Transcript Pre-Columbian Archaeology of North America

Introduction to the Cultures of
North American Aboriginal Peoples
The Northwest Coast
Regional Characteristics:
The Northwest Coast
– Narrow coastal band, including offshore
islands, that stretches from southeastern
Alaska to southern Oregon/northern California
– Interior limit set by Canadian Rockies and
Cascade Mountains
– Marked by deep valleys running east-to-west
creating in effect islands
Climate
• Mild temperatures and high rainfall
– At lower elevations rainfall in
excess of 1000 mm p.a.
– At higher elevations, snowfall
amounts average 4.1 m
– At lower elevations average
temperatures remain above zero
• Latitude/Longitude = 49.1 N;
123.06 W
• Avg. Annual Temperature (C) = 9.8
• Annual Temp. Range (C) =16
• Total Annual Precip. (mm) =1048
• Summer Precip. (mm) = 277
• Winter Precip. (mm) = 771
Flora
– Temperate rainforest
• Coniferous trees
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Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
Redwood (Sequoia sempevirins)
Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum)
Spruce
Yellow cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis)
• Not a cedar but members of the False-cypress family
– Red cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
– Hemlock (Tsuga sp.)
• A member of the pine family
Red Cedar Bark
Vegetational Zones of North
America
Northwest Coast fauna (1)
• Herbivores
– Moose (Alces alces) los
– Elk (wapiti) (Cervus elaphus) jelen
– White-tail (Virginia) deer (Odocoileus
virginianus)
– Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
– Dall (mountain) sheep (Ovis dalli)
– Rabbits/hares
– Beaver (Castor canidensis) bobr kanadský
Northwest Coast Fauna (2)
• Carnivores
– Bears
• Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis)
• Brown bear (Ursus arctos)
• American black bear (Ursus americanus) baribal
– Canines
• Wolf
• Coyote (Canis latrans)
• Red fox (Vulpes vulpes)
– Felines
• Mountain lion (Puma concolor)
• Lynx (Lynx canadensis)
– Mustelids
• Wolverine (Gulo gulo) rosomák
• Otter, marten, mink, weasel
• Sea otter
– Raccoon (Procyon lotor)
– Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana)
Northwest Coast Fauna (3)
• Whales
– Killer whale (Orcinus orca)
– Gray whale
• Sea otters
• Salmon
– Chum, pink, coho, chinook, sockeye
Diversity and density of resources
• Disparity between
marine and terrestrial
resources
– Terrestrial
• Low diversity, lower
density
– Marine
• Higher diversity, higher
density
Key characteristics
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Salmon
Food Storage
Woodworking
Sedentary villages
Property ownership and wealth
accumulation
• Status and rank
– Potlatch
Division of labor
• Women
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raising children
tending the fire
Cooking
making clothing and weaving baskets
collected shellfish
dried wild fruits and vegetables as well as plants used for dyes and
medicines.
– Processing and drying fish for winter meals was a major activity
– Women also harvested cedar bark to make mats, hats, capes,
skirts, and ornaments.
• Men
– Fishing
– Hunting
– Woodworking
Diet
• Salmon
– Range in size from 2.5 to 55 kg
– Anadromous
• Born in freshwater, migrate to ocean and after 2-5 years
return to spawn and die
– Individual species return at different times of year
(spring, summer and fall) known as runs
• Other marine resources
– Herring, oulachon, trout, marine mammals, shellfish
• Terrestrial resources are much less important
– Cervidae, mountain sheep
• Critical for other items (hides, fur, bones, antler
– Berries
Salmon
• Salmon were fished using:
– Hooks
• Baits, lures, sinkers, lines and floats
– Harpoons and spears
– Dip nets
– Fish weirs and traps
• Prime fishing spots were highly prized and
protected (owned)
Food storage
• Because of seasonality and regularity of
resource, storage is critical
• Salmon (and other fish)
– Dried
– Smoked
– Often packed with berries
• Salmon runs while regular will sometimes
fail meaning that the village must rely on
stored food
Woodworking
• Trees are straight-grained softwoods
• Narrow range of groundstone tools
– axes, adzes, hammers, wedges
• Logs are split into planks
Woodworking II
• Storage boxes
– Bent wood
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Masks
Totem poles
Plank houses
Canoes
Haida Totem poles - 1903
Haida totem pole
Long houses
• Post and
plank
construction
• Square to
rectangular
• Max. 30 m
long, 8 m wide
• Occupied by a
matrilineage
Canoes
• Dugout
– Made from a single log
• Various sizes according to function
– 1-man fishing canoes
• Inshore fishing
– Trading canoes
• Operated on the open ocean
• Crews of up to 20, 20 m. long, 5 tons of cargo
Miscellaneous items: rattle, bowl, hat
Sedentary villages
• Large villages had upwards of 200 persons
• Seasonal movements to resource procurement
sites:
– Fishing camps
– Berry gathering camps
• Each village was politically and economically
independent
• Some degree of economic interdependency
between neighboring villages
Property ownership and wealth
• Wealth defines status
• Ownership generally vested in lineage
• Property included:
– Land
• Fishing spots, berry picking sites, etc,
– Manufactured items defined as having value
• Coppers
– Each copper had a name, history and specific value based on
these factors
• Chilkat Blankets
– Made from mountain sheep wool and cedar bark fibers
– Woven on simple loom
Status and Rank
• Social system
– Ranked lineages, clans, etc.
• Wealth
• Manifesting status and rank
– Potlatch
• Ceremonies usually held in winter
• May last a number of days
• Held to mark significant events:
– Births, deaths, marriages, accessions to offices
• Involved singing, dancing, feasting, display of ritual items
such as crests, masks, etc. and gift-giving
– These items are usually associated specifically with potlatches
• Additionally functioned as a system for the redistribution of
goods within a region
Potlatch Regalia