This thesis explores the interrelationship between the disintegration
of traditional culture among the Haisla of Kitamaat,
British Columbia, and that group's participation in the Industrial economy of the Northwest Coast.
Initially, the ecological dimension of ranking and chieftainship
in traditional Haisla society is examined. It is
proposed that localized variability of resources was sufficient
to create shortages within village groups or sub-groups, which
would require the intervention of a regulatory mechanism such as
chiefly redistribution. This regulation of resources promoted
the establishment of populations consistent with the high
average productivity of a region rather than the more variable
productivity of individual sites.
High status accrued to those who, because of the greater
regularity and reliability of their resource holdings, were able
to act as donors more often than less favoured groups or subgroups.
The disintegration of this system coincided with the natives'
participation in the industrial economy of the coast. This participation is examined in terms of the extent and type of
merchantable resources in the region; their accessibility and
availability to native producers; the number, type, and location
of markets; prevailing prices and potential income; compatibility
of various occupations, both with each other and with traditional
subsistence activities; and, the socio-political implications
for the natives of their participation. (The removal of the chiefs from the apex of the economic
system was initiated by the decline in importance of traditional
resource sites, as population decline reduced the exploitative
pressure on the resource base that the large aboriginal population had exerted The Haislas participation in the industrial economy further
undermined aboriginal social organization by establishing
a system of resource exploitation that was independent of the
traditional political structure and the services of the central
figures. Access to resources and wealth became governed by
factors outside the chiefs' control, and in fact placed them in
the same economic position as anyone else, in that success became
due to personal characteristics, such as skill or stamina (or
luck) rather than social position.)
Two non-economic factors contributory to cultural change,
Missionization and severe population decline, are examined.) The
establishment of an evangelical mission among the Haisla promoted
change in two ways: the missionaries themselves were often bent
on eradicating all forms of native culture that they considered
incompatible with their teachings; in addition, by establishing
separate mission settlements, they provided a sanctuary in which
innovative social forms could be adopted, enabling novel adaptations to prevailing economic or political circumstances to proceed
relatively unhampered by conservative pressure or reprisals.
The population decline enforced a receptivity to social
innovation even among traditionalist elements, who were obliged
to countenance manipulation of the social system in order to maintain some semblance of continuity in the face of depletion
of the social units and disruption of lines of succession.
These innovations were elaborated by reformist elements, which
contributed further to the dissolution of 'pure' native forms.
The eventual replacement of the traditional matrilineal
system by the European bilateral one was preceded by an extended
period in which both systems operated simultaneously. This
process is considered, focussing on changes in the traditional
system of named, ranked statuses and their transmission via the
potlatch. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/41299 |
| Date | January 1977 |
| Creators | Pritchard, John Charles |
| Publisher | University of British Columbia |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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