Assessing the Scale and Pace of Large Shell-Bearing Site Occupation in the Prince Rupert Harbour Area,British Columbia

Methodological advancements in geoarchaeology and spatial and chronological modeling are opening new avenues to interpreting large coastal shell-bearing sites. We document the developmental histories of two such sites around Prince Rupert Harbour, Canada, using systematic percussion coring, intensive radiocarbon dating, and 3D surface mapping with Total Station and LiDAR. We also re-analyze a third site (Boardwalk/GbTo-31) excavated and radiocarbon dated in the 1960s, 1970s, and early 2000s using archival field notes, site maps, and stratigraphic profiles georectified using LiDAR. We map the natural landform beneath the sites and document the degree to which people physically modified landforms through the deposition of massive shell accumulations. We model site development through time and space and use accumulation rates and OxCal modeling to test for intentional deposition events. All three sites demonstrate complex and heterogeneous occupation histories. At each we identify instances of very rapid deposition that effectively terraced and extended parts of the natural landform to create places for constructing houses, though these episodes take place within longer histories of slower quotidian deposition. The anthropogenic modifications to the coastline in this area are the result of these mixed processes associated with long histories of occupation.     

Archaeological Survey of Dynamic Coastal Landscapes and Paleoshorelines: Locating Early Holocene Sites in the Prince Rupert Harbour Area,British Columbia,Canada

We present and test a predictive archaeological survey model that targets early Holocene paleoshorelines in the Prince Rupert Harbour area using LiDAR bare earth digital terrain models and a 15,000-year reconstructed history of relative sea level change. Despite a century of archaeological research in the study area, no sites dating earlier than 6000 cal b.p. had been identified prior to our research. Our field survey identified three early Holocene sites associated with paleoshorelines 7–10?m above current sea level (masl). These locations demonstrate repeated use through the Holocene even as shoreline position changes. We discuss these new data in relation to the early Holocene archaeological record from the rest of the northern Northwest Coast and suggest that the region was ubiquitously occupied by this time and that the lack of recorded early Holocene sites in some areas is likely a result of survey and preservation bias, rather than historical reality.     

Ancient DNA investigation of prehistoric salmon resource utilization at Keatley Creek,British Columbia,Canada

This study applied ancient DNA techniques to achieve accurate species identifications for the archaeological salmon remains recovered from the prehistoric pithouse village of Keatley Creek in British Columbia, Canada. Previous archaeological studies indicate that economic stratification within the community might have resulted in differential access to some preferred salmon species, such as sockeye and chinook. Unambiguous ancient DNA species identification now makes it possible to more accurately address the issue of early salmon resource utilization in the region. This study analyzed 60 salmon remains from two specialized structures and two residential structures in order to identify any species differences among bony salmon remains found within the structure. Although high success rates (over 90%) were obtained for ancient DNA tests, only three species (chinook, sockeye and coho salmon) were identified from the remains. Pink salmon was not identified among the tested sample, despite the fact that it was originally assumed to be a staple species for the site's native inhabitants. The absence of pink salmon in our sample significantly altered the picture of early salmon fishing activities in the region. As a result, the effects of economic stratification on differential access to the remaining so-called preferred species of sockeye and chinook within the four structures studied were not as dramatic as previously thought, although differences among the structures could still be observed.     

New excavations at the Barbar Temple, Bahrain

In 2004 excavations at the Barbar Temple dating to c. 2000 BC established that the function of the southeastern subterranean channel connected to the temple pool was to supply the pool with water and not to divert water away from the pool. North and west of the temple the oval terrace wall of its third phase was located. In the centre of the Northeast Temple the remains of a shaft-stairway leading down to a well-chamber was uncovered and shown to be furnished with two subterranean channels leading water into the chamber. South of the Northeast Temple a house with late pottery was excavated. Two stamp seals and two seal-impressed tokens were found.     

Elemental Analysis of Ochre Outcrops in Southern British Columbia,Canada

Ochre is a red mineral pigment that was a key element of social and ceremonial practices among cultures of the Pacific Northwest Coast. It is recovered routinely from archaeological excavations, is visible as pigment for pictographs, and is described in the historical record as a trade item and component of ceremonial practices. Despite its ubiquity in the archaeological record, it is difficult to interpret its significance without first understanding the nature of its procurement and distribution. As a step towards identifying procurement practices, trade and resource use, it is necessary to thoroughly characterize ochre outcrops with regard to their intra‐source and regional variability. We analysed ochre from three outcrops using INAA to determine their elemental chemistry. The purpose of this study is threefold: to provide an example of the range of elemental variability within and between outcrops, to illustrate the effect of scale and geomorphological processes on elemental compositions and statistical interpretation, and to create a database of known deposits in southern British Columbia. The results demonstrate that ochre deposits may be differentiated on the basis of their chemistry, and that conservative statistical interpretation needs to be employed to assess true elemental variability within and between ochre deposits and regions.     

Geochemical characterization of ochre from central coastal British Columbia,Canada

The use of ochre and its presence in archaeological contexts is well documented archaeologically, ethnographically and historically. Elemental analysis of ochre is becoming increasingly common as a method for identifying ancient quarrying and mining practices, and for identifying patterns of resource use, trade and exchange. As this type of work has become more common it has become apparent that two critical issues need to be considered: (1) the need for systematic identification of trends and patterns in ochre geochemistry using appropriate statistical analyses, and, (2) consideration of geographic and geologic scale in relation to ochre chemistry. Because ochre is a heterogeneous material relative to other raw material types, it is necessary to apply multivariate and discriminant statistics to differentiate geochemical groups within a sample set. However, caution must be taken when interpreting statistical results at face value. Local geologic and geomorphologic conditions play a significant role in ochre chemistry and need to be taken into account when interpreting analytical results. The purpose of this project was to determine if geochemically distinct groups of ochre could be distinguished through neutron activation analysis (NAA) of archaeological and geological ochres from the central coast of British Columbia, Canada. The results show that it is possible to satisfy the provenance postulate and to differentiate chemical groups through elemental characterization and using multivariate statistical methods.     

Unstable properties: British Columbia,aboriginal title,and the “new relationship”

In the span of a few years, Premier Gordon Campbell transformed himself from a strong political critic of Aboriginal peoples in British Columbia to their apparent champion within a “new relationship.” The subsequent sudden collapse of Campbell's alliance with First Nations is a window into federal‐provincial relations, constitutional change, Aboriginal political organization, and the consequences of decisions made more than a century ago. Drawing on Nietzsche, we argue that Campbell's intentions, either to control or support Aboriginal peoples, were almost irrelevant; our focus should be on the “will to power” and efforts to stabilize power through territory. As a result of the collision of Aboriginal political mobilization, the expansion of natural resource development, and a series of court decisions, the unresolved nature of Canada's territorial claim to most of the land that is now British Columbia has finally reached a point where it can no longer be ignored, either politically or legally. However, the province lacks the legal authority to recognize or deny Aboriginal title, leaving the provincial government and indigenous peoples in British Columbia equally held hostage by the federal government.     

A still worm from excavations at Carrick Castle,Argyll

Abstract

During 1993 excavations at Carrick Castle, Argyll, a rare item of distilling equipment was unearthed. Possibly dating to the 17th century, the copper alloy condenser or ‘worm’ is unique in design. Pollen analysis of an associated soil sample supports a use in the production of grain spirits. The technology of manufacture and historical context of the worm are examined in depth.     

Pastoral Power, Governmentality and Cultures of Order in Nineteenth-Century British Columbia

I deploy Michel Foucault's concepts of pastoral power and governmentality to investigate the material consequences of two very different visions of the governance of Native people in nineteenth-century British Columbia. This entails a consideration of these modalities of power, and of the usefulness of relocating them in a colonial context. But I also argue that the conceptions of order embedded within these two modalities of power bear the stamp of, and demonstrate, very distinctive cultural geographies.     

Negotiating the production of space in Tl'azt'en territory, Northern British Columbia

Societies produce the space in which they operate through social practices that visualize, administer, and use lands and resources. Because Native peoples have held relatively little political power, their ability to influence the production of space has received little attention. Yet the superimposition of Euro‐Canadian social practices onto Native spaces rarely erased native spatiality, but rather created a territory made up of shared and hybrid spaces which resulted from the interaction of Native and Euro‐Canadian societies. This paper suggests that the social processes involved in the production of space are perhaps most visible when two parties are negotiating the allocation and management of lands and resources. In the 1970s the Tl'azt'en engaged in negotiations over the construction of a railway through their territory. Through the negotiations Tl'azt'en social and economic goals were inscribed to a significant degree in the spatial organization of the territory. Like current treaty negotiations, the 1970s negotiations involved compromises by both parties, and resulted in the creation of new hybrid social spaces which reflected the goals and strategies of both groups. Les sociétés produisent l'espace dans lequel elles opèrent à travers des pratiques sociales qui visualisent, administrent et utilisent les terres et les ressources. Parceque les peuple Natifs ont eu relativement peu de pouvoir politique, leur capacitéà influencer la production de l'espace a reçu peu d'attention. Cependant, l'imposition de pratiques sociales Euro‐Canadiennes sur les espaces Natfs a rarement effacé la spatialité indigené, mais a plutôt crée un territoire composé d'espaces partagés et hybrides, résultat de l'intéraction des sociétés indigènes et Euro‐Canadiennes. Cet exposé suggère que les procédés sociaux impliqués dans lá production de l'espace sont peut‐être plus visibles quand deux partis négocient l'allocation et la gestion des terres et des ressources. Dans les années 70, le peuple Tl'azt'en s'est engagé dans des négociations au sujet de la construction d'un chemin de fer à travers leur territoire. Dans ces négociations, les buts sociaux et économiques du Tl'azt'en furent inscrits à un degré significatif dans l'organisation spatiale du territoire. Comme les présentes négociations de traité, les négociations des années 1970 ont impliqué des compromis par les deux partis, et ont résultéà la création de nouveaux espaces sociaux hybrides qui reflétaient les buts et stratégies des deux groupes.     

Hydrologic response of a small forested swamp complex,Seymour Valley,British Columbia

Wetlands are common in Coastal Western Hemlock forests yet the hydrologic processes that generate runoff from small swamps are not completely understood. Direct field observations, hydrologic, and electrical conductivity data were collected from a gently sloping forested swamp complex from July to November 2009. Swamps occupied depressions between raised mounds (0.1 to 3 m high) and were connected by an ephemeral creek. Runoff was controlled by antecedent moisture conditions and influenced by basin microtopography. Two hydrologic regimes occurred during the study period and different runoff processes dominated each regime. Runoff was generated by subsurface flow during dry antecedent conditions as swamps remained hydrologically disconnected from each other. Runoff was generated by surface outflow from hydrologically connected swamps during wet antecedent conditions as ponded water spilled out of the depressions. The forested swamp complex produced a faster but limited hydrologic response during dry antecedent conditions compared to a slower but greater hydrologic response during wet antecedent conditions. Stormwater runoff and runoff ratios were up to two orders of magnitude higher in wet conditions than during similarly sized events in dry conditions. These factors should be considered when designing monitoring programs or runoff models in forested swamps with significant microtopography. Field surveys and estimates of hydrologic inputs and outputs may be useful in predicting the potential hydrologic connectivity of isolated forested swamps.     

Addressing seasonal site use through ancient DNA species identification of Pacific salmon at Dionisio Point,Galiano Island,British Columbia

We use ancient DNA analysis to identify Pacific salmon vertebrae to species in order to provide an important line of evidence that helps to establish the timing of seasonal residence at a Pacific Northwest Coast village site. Ancient DNA results from House 2 at Dionisio Point allow a characterization of the salmon fishery. Ten of eleven randomly selected smaller-sized salmon vertebrae were positively identified as sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) while only a single pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) was identified. Of the 322 whole salmon vertebrae identified from House 2 occupation deposits during zooarchaeological analysis, 58 percent measure less than 8.0 mm and 70 percent are less than 8.5 mm in maximum transverse diameter. Together with documented aspects of the material record from Dionisio Point, most notably the vertebrate fauna from House 2, the indication that sockeye was the primary focus of the Dionisio Point salmon fishery suggests the site was inhabited during the spring and summer. This approach to the identification of season-specific site occupation has the potential for application over much of the Northeast Pacific.     

Demonstration Survey of Prehistoric Reef‐Net Sites with Sidescan Sonar,near Becher Bay,British Columbia,Canada

Sidescan sonar was deployed in challenging shallow‐water conditions to demonstrate the potential for recording anchor‐stones left on the sea‐bed from prehistoric fishing operations. In less than three hours the survey successfully mapped a reef‐net site originally recorded in 1985 by diving archaeologists over many hours. In addition, 8 km of coastline were surveyed, resulting in the discovery and recording of one new underwater reef‐net site. Our understanding of evolving subsistence practices of the Straits Salish, for whom reef‐net fishing was a critical activity, may be enhanced by this survey method which provides cost‐effective access to data not otherwise being recorded. © 2011 The Authors     

Archaeological excavations at Bosutswe,Botswana: cultural chronology,paleo-ecology and economy

Excavations at the site of Bosutswe on the eastern edge of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana have uncovered over 4 m of deposit ranging in age from CE 700 to 1700. Our research has produced quantitative and qualitative measures of the material and ecological dimensions that structured the everyday actions and behaviors through which social identities were constituted, maintained, and transformed during the period when the polities of Toutswe, Mapungubwe, Great Zimbabwe and Khami rose to power. By examining the material dimensions that underlay shifting relations of production, exchange, and social stratification we are able to contextualize the social judgments that ascribed value to material goods and food ways, while specifying the ways these were used to create and naturalize social relationships and power differentials. Stable isotope analyses, combined with evidence of vitrified dung, further enable us to suggest changes in herd management strategies used by the inhabitants of the site to compensate for ecological changes brought about by long-term occupation, while at the same time enabling them to economically tie subordinates to them as social divisions became more rigidly defined after CE 1300. The cultural and economic changes that took place at Bosutswe thus directly impact our understanding of the social transformations that immediately preceded contemporary configurations of ethnicity in Botswana.