North America
What did all three influxes/waves of Arctic occupants have in common?
Some level of marine focused subsistence.
(More in Dorset & Thule than in Paleo-Arctic/Paleo-Inuit)
Name three cultural regions of British Columbia.
- Northwest Coast
- Plateau
- Northeast/Subarctic
True or False: Northwest Coastal communities in BC had specialized fishing technologies including tools and infrastructure.
True.
Tools: hooks, spears, nets
Infrastructure: fish traps and weirs
Archaeological remains: hooks, harpoons, net weights, petroform traps, weir stakes
List the 4 general trends of BC plateau societies.
- Riverine focus
- Increasing sedentism
- Food surplus
- Increasing social hierarchy
What relation does cedar have to salmon populations? Salmon on cedar populations?
More cedar = more salmon = more cedar = more salmon ........ etc
Describe the general geography of the North American southwest.
- Deserts
- Plateaus/Highlands
- River Valleys
- Mountains
What are some key features of the Northwest Coast of BC?
● West of the crest of the Coast Mtns and Cascades
● Mild summers; mild very wet winters.
● High precipitation: rainforest ecosystem
● Salmon; marine resources
True or False: Oak was a key resource of Northwest Coastal communities of the past.
False. Cedar was a key feature of these communities.
Cedar bark is very versatile, easy to harvest, useable for cordage, basketry, and clothing, among other uses. The wood itself was also very valuable and versatile.
Salmon fishing increased and social complexity began to emerge in which period on BC's plateau?
The Late Period
1500 BC to AD 1720
True or False: Northwest Coastal communities utilized landscape management through controlled burning, plant clearing, fostering favourable growth, and managing/foraging forest gardens.
True. :)
How did people survive living in The Arctic?
Extreme adaptation.
General Trends:
- Hunting/fishing-focused subsistence
- Seasonal resource use
- Highly mobile groups
– Mobile toolkits (portable!) – Small groups
What are some key features of the BC Plateau?
● In the rain shadow of the Coast Mtns and Cascades
● Dry, hot summers; dry, cold winters.
● Low precipitation: grasslands/dry forest ecosystem
● Salmon; terrestrial resources
Northwest Coastal communities manipulated marine aquaculture in which way?
Beach manipulation: Clam Gardens
Intertidal terracing and beach enhancement optimized growing conditions and increased yield by 400%+
What were/are three key features of BC's plateau?
- Salmon
- Root harvesting/roasting
- Pithouse villages
What is one innovation by the Thule that revolutionized Arctic living?
Waterproof stitching;
Helps with waterproof watercrafts, waterproof clothing.
What were three main periods in the NA Southwest? How where they characterized?
– Paleo-Indian/Archaic: (>7500 BC to 200 AD)
● Early Hunter-gatherers
● Mobile; small groups
● Broad spectrum subsistence strategy
– Basketmaker: (200 BC - 700 AD)
● Complex Collectors/early cultivators
● Semi-sedentary; more permanent architecture
● Increased reliance on domesticates
(Site: Shabik'eschee in Chaco Canyon, 200 BC- AD 700)
– Pueblo (AD 700 - 1600)
● Agriculturalists
● Irrigation and water control
● Much larger, permanent communities
● Not uniform across the region
(Site: Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon, AD 800-1250)
(Site: Betatakin [1240's-1300] & Keet Seel [1275*-1300] Northern Arizona)
What are some key features of BC's Northeast/Subarctic?
● In the Boreal Forest ecoregion
● Dry, mild summers; snowy, very cold, long winters
● Moderate precipitation: boreal forests, bogs/swamps
● No salmon
What were the general trends of the Northwestern Coast?
- Maritime/riverine focus
- Food surplus
- Increasing social hierarchy
List and date the three Periods of the plateau prior to European contact.
Early Period - >8000 BC to 5000 BC
Middle Period (Nesikep Tradition) - 5000 BC to 2500 BC
Late Period (Plateau pithouse tradition) - 2500 BC to AD 1720
When did evidence of food storage and the emergence of social ranking first appear on BC's Northwest Coast?
During the Early Pacific Period (4,400 BC to 1800 BC)
What were the three main phases/influxes of Arctic occupation?
● Paleo-Arctic/Paleo-Inuit: ca. 4500-500 BC
● Dorset: ca. 500 BC - AD 1500
● Thule: ca. AD 1000 - 1600
Name and describe two Northwest Coast temporal trends (/Periods).
Paleo-Indian/Archaic Period: >4400 BC
● Semi-sedentery
● Hunting/fishing/gathering
● Small groups
● Non-heirarchical social structure
Pacific Period: c. 4400 BC to AD 1775
● Increasing sedentism, seasonal mobility (hybrid model!)
● Fishing
● Landscape management/horticulture
● Monumental architecture
● Major woodworking
● Complex social structure, larger communities
At which point/in which period did Northwest Coastal civilizations become highly stratified societies?
The Late Pacific Period
1,800 BC to AD 1775
Describe the social organization and settlement patterns of BC's plateau communities in terms of Household, Village, Seasonal dispersal and aggregation, and Society.
Household
● Base economic unit, work together in coordination. All levels present, from leaders and artisans/specialists to slaves.* Hierarchical as well as kin-based organization - Everyone in a household is a “relation" (Most kin-based; some not)
Village
● Composed of multiple households, competition between household leaders -> Inter-village competition was less prevalent than on the coast
Seasonal dispersal and aggregation (season specific habits around subsistence and occupation)
Society
● Complex Society! Hierarchical organization
What evidence remains of weaving as a key feature of Northwest Coastal society?
Spindle whorls & loom wieghts.