The Groundstone Artifacts of Housepit 54, Bridge River Site, British Columbia

Summary

The people of the Middle Fraser Canyon traditionally used groundstone to accomplish a wide range of tasks spanning food processing to weaponry and ornamentation. Excavations of Housepit (HP) 54 at the Bridge River Site, British Columbia, in 2014 revealed an unexpectedly large sample of groundstone tools. Many items were apparently used, broken, and recycled as cooking rocks on select floors. This study draws from multiple data sources to define variability in the nature of groundstone tools and tool functions. More specifically, groundstone are examined for variation in raw material, manufacture technology, use-wear, and residues. Conclusions are drawn regarding differentiation in morpho-function and use-history. Then, implications are developed for exploring differences in household activities between occupation floors. Groundstone thus may offer unique insight into shifts in household economies and sociality. This poster provides an overview of the research on groundstone with a focus on grinding slab tools.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Housepit 54 Project at Bridge River, British Columbia: Archaeological Perspectives on Demography, Cultural Inheritance, and Household History   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage