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The West Coast

The West Coast. Glacial Environment. Cordilleran glaciation Glacial melt released water into oceans Sea level changes. Major River Systems: Balsas River Colorado Columbia Fraser Fuerte River Lerma River Sacramento San Joaquin Suchiate River Yukon . Environment and Climate.

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The West Coast

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  1. The West Coast

  2. Glacial Environment • Cordilleran glaciation • Glacial melt released water into oceans • Sea level changes

  3. Major River Systems: Balsas River Colorado Columbia Fraser Fuerte River Lerma River Sacramento San Joaquin Suchiate River Yukon Environment and Climate

  4. Flora and Fauna • Forested landscape stretches from Alaska to California (spruce, cedar, hemlock, douglas fur) • Food plants includes several types of seed and fruit bearing plants

  5. Subsistence • Resources utilized in seasonal rounds

  6. Fauna/Subsistence • Saltwater fish available included halibut, herring, smelt, cod • Anadromous fish: 5 species of salmon, trout, eulachon, sturgeon, lamprey • Sea mammals: seals, sea lions, porpoises, dolphins, sea otters, whales • Invertebrates: mussels, scallops, oysters, abalone, limpets, cockles, clams, crabs, sea urchins • Terrestrial mammals: deer, elk, sheep, mtn. goat, bears, lynx, marmots, wolves • Birds were also exploited including large birds of prey and smaller varieties

  7. Predating 5500 B.P. (3500 B.C.) Early Period 5500 to 3800 B.P. (3500 to 1800 B.C.) Middle Period 3800 to 1500 B.P. (1800 B.C to 500 A.D.) Late Period 1500 B.P. to present (500 to 1700 A.D) Cultural Chronology -Northwest coast, Southwest coast and the Interior -Northwest coast, Interior, California (North and South)

  8. Sites predating 3500 B.C. • Initial occupation of the North West Coast occurs in Alaska • On the coast: heavy subsistence on marine life, in the interior: foraging and hunting • Northwest coast culture (micro-blade technology) • Southwest coast culture (bifacially flaked bipointed projectile point) • Northwest interior Sites: • On-your-knees Cave Site: Southeast Alaska, 9300 B.P. -human remains • Namu Site: Central British Columbian coast, 9770 B.P. -heavy subsistence on salmon

  9. Early Period: 5500 to 3800 B.P. (3500 to 1800 B.C.) • (1) Increasing cultural regionalism • (2) rapid intensification of shellfish collection (occurs around 8000 B.P. and intensifies around 5000 B.P.) with increase in midden size • (3) large-scale fishing appears with specialized technology (e.g., fish weirs) • (4) much larger populations reflected in increasing food production in general • (5) improving storage technology • (6) more specialized woodworking tools (chisels by 3500 B.P., mauls and pile drivers by 2500 B.P.) • (7) villages (seasonal pattern of summer/winter settlements)

  10. Early West Coast regional classifications • North Coast - Prince Rupert/Skeena River - Prince Rupert III/Haqwilget A, Gitaus VI, and Skeena Complex • Queen Charlotte Islands - Transitional complex and Graham tradition • North-Central Coast - Namu II and III, McNaughton I, and Cathedral phase • South-Central Coast - Bear Cove II and O'Conner II • West Coast of Vancouver Island - Early and part of Middle Yuquot, Shoemaker Bay I; • Georgian Strait and Lower Fraser - Maurer, St.Mungo phase and the early portion of the Locarno Beach phase • Gulf and San Juan Islands - Mayne phase, and the early portion of the Locarno Beach phase • Fraser Canyon - Eayem and early Baldwin phases (Carlson 1983: Figure 1:2).

  11. The Interior • wedge-shaped and tabular-shaped cores, burins of a number of varieties with the notched transverse burin being most distinctive, lanceolate points, a range of scraper and biface knife varieties, gravers, drills, net-sinkers and some other minor items. • The most common tools were simple expedient flake tools. Early Northwest Interior Points

  12. North-East Basket Forms

  13. Little contact with neighboring cultural areas Shell fish collection Hunting and gathering Ex (Glassow, 8000 -6455 B.P.) Ey (Wilcoxin, 6455-435 B.P.) Ez (Erlandson, 4350- 3350 B.P.) Northern California Early Archaic (8000-3500 B.P.). Southern California Early Period 8000-3000 B.P. (6000-1000 BC).

  14. Southern California Early Period 8000-3000 B.P. (6000-1000 BC). • Channel Islands and the Santa Barbara Channel coast • Semi-terranianpithouses (offshore islands) • Metates and manos (importance of plant foods) • Some red ochre sprinkled graves • Mortars and pestles (Ey and Ez) -Acorn and nuts • Land and sea mammal hunting increases • Settlement patterns depended on seasonal hunting and foraging • Intensification of maze exploitation (around 3500 B.C.)

  15. Middle Period 3800 to 1500 B.P. (1800 B.C to 500 A.D.) Traits and trends include: • (1) after AD 450); large plank houses and fine woodworking • (2) highly sophisticated baskets • (3) greater cultural homogeneity throughout the Northwest Coast • (4) widespread trade (e.g., obsidian) • (5) signs of social ranking and societal complexity by 1000 BC (e.g., stone labrets, cranial deformation; costly and exotic grave goods after 500 BC); slavery; increased conflict with neighboring groups; large surpluses accumulated and redistributed by chiefs; beginnings of potlatches. • (6) heightened ceremonialism

  16. Middle West Coast regional classifications • The southern coast, and specifically the Strait of Georgia: Locarno Beach and Marpole complexes (sculpture in hard stone, ear spools, brow bands, large water crafts, large communal plank houses, head deformation and burial mounds ) • The outer coasts of Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula of adjacent Washington State: the Yuquot Zone II complex • The central coast: Namu III and IV • The northern coast: Prince Rupert II • The Queen Charlotte Islands: the Graham tradition • The Baldwin and Kleanza complexes of the lower Fraser and Skeena rivers, respectively, represent interior but still coastally related developments • The Interior: Taye Lake and Taltheilei complexes (Caribou and fresh water fish)

  17. Middle Period 3800 to 1500 B.P. (1800 B.C to 500 A.D.) • Salmon was the most important single food • Broadly based subsistence pattern that would have been supplemented by trade in various food stuffs • Large coastal shell midden sites (winter) • Evidence of warfare appears in the form of clubs, daggers, trophy skulls, and skeletal trauma • Personal guardian spirit and shamanic belief system -elaborated mortuary traits (large numbers of shell and stone beads, cairn burial and mounds) -wealth objects: obsidian, marine shell beads and pendants, nephrite adzes, and native copper -infant burials (wealthy lineages and families)

  18. Potlaches • The processes involved in the formation of a class structure composed of powerful family lineages, commoners, and slaves, with status confirmation ceremonies, such as the potlatch • A ritual means of enhancing and reinforcing rights and privileges

  19. Late Period:1500 B.P. to 16th century (500 to 1700 A.D) • Complex hunters and gatherers • Semi to fully sedentary (ownership to land) • Complex social organization • House-hold based societies (up to 100 individuals) • Broadly based subsistence pattern that would have been supplemented by trade in various food stuffs • Specialists (canoe makers, woodworkers, shamans, basket makers..) • Leadership by shamans, kins and those with exceptional abilities • Social stratification (chiefly elite, commoners and slaves) • Whaling becomes very important

  20. North • Large sedentary villages with planked houses of 20 to 60 individuals • Fortified settlements • Large populations led to exploitation of most abundant resources (competition for resources leads to control by elite) • Stable till European arrival Trench from Victoria area

  21. Vancouver Island to California High population density leads to reliance on food storage Intense manipulation of environment Rectangular plank houses replaces semi-subterranean houses (3100 B.P.) Social networks connected groups (trade in food stuffs and exotic goods) Hoko River Site (Washington) Fishing Camp site Makah culture The wet site dates between 3000 and 2600 B.P. while the dry site had two components, one dating 2900-2600 B.P., and a second, poorly understood one, dating to c. 1700 B.P. http://www.spscc.ctc.edu/anthropology/WELCOME.HTM South

  22. Historical groups • 19th century ethnographers describe great diversity among North West coastal groups after European arrival • Poor preservation of coastal sites • Northern Coast: Haida, Tlingit and Tsimshian • Central and Southern Coast: Locarno, Marpole and Salish • Nuu-chah-nuth (Nootka) culture related to the Makah at Ozette and Hoko River

  23. House beams House frontal poles Memorial poles Mortuary poles Potlach figures Welcome figures Totem Poles

  24. Interior Plateau • From coast Mtns to Rocky Mtns, Fraser River to south of the Columbia and Snake Rivers • More arid than coast, with greater temperature extremes from winter to summer

  25. Interior Plateau • Clovis points found near Snake River, Ft. John B.C. and Wenatchee Washington • Windust Phase: Lower Snake Indian River, 12,600 to 9100 B.P. -small scale foragers -highly mobile -large number of milling stones at Windust site -Hatenai site -Leaf shaped projectile points • Cascade Phase: Snake River, 9100 to 6300 B.P. -Pit houses appear 6300 B.P. -Small nomadic groups foraging over large areas in major drainages -Semi-subterranean houses appear and fishing increases after 5000 B.P. -Salmon runs important after 3500 B.P. • Harder Phase: 2500 to 1000 B.P. -People lived in earthlodge villages

  26. Interior Plateau • Narrows on Rivers that was a very productive salmon fishery for thousands of years (Keatley Creek Site, Fraser River) • Fraser River Sites also show an abundance of Salmon • Number of pit houses increase dramatically over time • Salmon dried and stored in bark-lined pits • Vast amounts of wild onions, balsam root and tubers in roasting pits • Bow and arrow technology by 2500 B.P. • Complex trade networks • Wooden masks show rank and status • Trade sites (Dalles Site , Columbia River)

  27. The California Coast • Biophysical and cultural diversity • Later cultures had intensive and specialized hunting, gathering and fishing activities • Dried fish and acorn stores vitally important • Shellfish played major role in San Francisco Bay area • Santa Barbra Channel area exploited mollusks, sea mammals and shallow water sea fish • Elaborate technology, art and social organization • Trade and resource distribution networks

  28. Northern California • Reconstruction of culture history based on language distributions • Before 6000 B.P. almost all of California Hokan-speaking • Shell middens • Dense settlements in Bay area • North coast isolated and mountainous • Local chiefdoms and territories, often within a local river drainage area -each with a principle settlement, ceremonial center and sever outlying seasonal camps • Gunther Pattern (2150 B.P. to historic period) -Gunther Island in Humboldt Bay area -Strong influences from Northwest Coast -Gunther barbed point -heavy reliance on seasonal salmon runs and marine resources -Seasonal acorn harvesting • Augustine Pattern (1700 B.P.) -Central California -Intensification of hunting, fishing and foraging

  29. San Francisco Bay and the Central Coast • Widespread, but scattered, populations of hunter-gatherers • Coastal resources less important • Windmiller Pattern (around 4500 B.P.) -Sacramento Delta region -Economy focused on hunting of deer, pronghorn, rabbits and waterfowl -Some fishing and gathering -Burials covered on red Ochre and facing west • Berkeley Pattern (4000 to 1700 B.P.) -Adapted to estuaries, bays and marshes -Hunted fish, shellfish, waterfowl and some large game -Large sites with dense populations -Kin leaders and non-egalitarian political systems • Augustine Pattern (1700 B.P. to historical period) -New technologies and customs (bow and arrow, harpoons, tubular tobacco pipes and burning artifacts before placing within burials) -Subsistence of small prey and acorn harvests

  30. Southern California Coast • Hunter-gatherer societies • Long-distant exchange networks • Distinctive shell bead forms used to reconstruct cultural chronology • Early Period (8000 to 3000 B.P.) -Santa Barbara Channel and other parts of California coast • Middle Period (3000 to 700 B.P.) -Beads and ornamental artifacts serve as status markers in society -Seals, porpoises, dolphins, whales, swordfish and shark bones now appear in coastal middens. Along with shellfish -More sophisticated deepwater crafts (planked canoes) • Late Period (700 B.P. to 1804) -Hokan-speaking Chumash people -Intense marine life exploitation -Expert fishermen -Double-ended long paddles for planked canoes -Dome-shaped dwellings on a pole frame -Settlements contained sweat lodges and cemeteries -each village ruled by hereditary chief -Intricate petroglyphs and pictographs -Intricate trade with other regions

  31. The West Coast

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