Lithic Raw Materials Procurement and Exchange at Housepit 54, Bridge River Site, British Columbia: What a Diachronic Perspective Reveals

Summary

While the Bridge River settlement in the Middle Fraser Canyon of British Columbia is located in one of the richest salmon producing areas on the Fraser River, occupants of the site had limited direct access to many sources of raw material critical for production of chipped stone tools. Current excavations by Dr. Anna Prentiss at Bridge River Housepit 54 focus on an estimated 15 housepit occupation floors dating in the range of 1000 to 1500 cal. B.P. This allows for a unique study of intergenerational adaptations. This poster presents results of analysis of lithic raw materials acquired from known sources with a focus on defining relationships between the organization of lithic raw material acquisition and use and variation in subsistence pursuits. More specifically, this study seeks to test hypotheses linking patterns of land use to strategies of lithic procurement. For example, it can be hypothesized that periods of subsistence diversification and "search" oriented foraging strategies led to more frequent use of distant lithic raw material sources. However, access to toolstone through trade also remains an important alternative hypothesis for lithic raw material procurement, especially in light of Bridge River’s highly productive fisheries and proximity to trade routes.

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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