned in the text. The Thompson Plateau is a gently rolling upland of low relief ranging from 1200 to 1500 metres above sea level, with only occasional mountain peak elevations of above 1800 metres (Holland 1964:71). It is the most deeply dissected section of the Interior Plateau, as evidenced by the South Thompson River Valley. It is steeply incised, averaging 3.5 km in width, and whose floor ranges from 600 to 1200 metres below the plateau level (Fulton 1967:1; Tipper 1971 :11).

The Belcarra Park Site

2017-05-04T15:43:55-07:00

During the past three decades archaeological research in the Strait of Georgia region has concentrated upon the establishment and refinement of regional chronologies. The Fraser delta sequence, until quite recently at least, was considered to date to approximately 1000 B.C. at the earliest. The sequence consisted of five phases which are, ear1iest to latest: Locarno Beach, Marpole, Whalen II, PreStselax and Stselax. Pre-Stselax was presented as a provisional term denoting a developmental stage between Whalen II and Stselax (Borden 1970: 110). For a number of reasons the validity of the Whalen II phase has been questioned and it has been suggested that this phase be deleted (Mitchell 1971 a:56; Fladmark 1974).Since the presentation of the Fraser delta sequence two immediate problems, both temporal in nature, have become apparent. The first problem in the sequence related to the origins of the Locarno Beach phase (i.e. the pre-1000 B.C. time period). Archaeologists have long suspected that "early" culture-bearing deposits existed in the lower Fraser vicinity and the discovery of an early sequence in the Fraser Canyon (Borden 1957) heightened this suspicion. Lately, this problem has been addressed and a number of researchers (Carlson 1970; Calvert 1970; Mitchell 1971a; Loy 1972; Percy 1974) have made important contributions to the 5000–1000 B.C. period. Much of this material has been recently synthesized (Borden 1975). Matson (1976) has now added significant new data to the early end of this sequence. The second problem involved the poorly understood A.D. 400–1200 time period and it is this time period on which the present study focuses. In 1971 examination of a number of surface collections from the Belcarra Park site convinced the author that the site contained a late prehistoric component. Included in all collections were artifact types considered characteristic of late components defined for the region (Borden 1970:96; Carlson 1970: 120; Mitchell 1971 a:48). Noteworthy in the Belcarra Park collections was the presence of relatively large percentages of small triangular chipped stone projectile points of the side-notched and corner-notched variety and of small triangular ground slate projectile points of the side-notched variety. This presence suggested that the Belcarra Park site contained deposits belonging to the A.D. 400–1200 time period and that the potential for making a statement about the chronology and culture change for this time period seemed good. Hence the excavation strategy was directed toward recovery of a sample of closely associated artifacts to permit definition of valid cultural taxonomic units. This goal was accomplished and two superimposed assemblages were recovered: Belcarra Park I and Belcarra Park II.

The Ancient Past of Keatley Creek

2017-05-03T09:10:40-07:00

The Ancient Past of Keatley Creek

2017-05-03T12:20:44-07:00

Keatley Creek is a world heritage quality site with unusually large housepits, good preservation, clear architectural features and evidence for complex socioeconomic organization. Work done here has been at the center of theoretical and methodological advances in archaeological studies of complex hunter/gatherers. Volume II: Socioeconomy presents analyses dealing with the basic social, economic, and political organization of the prehistoric community at Keatley Creek. Faunal, botanical, and lithic remains are examined in individual chapters to determine how activities were structured within housepits of different sizes (small, medium, and large). Not only does the internal organization of activities differ between small and large housepits, but the overall assemblage compositions also vary. Small housepits are relatively impoverished compared to large housepits even after assemblage size differences are taken into account. Special chapters address prestige artifacts, evidence for ownership of fishing sites, the role of domesticated dogs at the site, heating strategies used in the pithouses, and architectural reconstructions. Summary chapters deal with inferences about the overall prehistoric socioeconomic organization at the site, the relative level of complexity of the community, and a reconstruction of life at the site.

Settlement Patterns of the Draper and White Sites

2017-05-02T12:57:33-07:00

The 1973 excavations at the Draper and White sites were part of the Pickering airport salvage project which was oriented toward the recovery of settlement pattern inform ation. There is strong indication that a major determinant in the location of both sites was proximity to soils suitable for maize horticulture, to water sources and possibly to areas of high game density. Defense may also have been a major locational determinant at both sites. There is tenta tive evidence for a palisade at Draper.

It is postulated that the White site — only over a mile from Draper — may have been used during a part of its occupation as a summer encampment or village for groups from Draper tending maize fields and/or obtaining other economic resources in bulk such as fish or birds. In support of this the boundaries of the maize gardens cleared by the Draper and White occupants were mapped, and the White site falls within the radius of these Draper fields. Moreover, faunal and floral remains are very different at the two sites, White having much more fish, few mammals, a high ratio of worked bone and a very high ratio of human remains. Average radiocarbon dates are relatively close for the two sites. Concerning the intra-site settlement pattern ing, no structures were encountered at White (a product of small sampling). At Draper, house orientations and positions relative to middens appeared to conform to the standardized pattern of northwest orientation in Lake Ontario Iroquois. Because of this and the unique in situ nature of deposits

at Draper, we concentrated on intra-structure settlement pattern data of structure 2. The patterning here was characterized by an unexpectedly pronounced degree of activity specialization and coordination throughout the structure. This seems to imply a highly organized corporate residence group. Because o f the requirements o f such economic articulation and because there were definite concentrations of pits and other features plausibly associated with feasting activities, it seems reasonable to postulate a kind of longhouse big man or head man. Because authority seems to have been expressed in economic spheres, it also seems reasonable to argue that economics (namely trade goods) were ultimately the influence basis of head men and the integrating force behind the longhouse corporate structure. Trade itself, or warfare engendered by compe tition over trade, was probably responsible for increases in settlement sizes at this time. Draper is one of the earliest large Lake Ontario Iroquois settlements. On the basis of ceramic styles associated with household locations within structure 2, residence does not appear to have been strictly matrilocal, although there are definite stylistic groupings within the structure, indicating some tendency toward matrilocality.

Site abandonment does not appear to be due to game depletion in the area.

Two infant burials were discovered in the floor, and at both sites there were indications of human mutilation.

Putu

2017-05-02T11:09:59-07:00

The Putu site is located in the Central Brooks Range of Alaska at latitude 68°35' north, longitude 149°01' west. Located some 27 miles north of the divide and 13 miles south of the most northerly extension of the mountains it is on the boundary between the Central and Eastern Brooks Range and the Foothills physiographic provinces (Pewe, 1975). The site is on part of a large knoll jutting out from the side of a mountain slope which forms the eastern slope of the Sagavanirktok Valley. This knoll is 800 feet above the valley floor and approximately 1,000 feet below the mountain crest. The site itself is on a small, level bench 100 feet lower and 300 feet south of the knoll top. The subtleties of this particular location are crucial to the analysis of the site. Located on one side of, and high above, the valley floor, the very top of the knoll provides a view of all the valley and most of the plateau bounding the west side of the valley. This knoll top provides an excellent view for spotting game, and would allow a hunter to estimate where game might be in an area of nearly 24 square miles. The view from the Putu site terrace is, however, totally blocked to the north and the rounded shape of the slope restricts vision immediately below. In effect just a bit less than half the available area from the knoll top can be seen from the putu site. From three seasons experience in hunting with the Nunamiut I consider the location to be an extremely poor choice for a hunting lookout especially when a panoramic view from a much more obvious spot is just a minutes walk uphill. At lunchtime and coffee breaks Danny Hugo would walk to the top of the hill to look for game. Additional environmental factors, snow, wind, and mosquitoes, need also to be considered. The prevailing winds parallel the long axis of the valley, roughly north-south. With a location in the southern lee of the hill the Putu site area would be covered during the cold months with drift snow, potentially a desired resource for insulation. The location also provides a wind-break not only from the north but quite effectively from the south wind as well. We discovered that when there was too little wind at the site to keep the mosquitoes down, a bit of respite from their assaults or a mosquito free lunch-time nap, could be found on top of the knoll. When there was a south wind strong enough to make note taking difficult at the site, there would be a gale blowing on top of the hill, a gale sufficiently strong to allow walking perpendicular to the slope, one of the few simple Arctic pleasures. The site is an attractive location for a camp in that it provides level ground protected from the wind and possibly an insulating cover of drifted snow. Equally important during the winter on a still day the elevation difference could provide a temperature difference of as much as 30°F with the heavier, colder air blanketing the valley floor.

Studies in Bella Bella Prehistory

2017-05-02T14:13:52-07:00

When I first became interested in Northwest Coast archaeology a review of the literature revealed that no other major culture area of North America was so poorly known archaeologically. At the same time the ethnographic cultures of the region had been intensively studied and the opportunity to use the direct historic approach seemed promising. The selection of the Bella Bella' region as the focus of studies came about through discussion and correspondence with other archaeologists working on the coast. The National Museum of Canada had ongoing research on the Queen Charlotte Islands and the Skeena river mouth. Simon Fraser University was initiating research in the Bella Coola region. The geographically intermediate and archaeologically little known Bella Bella region seemed an obvious choice. Research was initiated during June of 1968. This preliminary season was devoted to exploratory efforts as a guide to future research. At the inception of the work, none of the researchers had prior experience in the area, nor much experience in the survey and excavation of shell middens, consequently during the first week of the season we initiated a survey to locate prehistoric sites. Our first efforts consisted of motoring along the shoreline looking for any obvious remains or unusual topographic or vegetational features. We would then go ashore to examine likely areas. We also examined other areas selected at random to learn if we were overlooking any sites. The dense vegetation combined with the steepness of the shoreline quickly convinced us that more efficient survey methods had to be developed. We were recording less than one site per day, yet were expending great amounts of energy. We therefore began a systematic program of interviewing residents about the location of sites. Many local people knew the locations of pictographs and petroglyphs; but their knowledge of midden locations was less precise. One man in particular, Willie Gladstone, of the Bella Bella band, at that time 82 years old, proved to be a mine of information. He provided us with more than fifty site locations, and marked our navigational charts with additional comments regarding site type and distinctive features. We then proceeded to visit and record each location. At the conclusion of the field season we had recorded 51 sites and had yet to investigate an additional 31 sites reported by local residents. Additional efforts during 1968 included test excavations at Namu and Kisameet. The survey (Fig. 1) from its inception in 1968 has been directed by J. Anthony Pomeroy who is preparing a separate report on this aspect of our project.

Prehistoric Mortuary Variability on Gabriola Island, British Columbia

2017-05-02T10:09:43-07:00

Archaeological sites on the Northwest Coast of North America have yielded evidence for a variety of mortuary practices, including midden internment, tree burial, cremation, cairn or mound burial and surface disposal in caves, grave houses, mortuary poles or canoes. The meaning of this variability is unclear, although social differention and chronological change have been suggested as possible explanations. This project examines the problem of mortuary variability in the Gulf of Georgia region of the Northwest coast through analysis of two burial samples from Gabriola Island, British Columbia, that exhibit wildly differing burial practices.

Tahltan Ethnoarchaeology

2017-05-02T15:35:15-07:00

In order to reconstruct traditional or prehistoric subsistence and settlement patterns it is considered essential in the present study to understand the extent and manner in which the traditional patterns have been influenced and changed by European contact. To this end, library and archival research has been conducted in order to outline the historical events in the Stikene area and the kinds of influences these events have had on the traditional way of life of the Tahltan people. While the sequence of historic events on the Stikine River was similar to that occurring in other areas of British Columbia, the influence of direct European contact on traditional Tahltan culture was felt much later than in most areas. Throughout the historic period, Tahltans have maintained strong ties to their land and to those aspects of their traditional culture related to a subsistence economy.

Papers on Central Coast Archaeology

2017-04-30T12:19:34-07:00

The 2 papers in this volume are the result of the long term work on the Central Coast of British Columbia by the Department of Archaeology at Simon Fraser University. The papers are based upon graduate theses presented to the department in 1976 (Chapman) and 1977 (Apland). They have been abridged somewhat but have not been updated or revised. Since these are the first reports on Central Coast archaeology to be published in this series it is in order, by way of introduction to review the history of the department's work in the area. Geographically the area begins with the north end of Vancouver Island and associated mainland coast. It extends northward some 400 km across the Queen Charlotte Sound to a point south of Douglas Channel. The topography varies dramatically on any eastwest transect from low lying outer coast to the inner coast with its deeply incised fjord-like inlets. Historically the area includes the traditional territory of the Bella Coola, parts of the southernmost Haisla, the Hieltsuk, and much of the southern Kwakiutl area.

Late Prehistoric Cultural Horizons on the Canadian Plateau

2017-04-29T10:44:30-07:00

In North American archaeological syntheses, the Canadian Plateau is often either ignored, characterized as identical to the Columbia Plateau, or included with the Columbia Plateau and Great Basin (e.g., "Basin/Plateau"). This situation exists primarily because there are no published archaeological syntheses of Canadian Plateau prehistory. It is hoped that the following culture-historical model for the last ca. 4000 years of Canadian Plateau prehistory will help to ameliorate this problem. We believe this synthetic summary will contribute to a better understanding of the late prehistoric period on the Canadian Plateau, and that it will be useful as a general guideline to structure future culture-historical sequences and provide some measure of chronological control for processual studies. The approach taken in this synthesis has a somewhat "normative" bent (Binford 1965, 1968) with respect to the manner in which the material cultural data are presented. although many important aspects of cultural systems relating to subsistence and settlement are also discussed. This model is not intended to be a final statement on late Canadian Plateau prehistory, and perhaps future research and theoretical trends may partially, or even radically, change some or all aspects of the integrative framework presented here.

Mortuary Variability and Status Differentiation on the Columbia-Fraser Plateau

2017-04-29T14:53:36-07:00

The goal of the present work is to explore variability in Plateau mortuary assemblages, with an emphasis on that portion of the variability which can be related to socioeconomic status differentiation. By necessity the research focuses on the differential distribution of grave inclusions. Particular attention is given to discovering differences in mortuary structure between different regions of the Plateau, and between the middle prehistoric (approximately 4000-2000 B.P.), the late prehistoric (approximately 2000-200 B.P.), and the protohistoric period. Historic period documentation suggests that certain areas of the Plateau were characterised by more complex social organisation than others. These can seemingly be related to especially productive fishing locales, which presumably allowed the creation of greater surpluses to fuel economic competition. The formal testing of this hypothesis linking mortuary variability, social complexity, and resource richness is not a component of this work, although it is with such eventual goals in mind that the research is undertaken. Since there is essentially no framework upon which to build, much of the work will be exploratory. In terms of Gibbon's (1984) classification of research strategies, this work can best be described as an exploratory investigation in which archaeological data are examined and patterns sought. Hypotheses are more likely to be generated than tested in an approach of this kind.

Marine Fish Osteology

2017-04-29T11:58:29-07:00

The present work is a fully illustrated field and laboratory manual of practical interest to the experienced fish bone analyst and the student of fish osteology. It was especially designed with regard to the particular problems and requirements of archaeologists. In the field it is intended to be useful for preliminary identification when comparative material is not available. As a laboratory handbook, it will familiarize the user with all the bony elements to be found in archaeological and comparative material. Because the drawings are of disarticulated elements, and organized according to anatomical origin, this convenient illustrated guide will help make sense of the jumble of bones that results from the processing of specimens into a comparative skeletal collection. Above all, the prime objective of this manual is to show basic osteological differences between various fish taxa on the basis of complete osteologies. Despite the limited number of species depicted, this manual can at the very least help to rough sort archaeological remains into a general category of fish as opposed to other vertebrates. Because it encompasses several of the most common marine forms found in the Northern Hemisphere, it will help to narrow identification in many cases down to the level of family, if not to genus or species. Finally, this manual can help reduce problems of quantification and interpretation by making the user familiar with all identifiable elements of the fish, and not just those most easily recognized. Although it is not practical to produce an exhaustive manual covering all fish species found in this area of the world, it is hoped that this handbook will precipitate further interest and offer practical aid in the generation of osteological collections of different fish species, and emphasize the importance of continued work in this previously neglected area of archaeological analysis.

Integrated Lithic Analysis

2017-04-29T09:04:50-07:00

Interior Plateau archaeologists have long recognised the potential for "key-shaped formed unifaces" to be formally recognised as reliable temporal horizon markers and to provide important information concerning specific task activities performed at prehistoric sites. The main objectives of this study are (1) to determine the geographical distribution of key-shaped unifaces in Northwest; (2) to disclose their approximate relative duration of use in areas where they have been identified; and (3) to determine their primary function on the Interior Plateau. This tool type has been documented in two major cultural and geographic areas in the Northwest: the Interior Plateau and some of its immediately adjacent regions; and throughout most of the Arctic. Current radiocarbon age estimates suggest they were used between ca. 3000 and 1000 BP on the Canadian Plateau. On the Columbia Plateau they have been found in contexts dating between ca. 4000 and 1000 BP. The 1000 year disparity between the appearance dates in these two contiguous culture sub-areas may be the result of sampling error, as very few site dating between ca. 4000 and 3000 BP have been investigated on the Canadian Plateau. Very similar tools were used in the Arctic commencing sometime between ca. 4500 and 4000 BP, where they also disappeared about 1000 BP. A study sample of 129 specimens from excavations and surface collections on the Canadian Plateau were examined to generate descriptive data and to determine their use. Results of design theory, residue, microwear and experimental analyses all suggest that the primary function of key shaped formed unifaces on the Interior Plateau involved working stalks and branches of woody plants. A possible secondary function for these tools may have involved occasional shaving and smoothing of soaked or boiled antler beams and tines.

Osteometry of Makah and Coast Salish Dogs

2017-04-29T16:10:07-07:00

Early historic and ethnographic accounts report the presence of two types of dogs (Canis familiaris) kept by the Makah and Coast Salish peoples of the south central Northwest Coast of Sorth America (southeastern Vancouver Island, northern Olympic Peninsula, the Gulf Islands, Puget Sound and the Fraser River Delta). These accounts describe a medium-sized, short-haired dog and a smaller, long-haired one. The small type or "wool" dog was reportedly kept almost exclusively for its thick soft fur, which was woven into blankets. The ethnohistoric evidence suggests that the two types of dogs were deliberately maintained as separate populations, with explicit economic reasons for doing so, and thus may constitute true breeds. This pattern of dog use has not been recorded anywhere else in North America. However, the cultural implications of this unique situation cannot be appreciated fully until the issue of whether the wool dog really existed as a separate type during prehistoric times is resolved. The purpose of this study was to determine whether two distinct physical types could be distinguished within a sample of 1163 dog skeletal remains collected from 20 archaeological sites spanning 5000 years of prehistory. The sample consists of crania, mandibles, major front and hind limb elements, selected tarsals, metapodials and vertebrae. A statistical method cribbed from paleontological studies was used to interpret the variation in size demonstrated by the sample. This method allowed specimens to be classified, on an element by element basis, as either large or small according to its total length dimension. Multivariate discriminant function analysis was used to investigate the relationship between breadth and length dimensions. This analysis constitutes the first comprehensive work on prehistoric dog remains from this area. It is a long overdue database that will allow almost all dog skeletal elements, previously excavated material and future remains alike, to be compared and assessed.

Found! Human Remains

2017-04-28T15:38:33-07:00

For more than a century archaeologists and physical anthropologists have been engaged in the recovery and analysis of ancient human skeletons and artifacts, in order to understand the appearance and behaviour of past peoples. Their aim, maximum information retrieval, parallels that of the police officer confronted with recent bones which might be human and possibly of forensic significance. The methods employed by archaeologists and physical anthropologists, both in the field and in the laboratory, are of immediate and obvious use to the investigating officer. Unfortunately, a gap in communication and cooperation persists between the police and the academic, to the disadvantage of both. The investigation of suspected crime can be significantly enhanced by application of the techniques of archaeological excavation. Similarly, physical anthropologists, with skills freshly honed by investigations leading to the identification of missing individuals, can turn to prehistoric and fossil bones with heightened confidence in their ability to do creditable work. A positively identified skeleton is a touchstone with reality for physical anthropologists who normally work with prehistoric bones which, sadly, cannot talk back. This manual describes how to recover more or less skeletonized human remains and associated evidence for forensic purposes. It also explains what a forensic anthropologist can learn about an individual from a careful study of the bones. The authors hope the manual will bring the identification officer in the field and the archaeologist and physical anthropologist closer together. Although the manual will enable the investigating officer to recover human skeletal material adequately, it is our recommendation that, with enhanced cooperation between the law officer and the forensic anthropologist trained in archaeological techniques, they share the task of recovering the bones and related evidence. Only experience in the use of this manual will show if it is helpful. In the spirit of closer communication the authors welcome any and all suggestions for its improvement.

Indian Art Traditions of the Northwest Coast

2017-04-28T20:27:01-07:00

This is a collection of eleven articles that came out of a 1976 symposium titled "The Prehistory of Northwest Coast Indian Art." Although more than two decades old, many of these articles are considered classics by students of NW Coast art and ethnography. Especially worth noting is Bill Holm’s article titled "Form in Northwest Coast Art." There also is a somewhat speculative article by Wilson Duff on meaning in Northern NW Coast art and an article about material from the Ozette archaeological site, which is housed in Neah Bay, Washington, at the Makah Cultural Research Center. There is a lengthy bibliography but no index; all illustrations are in black and white.

Current Research Reports

2017-04-28T13:13:19-07:00

This volume contains thirteen articles which reflect current research interests of faculty and graduate students in the Department of Archaeology, and an introductory guest article by Michael Stanislawski, Weatherford Fellow of the School of American Research in Santa Fe, New Mexico (1976).

At A Crossroads

2017-04-27T14:31:43-07:00

The 20 papers in this volume were written by both Native and Non-Native authors, and provide both substance and food-for-thought concerning the complex interactions between archaeologists and contemporary indigenous peoples of Canada in regard to working together, interpretation of the past, ownership of the past, and the relationships between traditional knowledge and archaeological fact.

Archaeology of Coastal British Columbia

2017-04-27T10:16:25-07:00

A Forward by Carlson and 18 chapters on BC Coastal archaeology in honour of Professor Philip M. Hobler

Projectile Point Sequences in Northwestern North America

2017-04-26T10:57:35-07:00

The 20 chapters in this volume are authored by archaeologists working in the many regions of the Northwest. Projectile points dating from over 10,000 years ago to the historic period are described, illustrated, and placed in their spatial and temporal contexts. The area covered stretches from the Yukon to central Washington and includes all of British Columbia. Many of the projectile points are recent discoveries that have not previously been published.

The Pithouses of Keatley Creek

2017-04-24T14:44:30-07:00

Archaeology, the Paleolithic of Northeast Asia, a Non-Tropical Origin for Humanity, and the Earliest Stages of the Settlement of America

2017-04-24T10:17:39-07:00

This controversial volume by Siberian archaeologists, Yuri Mochanov and Svetlana Fedoseeva, places the recent discoveries of early Paleolithic artifacts at the Diring Yuriak site on the Lena River in Siberia, dated at several million years ago, in a model of human origins in the north and thereby challenges the current ruling theory of human origins in Africa. In addition the authors provide illustrations of artifact assemblages from their forty years of research in northeast Siberia that span the early Paleolithic, Middle Paleolithic, and late Paleolithic periods.

Huu7ii

2017-04-24T12:21:27-07:00

This volume presents the results of a collaborative project with the Huu-ay-aht First Nation, a Nuu-chah-nulth group near Bamfield on Vancouver Island’s west coast. It reviews ethnographic and ethnohistoric data on Huu-ay-aht territory and provides detailed descriptions and analysis of excavated materials from the site of Huu7ii, an ancient Huu-ay-aht village with an occupation span of nearly 5,000 years. The major focus is on the excavation of one very large house, argued to be a chiefly residence. Appendices present specific contributions to the research by Gay Frederick (vertebrate faunal analysis), Iain McKechnie (fish remains from the column samples), Ursula Arndt and Dongya Yang (aDNA of cetacean remains), Ian Sumpter (invertebrate faunal analysis), Beth Weathers (paleoethnobotany), and Marlow Pellatt (paleoecology and the pollen record). The results make a significant contribution to our knowledge of the Nuu-chah-nulth past and to household archaeology on the Northwest Coast.

Glass and Ice

2017-04-04T14:46:36-07:00

This report summarizes the methods and results of archaeological investigations conducted in the Mt. Edziza region of northwestern interior British Columbia in the summer of 1981. Mt. Edziza, situated within the Stikine River drainage near the small community of Telegraph Creek, has long been known as the source of at least 4 chemically distinct varieties of obsidian identified in archaeological sites throughout northern British Columbia and adjacent areas (Nelson et al. 1975). Archaeological work conducted in the Telegraph Creek area in 1969 and 1970 indicated the local presence of a microblade technology (the "Ice Mountain Microblade Industry") which, however, was not then reliably dated or culturally associated (Smith 1970, 1971, 1974a, b). Our 1981 research had several preliminary goals, including understanding the nature of aboriginal utilization of alpine-subalpine zones in general, and the Edziza obsidian sources in particular; as well as clarification of the age and relationships of the Ice Mountain Microblade Industry (Ice Mountain is one of the variant translations of the word "Edziza"). In addition we hoped to begin development of a regional cultural historical and paleoenvironmental sequence for a part of British Columbia which was still essentially archaeologically unknown. I believe that we were successful, to varying degrees, in all these areas and that data now available from the Edziza region may begin to shed some initial light on the nature, age, and relationships of local prehistoric cultures spanning the last ca. 5000+ years.

Toolstone Geography of the Pacific Northwest

2017-04-04T17:14:13-07:00

The 242 page soft-cover book contains 15 chapters by well-known and respected authors presenting new and intriguing revelations about toolstones in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and northern California. Each chapter examines lithic raw material sources, the uses and distribution of the toolstones quarried from them, and the archaeological or anthropological inferences that studies of toolstone geography provide.