Archaeological and architectural considerations of intertidal shellfish use and deposition on Hecate Island, Central Coast of British Columbia

Summary

Detailed tracking of the chronology and spatial extent of shell middens on the Northwest Coast is a challenging and often expensive proposition given the size and time depth often represented at these sites. The Hakai Ancient Landscapes Archaeology Project (HALAP) used vibracore technology to efficiently sample intact 7cm diameter stratigraphic profiles from multiple 4-6 m deep shell midden deposits at site EjTa-13 on Hecate Island. A series of radiocarbon dates from the initial core documents a continuum of site occupation ranging from 5000 to 1200 years cal BP. Faunal remains and artifacts from subsequent samples provide highly resolved records of coastal resource use, including the use of shell for personal adornment. Significantly, the purposeful terraforming of massive amounts of shell likely harvested from the broad intertidal zone fronting the site provides an engineered and well-drained foundation for the site. A major feature of this site is that the shoreward portion appears to have been eroded considerably from its former extent indicating that when occupied, the site physically expanded the terrestrial shoreline above high tide mark.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Archaeology of Stranded, Intertidal, and Submerged Shorelines on the Northwest Coast of North America

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16973