This paper is about cultural area of the Northwest Coast and especially about art of a few groups of native people who lived and still live there. The subjekt of this paper is mainly a theretical analysis of the most important artistic artifacts. Particula attention is paid to developmental transformations of traditional artifacts and their function in modern society. The goal is to capture the importance of artistic traditions of American Indians, especially the Salish group, in the kontext of the current revitalization movement. Major emphasis is placed on the role of native artistic artifacts in the commercial use of historici and cultural heritage of the area. The paper examines the influence of art on the perception of identity of indigenous peoples.

Graduation date: 1984

This thesis presents the results of recent sampling of the Q’umu?xs Village site (DkSf-19) at Comox Harbour, British Columbia. Bucket auger and column sampling was undertaken to ascertain resource use patterns associated with the unique abundance of wooden stake fish traps located in Comox Harbour through zooarchaeological analysis of fish remains. Fish remains were identified and quantified to trace changes in resource use and linked to the chronology of fish trap use. Incorporating the theoretical frameworks of human behavioural ecology (optimal foraging models), intensification, household archaeology, and the archaeology of complex hunter-gatherers, this thesis discusses the use of fish traps in Comox Harbour in relation to larger questions of Northwest Coast social and economic complexity, in particular the emphasis on herring seen in the fish remains. / October 2008

This thesis presents the results of recent sampling of the Q’umu?xs Village site (DkSf-19) at Comox Harbour, British Columbia. Bucket auger and column sampling was undertaken to ascertain resource use patterns associated with the unique abundance of wooden stake fish traps located in Comox Harbour through zooarchaeological analysis of fish remains. Fish remains were identified and quantified to trace changes in resource use and linked to the chronology of fish trap use. Incorporating the theoretical frameworks of human behavioural ecology (optimal foraging models), intensification, household archaeology, and the archaeology of complex hunter-gatherers, this thesis discusses the use of fish traps in Comox Harbour in relation to larger questions of Northwest Coast social and economic complexity, in particular the emphasis on herring seen in the fish remains.

This thesis presents the results of recent sampling of the Q’umu?xs Village site (DkSf-19) at Comox Harbour, British Columbia. Bucket auger and column sampling was undertaken to ascertain resource use patterns associated with the unique abundance of wooden stake fish traps located in Comox Harbour through zooarchaeological analysis of fish remains. Fish remains were identified and quantified to trace changes in resource use and linked to the chronology of fish trap use. Incorporating the theoretical frameworks of human behavioural ecology (optimal foraging models), intensification, household archaeology, and the archaeology of complex hunter-gatherers, this thesis discusses the use of fish traps in Comox Harbour in relation to larger questions of Northwest Coast social and economic complexity, in particular the emphasis on herring seen in the fish remains.

One of the primary research interests at many late Pleistocene/early Holocene sites has been the transition from bifacial technology to a focus on microblade technology. Relationships between sites in Asia, Alaska, British Columbia, Haida Gwaii and elsewhere are frequently discussed with reference to the presence or absence of these technologies. As the focus has largely been on bifaces and microblades, other technologies have received considerably less attention. However, many of these more expedient technologies comprise the majority of assemblages found at any given site and reflect a substantial portion of technological practice and behavior. At the Richardson Island site, in southeastern Haida Gwaii, the stone tool assemblage is largely composed of unifacially manufactured tools that remain somewhat prevalent throughout the record of site activity. In this thesis, I begin my analysis with an exploration of the amount of standardization present in the unifacial tool types using cluster analysis. Following cluster analysis, the artifacts are discussed within the context of a behavioral model, taking the tools through a life history approach from raw material procurement to discard. Finally, this thesis focuses on technological change and continuity, tracing unifacial technologies through the detailed record of site activity at Richardson Island.

In the years between 1789 and 1792 the shores of what is now British Columbia were opened to European scrutiny by a series of mostly Spanish expeditions. As the coastline was charted and explored by agents of European empires, the Pacific Northwest captured the attention of Europe. In order to carry out these explorations the Spanish relied on what turned out to be an experiment in ‘gentle’ imperialism that depended on the support of the indigenous “colonized”. This thesis examines how the Spanish envisioned their imperial space on the Northwest Coast and particularly how that space was shaped through the exploration of the Salish Sea. A close examination of the Spanish explorations of 1790-91 opens a window on this distinctive Spanish imperialism, on Aboriginal culture and politics in this era, and on the cartographic and cultural mapping of this the centre of gravity of modern British Columbia.

One of the primary research interests at many late Pleistocene/early Holocene sites has been the transition from bifacial technology to a focus on microblade technology. Relationships between sites in Asia, Alaska, British Columbia, Haida Gwaii and elsewhere are frequently discussed with reference to the presence or absence of these technologies. As the focus has largely been on bifaces and microblades, other technologies have received considerably less attention. However, many of these more expedient technologies comprise the majority of assemblages found at any given site and reflect a substantial portion of technological practice and behavior. At the Richardson Island site, in southeastern Haida Gwaii, the stone tool assemblage is largely composed of unifacially manufactured tools that remain somewhat prevalent throughout the record of site activity. In this thesis, I begin my analysis with an exploration of the amount of standardization present in the unifacial tool types using cluster analysis. Following cluster analysis, the artifacts are discussed within the context of a behavioral model, taking the tools through a life history approach from raw material procurement to discard. Finally, this thesis focuses on technological change and continuity, tracing unifacial technologies through the detailed record of site activity at Richardson Island.

The dynamic environmental history and relative sea level (RSL) changes experienced on the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America during the early post-glacial period and the early Holocene resulted in significant visibility challenges for prospection of early coastal archaeological sites. Archaeological visibility is the degree to which cultural material survives post-depositional processes and is detectable on the landscape today. It is influenced by environmental factors such as localized differences in relative sea level change, the rainforest canopy and dynamic post-glacial activity. This study offers an integrated methodological approach for locating palaeo-coastal sites by combining: i) geomorphic interpretation of landscape attributes captured by LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) mapping, ii) GIS-based archaeological site potential mapping, and iii) local RSL history. The RSL history for the study site (Quadra Island, British Columbia, Canada) shows notable regression over the past 14 500 years from a highstand of at least 195 m resulting from post-glacial isostatic rebound. Late Pleistocene and early Holocene palaeo-shorelines are found inland from, and elevated above, modern sea level and represent key areas for archaeological prospecting. Bare-earth Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) derived from the LIDAR dataset were interpreted to identify palaeo-shorelines at 10 m and 30 m above modern mean sea level. A GIS-derived map was created to identify regions of high archaeological potential using a decision tree method with variables including distance to palaeo-shoreline, low slope and a coastal complexity parameter. Select geoarchaeological sites were examined in terms of sedimentology, stratigraphy, microfossil content and geochronology as site-specific examples of sea level regression stillstands. Field validation results suggest that this integrated methodology provides a promising approach for archaeological prospection that could be applied to other post-glacial coastal settings. / Graduate

This thesis explores the findings of a diachronic analysis of three lithic assemblages from Quadra Island, British Columbia. From this, insights flow about the genealogies of technological practice and communities of skilled practitioners who inhabited the study area throughout its deep history. I use qualitative and quantitative methods including macroscopic lithic analysis, thin section petrography, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and morphometrics to operationalize these theoretical foundations. This suite of complementary methods and theory weaves a narrative of technological change alongside simultaneous continuity for hundreds of generations of human life. I argue this is evidence of the dynamic, sophisticated, yet enduring knowledge and practice of the inhabitants of the Discovery Islands throughout their deep histories that persist in the present. / Graduate / 2019-04-16