Household Archaeology of Shaw Creek, Alaska

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This study compares the remains of two prehistoric houses to those of the protohistoric past. Each housepit represents a different archaeological tradition, dating roughly to 1,000 and 2,000 years ago. If house features represent a stable material culture correlate reflecting a culture's core concept of the family unit, the comparison allows us a viewpoint of how that changed through time. Past findings suggest that rising local demographics and a shifting resource base influenced a change in land-use practices, resulting in intensified territoriality, reduced regional movements, increased seasonal sedentism, and increased use of materials only available with a band's territory. These changes are reflective in the shifting concept of the household, which changes from one containing only small, natal families ~2,000 years ago, to households hosting two natal families by ~1,000 years ago.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32753