Use of integrated faunal records from 10-liter bucket samples to explore complex human ecodynamics at Tse-whit-zen

Summary

On the northern Pacific Coast of North America, animals play an extremely important role in conceptual models related to hunter-gatherer evolution and social dynamics of household production and resource control. Our ability to rigorously apply faunal remains to these models is limited by substantial data requirements including well-documented contexts, high-resolution chronology, control over complex site formation processes and taphonomy, as well as large sample sizes. Unique circumstances led to the 2004 excavation and careful geoarchaeological documentation of the large Native American village of Tse-whit-zen, coastal Washington, USA, occupied from 2000 BP until the early 20th century. Faunal samples were obtained from micro-stratigraphic contexts, providing an opportunity to study fine-grained patterns in animal use in the context of complex environmental and social change. Research thus far has generated over 200,000 identified specimens obtained from ~5 distinct chronological units and at least three households. The presentation highlights some of the findings thus far.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Preliminary Results from the Tse-whit-zen Project: Zooarchaeology and Geoarchaeology of a 2000 yr old Lower Elwha Klallam Village on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington State

Keywords

Spatial Coverage