Sourcing FGV Artifacts Recovered from Housepit 54, Bridge River Housepit Village, British Columbia

Summary

Geochemical analysis of trace elements in fine grained volcanic rocks (FGV) using HHpXRF technology allows elemental characterization that enables matching fine grained volcanic artifacts with their original toolstone sources. Excavations of Housepit 54 during 2013-2016 field seasons have yielded a large assemblage of FGV artifacts that we attempt to match with toolstone sources or outcrops in the region. Preliminary research on characterizing artifacts recovered during the 2013 field season through mineralogical and elemental analysis noted two dominant chemical groups, likely indicating two distinct sources. One of the distinct chemical groups of artifacts shares elemental similarity with the Arrowstone Hills volcanic deposits. During the summer of 2016, further field survey in the region identified several more possible local toolstone sources, including both young volcanic deposits and glacial deposits featuring fine grained volcanic cobbles. This paper further explores the use of FGV through the entire occupation of HP54, allowing an important understanding of shifting toolstone acquisition during the uselife of the pithouse.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Complex Fisher-Foragers of the Interior Pacific Northwest: The Housepit 54 Project at Bridge River, British Columbia

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15303