Table Of ContentSummer 19%
Ethnobiology 16(l):31-62
Journal
of
SOCIOECONOMIES
RECONSTRUCTING
PREHISTORIC
AND
FROM
PALEOETHNOBOTANICAL
ZOOARCHAEOLOGICAL
DATA:
AN FROM COLUMBIA PLATEAU
EXAMPLE THE
BRITISH
DANA
LEPOFSKY
Department Archaeology
of
Simon Fraser University
V5A1S6
Burnaby,B.C.
KARLA KUSMER
D.
Lane
4683 Cheatgrass
NV
89436
Sparks,
BRIAN
ifA
Simon University
Fraser
V5A
1S6
Burnaby, B.C.
LERTZMAN
KENNETH
P.
Management
and Environmental
Resource
of
Simon University
Fraser
V5A
1S6
Burnaby, B.C.
Columbia Plateau,
on is
ABSTRACT.—The Creek located the British
Keatley
site,
position of resi-
the
order investigate
composed house depressions. In to
of 119
we
com-
Creek,
Keatley
socioeconomy
at
dential structures of different sizes in the
and animal remains re-
plant
and of the
distribution
pare the density, diversity,
and housepit. In
medium-sized, large
covered from the living floors of a small,
structures cor-
we whether differences in these residential
investigate
particular,
and whether the larger
socioeconomic status,
housepit
with differences in
relate
which themselves dit-
subgroups,
domestic
show
housepits evidence of distinct
TUi,«,.„;™.nnmhpr approaches
methodoloeical
number of
.-_*_*....
<•_..• • This requires a
me ww. —~
iouus both the faunal
mat commonly usea. The results o^if
not
are •<
Taxo-
with housepit size
do vary
remains
and diversity of
indicate that density
mnrp
- • ., * a_ ndj . • i„ r„^rr/icf fVi^f diverse activities
both plant. s
richness of
h^
me The faunal
miuuuic. *«"*
tooKDiace in large^i structure.
. domestic
was divided into distinct
housepit
support the hypothesis that the large
r Jr
a^.c
Hctribuh on
TVip of floral
f ... ;,
. , soc•ioeconomic
«« --
and small nouses s,ug «•»
medium-sized S
and remains from the
faunal
were undertaken
and
pronounced activities
were
nal domestic subgroups less
we make
can
needed before
A sample
more
diverse is
more communally.
larger,
1
32 LEPOFSKY ET
AL.
No.l
Vol.
16,
definitiv
paleoethnobotanical
zooarchaeological
analyses
in studies of prehistoric and economic
social organi-
zation.
RESUMEN.—
El sitio arqueologico de Keatley Creek, ubicado en de
region
la la
Meseta en Columbia
Canada,
Britanica, compuesto
esta de 119 depresiones
Con
habitacionales. de
el fin investigar la posicion de estructuras residenciales de
tamano
diferente en la socioeconomia de Keatley Creek, comparamos
densidad,
la
diversidad y distribucion de los restos de plantas y animales recuperados de
los
pisos de una vivienda pequefia, una mediana una En
y grande.
particular,
investigamos
en
si las diferencias estas estructuras
residenciales se correlacionan
con
en
diferencias estatus socioeconomic©,
y los fosos habitacionales mayores
si
muestran
evidencia de subgrupos
domesticos que
distintos difieran entre en
si
estatus socioeconomico.
Esto requiere de un numero
de aproximaciones
metodologicas que no comunmente
son
empleadas. Los
resultados tanto de
los
como
analisis faunisticos
floristicos indican que la densidad y diversidad de
la
los restos varian en tamano
si relacion
al del foso habitacional. La riqueza
taxonomica de ambos,
plantas y animales, sugiere que en mayor
estructura
la se
llevaban cabo mas
a actividades
diversas. Los restos de animales, mas no de
apoyan
plantas, la hipotesis de que el foso habitacional mas grande
estaba dividido
en subgrupos socioeconomics
distintos, posiblemente de
estatus socioeconomico
desigual. La distribucion de
los restos floristicos y faunisticos de viviendas
las
medianas
pequenas que
sugiere subgrupos
y los domesticos menos
internos eran
pronunciados que
y las actividades eran emprendidas en forma mas
comunitaria.
Se requiere de una muestra mayor mas
y diversa antes de que podamos
hacer
mas
declaraciones
definitivas acerca de socioeconomia
la prehistorica en Keatley
Creek, pero
este trabajo demuestra
valor de combinar
el
los analisis
paleoetnobotanicos
zooarqueologicos en
y los estudios de organizacion
la social
economica
y prehistorica.
RESUME
de Colombie
lateau
la britannique
connaitre de chacune
role
le des
structures
Creek, nous avons compare
la quantite, la diversite et la repartition des debris
d^especes
vegetales animales
et trouves dans
les parties habitees d'une
petite,
une
a savoir une
avait
s'il y relation entre la quantite, la diversite et la repartition de
ces debris dans
les differentes maisons
et les differents statuts sociaux
et
economiques
des occupants
des maisons
excavees dans
cas des grandes
et, le
maisons, des sous-groupes
domestiques
si
distincts avec des
statuts sociaux
et
economiques
pu
differents ont Une
coexister. recherche
telle a necessite l'emploi
de
plusieurs methodes
generalement peu
Les
utilisees. resultats des analyses des
debris d'especes vegetales et animales montrent que
quantite
la et la diversite des
memes
L'abondance
taxinomique des
debris
a la fois floraux et fauniques suggere
qu'il se
tenait plus dans
d'activites variees grande
maison.
la L'analyse des
debris d'especes
animales,
ce qui n'est pas corrobore par
des
celle debris d'especes
vegetales, vient
etayer l'hypothese de presence de
la sous-groupes domestiques
distincts, a statuts
sociaux economiques probablement
et inegaux, dans
grande
maison. La
la
repartition des debris floraux et fauniques dans deux
les autres maisons porte
a
Summer JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY
1996
33
moins
que
qui
et les activites s'y tenaient etaient plus communautaires. faudra exam-
II
un
iner echantillon plus important et diversifie avant de se prononcer de
fa<;on
economique
definitive sur la vie et sociale prehistorique de Keatley Creek.
Toutefois, presente etude montre ensemble methodes
la l'interet d'utiliser des
d'analyse paleoethnobotaniques
zooarcheologiques dans de
et l'etude
de economique
l'organisation vie sociale des
la et societes prehistoriques.
INTRODUCTION
and
Differential access control over resources are fundamental charactersitics
complex which
of societies are reflected in the archaeological record. To examine
we
the archaeological correlates of socioeconomic complexity, focus on the remains
of a large winter village located along the Fraser River in southwestern British
Columbia (Figure Ethnographic and archaeological evidence suggests that the
1).
hunter-gatherer subgroups occupying these pithouse villages were socially and
economically complex (Hayden and Ryder Hayden and
Spafford
1991; 1993;
Hay
den The wide and apparent complexity
1985). variation in size of the
et al.
pithouses us develop hypotheses about and economic both
led to social differences
among
and within pithouses, and to postulate that these differences would be
reflected in the organic remains within the houses.
In 1986, an excavation program began the Keatley Creek the largest
at site,
and
remaining
pithouse village in the region, to reconstruct the prehistoric social
economic and
organization at the in particular to investigate the position of
site,
the vastly different sized residential structures in the socioeconomy. There are a
total of 119 house depressions at the ranging in size from 5-21 meters in diam-
site,
eter measured from rim crest to rim crest. In order to understand the nature of the
comparison economic and orga-
different sized structures, a detailed of the social
we
nization of various sized residences was undertaken. In this paper discuss the
socioeconomy of the Keatley Creek as reflected in species composition, spe-
site
and
and paleoethnobotanical
cies richness, spatial distributions of
medium-
zooarchaeological remains recovered from the living floors of a small,
and
1
sized, large housepit.
Hayden hypothesized
In developing the overall goal of the project, et al. (1985)
was by corporate
Creek occupied residential
that the housepit village at Keatley
They
groups economic and posited that differences in
of differing social status.
and
upon control.
housepit were dependent socioeconomic differentiation
size
and
wealth
The housed groups of relatively greater
larger houses, they predicted,
than
socioeconomic differentiation
and
status, should exhibit greater internal
smaller
structures.
These hypotheses generate the following predictions:
generally correlate with differences in socio-
Differences in residence structure size
1)
most
privileged indi-
houses contained the
economic such the largest
that
status,
As-
privileged ones.
the
and smaller structures less
viduals, the proportionally
suming more groups produce more refuse in a greater variety of con-
that affluent
LEPOFSKY
34 ET
Ah.
No.l
Vol.
16,
—
FIGURE
1 Location of Keatley Creek and other housepit
. site village sites in the
study
area.
Summer JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY
1996
35
texts, the larger housepits should contain the greatest density and diversity of
£< sam
remai• ns / 1 * 1 1 1 • k 1 il «
after
items
ethnographies suggest that smaller
more
hkelv produce more remains
to
(Hayd
things being equal
nonresidence such sweat
cial, structures, as feasting or lodges.
differentiation
more
more
domestic
in
into areas used by distinct domestic subgroups; and b) by
and /or occupation between these domestic
?alth distinct
subgroups.
A
may
"domestic subgroup be composed nuclear an
" of a single family, ex-
tended family, or several unrelated individuals or families. The delineation of dis-
by
domestic subgroups distinguished archaeologically the regular, repeated
tinct
is
and consumption remains with each
patterning food processing across the
of floor,
set of remains being associated with a different subgroup. Differences in status,
among would by
wealth, and/or occupation domestic subgroups be expressed
some
the presence of special or restricted items associated with only of the distinct
domestic subgroups. The absence of regular, repeated patterning of all remains
and
would suggest that internal domestic subgroups were less pronounced that
communa
more
undertaken
were determine
housepits tested to their suitability
of the
many
small
Almost
building events.
medium
Shuswap
Kamloop
zon inning of the
(2,400
house was periodically gathered together
rizon (1,200-200 Refuse inside the
b.p.).
middens
and dumped forming rim sur-
outside the base of the roof stratified
at
prob-
Houses had be re-roofed periodically,
rounding the house depressions. to
and
2 accumulated living floor debris
ably every 1-3 years. appears that all the
It
with each re-roofing
sediment were removed, and a clean floor re-established
till
house
was no remaining evidence of multiple
most houses
event. In tested, there
we accumulated
excavated represent the
sediments that
r
abandonment
from re-roofing event until final of
the last
house.
(HP
(HP medium-sized
We
completely excavated the floors of a small 12), 3),
were chosen because of the ease of
and (HP These housepits
housepit
large
7).
were
and because the deposits in these housepits
floor
defining deposits
their floor
and were
roof deposits
approximately contemporaneous. Clearly defined floor
medium-sized, and large housepits on the basis of
identified in the selected small,
and
changes,
changes, textual
such as charcoal remains of roofs, color
field criteria
LEPOFSKY
36 ET
Ah.
No.l
Vol.
16,
faunal material comprisin
reported here from
resulted
these exca\
were
to delineate patterning of remains
make
comparisons between
which
the structures
socioeconomic
The
three housepits
are ideally suited for such a study. All three houses were
clearly residences rather than
special function structures. This most strongly
is
by
indicated
the assemblages
lithic in all three strucutres which displays a basic
underlying
similarity including artifacts likely to have been used by both women
(hide scrapers, abrading men
stones, fire-cracked rocks) and
(projectile points,
medium
were
smaller
few
entative of the and economic
social organization 3
of smaller housepits.
persistent association of a type of material with each major
different lithic
from Shuswap
times abandonment
until
final indicates that a single cor-
roup
retained ownership
of each house
large over time period
site this
Presumably, each
1996). large residential corporate group
controlled a
hunting and
gathering area in the mountains and
different tvoes of chert
m
winter
a given type with
lithic a particular house implies and medium-
that the large
sized housepits were
continuously occupied over more
than by
1,000 years a single,
group
identifiable with
social periodic and
re-roofing excavation
of prior living
floor accumulations. During
this time, the larger structures do not appear have
to
changed
fundamentally
in size or internal organization based on
the
relatively
main
close clustering of post and
holes
the constant
position of storage pits in
edge
relation the
to of the
floors.
houses seem
All have been
to
systematically abandoned, with no
useful or
valuable material being on
the Roofs
left floors. in all three structures were burned
soon
abandonment,
after thereby
sealing the floor deposits from subsequent
dis-
turbance and
providing
a charcoal
layer useful in distinguishing from
the floor
The
the roof deposits. burning
of three structures abandonment
all after resulted
in the preservation wide
of a variety
of remains.
floral
The non-random
distributions
of botanical, and
faunal, remains
lithic associ-
ated with and
hearths
walls suggest
disturbance mixing
little or of floor sediments.
Further, there evidence
is little for contamination or confounding taphonomic
fac-
such damage
tors, as carnivore (Kusmer
1993a; Lepofsky The
1993a). discrete dis-
and
tributions of seeds
fish remains,
in particular, are convincing
since small
re-
mains appear be most
to those
likely to reflect original primary
refuse patterns
(Bartram
et al. 1991; Gifford 1980; Miksicek 1987; O'Connell and
1987; Stahl Zeidler
Nor was
any
1990). there accumulation
of refuse in the center of any of the housepits
as one might expect from post abandonment dumping.
Moreover,
the depositional
environment
of the three housepits seem have
been
to
similar, suggesting that
differences in the preservation
of organic remains should be due
largely
to cul-
tural rather than environmental The
factors. Keatley Creek
remains,
then, are ideal
examining
for the archaeological
correlates of socioeconomic behavior
the
in
Summer JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY
1996 37
pithouses.
The usable floor of the largest excavated housepit (HP which covered an
7),
m
2
area approximately 113 (not including wall slopes), had a series of well devel-
oped fire-reddened areas close to the west perimeter of the floor (Figure These
2).
were associated with large storage pits, concentrations of fire-cracked rock, tools,
debitage, abrading stones, and anvil stones. The eastern part of the floor had a
number
of less well defined hearths associated with fire-cracked rock, anvils, tools,
debitage, and abrading stones, but no large storage pits, and a narrow earthen
bench or shelf along the perimeter. Based on analyses, the fire-reddened ar-
lithic
house
eas appear to correspond to individual domestic subgroups within this large
We
(Spafford 1991). are interested in determining whether the distribution of or-
ganic remains supports supposition.
this
The floor plans of the medium-sized and small housepits are less complex
(HP
and The medium-sized housepit cov-
than
the large structure (Figures 3 3)
4).
m
A
2 wooden bench suggested by carbonized
ered approximately 78
in area. is
One
and
planks remains recovered along the eastern northeastern walls. large stor-
and more shallow depressions are
age pit in the northwest floor three additional
on medium-sized There are also three fire-red-
located the floor of the structure.
m
2
dened on The small housepit (HP which covers only 38 in
areas this floor. 12),
had only one fire-reddened area and several shallow depressions.
area,
were
occu-
determine whether floors in the three structures
difficult to
It is
and on each
pied for the same length of time. However, the debris discoloration of
number
were enough indicate that had been used for a
the floors substantial to all
We more than
of years. do not expect any of the floor accumulations to represent
event of the
60 (and probably fewer) consecutive years since the last re-roofing
far
enough
have been occupied long
The smaller housepit does not appear to
structure.
amount have accumulated on the housepit rim. In the
debris
for a significant of to
and begin deposi-
other housepits, the rim debris deposits are very thick their
tional sequences prior to 2400 bp.
ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING
km
River
upstream along the Fraser
about 25
The Keatley Creek situated
site is
The
from the modern community of Lillooet, British Columbia. village site is lo-
m
km
from
and
above distant
about 370 1.5
on morainal
cated a terrace of origin,
disturbed
of
on today characteristic
the Fraser River. The vegetation the site is
and sagebrush
big
dominated by various grasses
and
grasslands the region
in is
and,
of the village
the east
Forested slopes rise steeply to
(Artemisia tridentat
a).
and
Douglas-fir
ponderosa)
by ponderosa pine (Pinus
dominated
near
the are
site,
up where they grade
These extend from the site to
(Pseudotsuga menziesii). forests
meadows. They represent
sub-alpine
into
through the Interior
Ponderosa Pine zone,
zones from the
imatic
and
(Meidinger
types
mix montane and subalpine forest
zone, a of
to
1991).
the Fraser Riv
due
animal and plant resources to the
allowed access to a variety of
Principal fooc
the
distance of
zones within a short site.
available
FIGURE
-Maps
showing
and
2. features and
distribution of floral faunal remains on floor of large housepit (HP Boxes on
7). 00
maps
cm
floral indicate 50 50 sampling
x subsquares
for flotation.
r
O
O Q Q
5 food seeds
- > 200 needles > 5 g charcoal
Q
£ 5 non-food seeds
tn
bone
fish bone
non-fish
frequencies range from 59
N to frequencies range from 59
to
1
fire-reddening
£
pits
ON
edge bench 2m
of
z
o
—
FIGURE 3. Maps showing features and distribution of floral and faunal remains on floor of medium-sized housepit (HP
3)
maps cm B
Boxes on floral indicate 50 x 50 sampling subsquares for flotation.
B
On
O
c
>
r
O Q
O
ood seeds O
5
^ * 200 needles > 5 g charcoal
*
Q
non-food seeds
> 5
Z
o
O
O
bone
bone non-fish
fish
N
fire-reddening frequencies range from 36 frequencies range from to 31
to
v>
A
pits
N.
m
planks tnf
v©
FIGURE
4.—Maps
showing
and
features and
distribution of floral faunal remains on floor of small housepit (HP Boxes 4^
12).
cm
indicate
50 x 50 sampling Numbers
subsquares.
in the subsquares numbers
are the total of seeds or bones recovered from
each
subsquare.
O
Q
O
seeds
> 200 needles
en
> 5 g charcoal
H
N
bone
non-fish
fish bone £
fire-reddening
on
pits
z
o
