This thesis examines the role of the household in the social history of Sto:lo society, and
specifically its role in the development of social complexity. Based on the archaeological house
remains from the Scowlitz site, this research proposes a model for household archaeology in the
Fraser Valley as an independent line of evidence to investigate the emergence of Sto:lo social
complexity. The primary assumption of this research is that the physical structure of the house
itself is an accurate representation of its social counterpart, the household. Ethnohistorical and
ethnographic data demonstrate that Sto:lo house size and architectural design relate to the size,
status, and socio-economic behaviour of households. This thesis applies the model of household
archaeology to the Scowlitz data and specifically questions how house size and architectural
design change through time, and what these changes may indicate about the evolution of Sto:lo
society. Structural features from four superimposed houses at the site document a general
increase in house size over the past 3000 years, concurrent with increasingly greater investment
being placed in house construction. These changes appear to correspond to transformations in
the social and economic organization of ancient Sto:lo society, however future research is
necessary to build on the Scowlitz material, and further define the relationship between house
form, the household, and social change.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/7640 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Morrison, Sandra Lynne |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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