Excavation of Water-Saturated Archaeological Sites (Wet Sites) on the Northwest Coast of North America

Excavation of Water-Saturated Archaeological Sites (Wet Sites) on the Northwest Coast of North America
Author: Dale R. Croes
Publisher: University of Ottawa Press
Total Pages: 361
Release: 1976-01-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1772820474

A compilation of thirteen papers dealing with the techniques of excavation, kinds of artifacts recovered and methods of preservation of perishable materials from water-saturated sites of the Northwest Coast, originally presented at the 29th Annual Northwest Anthropological Conference in 1974.

Waterlogged

Waterlogged
Author: Jenny M. Cohen
Publisher: Washington State University Press
Total Pages: 343
Release: 2021-10-18
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1636820689

On the Northwest Coast in antiquity, an estimated 85 percent of objects were made entirely from materials that normally do not survive the ravages of time. Fortunately, the region’s wetlands, silt-laden rivers, high groundwater levels, and abundant rainfall provide ideal conditions for long-term preservation of waterlogged wood. Few archaeologists intentionally search for them, yet every Northwest Coast archaeologist may encounter waterlogged cultural remains--even inland, away from the coast. Those who investigate can uncover artifacts, structures, and environmental remains missing from the usual reconstructions of past lifeways. Currently, wet-site archaeology is not widely taught at North American universities. Waterlogged helps bridge that gap. Sixteen archaeologists who work on the Northwest Coast discuss their research in regional and global perspectives, share highlights of their findings, provide guidance on how to locate wet sites, and outline procedures for recovering and caring for perishable waterlogged artifacts. The volume offers practical information about logistics, equipment, and supplies, including a wet-site field kit list. Waterlogged presents previously unpublished original research spanning the past ten thousand years of human presence on the Northwest Coast. Examples include the first fish trap features in the region to be identified as longshore weirs, a complete 750-year-old basket cradle from the lower Fraser Valley, wooden self-armed fishhooks from the Salish Sea, and a paleoethnobotanical study at the 10,500-year-old Kilgii Gwaay wet site on Haida Gwaii. Contributors also discuss insider-vs.-outsider perceptions of wetlands in Cowichan traditional territory on Vancouver Island, a habitation site in a disappearing wetland in the Fraser Valley, a collaborative project on the Babine River in the Fraser Plateau, and Early and Middle Holocene waterlogged materials from British Columbia’s central coast.

Perspectives on Northern Northwest Coast Prehistory

Perspectives on Northern Northwest Coast Prehistory
Author: Jerome S. Cybulski
Publisher: University of Ottawa Press
Total Pages: 293
Release: 2001-01-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1772821543

Thirteen scientists provide insight into the archaeology of the north coast of British Columbia in celebration of fieldwork begun by George F. MacDonald for the National Museum of Canada in 1966. This book investigates paleoenvironmental influences on human settlement, theoretical concepts involved in northern Northwest Coast research, and the interplay of aboriginal oral traditions and archaeological findings.

Since the Time of the Transformers

Since the Time of the Transformers
Author: Alan D. McMillan
Publisher: UBC Press
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2000-02-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0774854375

This book examines over 4000 years of culture history of the related Nuu-chah-nulth, Ditidaht, and Makah peoples on western Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula. Using data from the Toquaht Archaeological Project, McMillan challenges current ethnographic interpretations that show little or no change in these peoples’ culture. Instead, by combining historical evidence, recent archaeological data, and oral traditions he demonstrates conclusively that there were in fact extensive cultural changes and restructuring in these societies in the century following contact with Europeans.

The Hoko River Archaeological Site Complex

The Hoko River Archaeological Site Complex
Author: Dale R. Croes
Publisher:
Total Pages: 276
Release: 1995
Genre: History
ISBN:

From 1977 to 1989, archaeologists under the direction of Dr. Dale R. Croes excavated these deposits, as well as nearby habitation sites, recovering nearly 5,000 artifacts. Today this project is recognized as one of the most important "wet" archaeological sites in the Pacific Northwest, where hydraulic excavation techniques were developed and utilized.