THE PLATEAU PITHOUSE TRADITION
‚
Plateau Environment
- intermontane region that extends from central British Columbia to
southern Oregon
- drained mainly by Fraser and Columbia Rivers (ie., drainage to the
coast, unlike Great Basin)
- climate: generally dry with temperature extremes
- topography: rugged; Basin and Range, much like Great Basin -- but cut
by two large river systems: Fraser Plateau in north, Columbia Plateau in south
‚
Plateau Pithouse Tradition
- developed (T. Richards and M. Rousseau) for Fraser Plateau, but
probably applies generally to Columbia Plateau, too
- represents later prehistory of Plateau, 4,000 BP to historic period;
post-microblade; “Formative”
- semi-sedentary societies, pithouse villages; logistical collectors;
reliance on salmon
- divided into three horizons (not phases because of areal extent): Shuswap,
Plateau, Kamloops
‚
Shuswap Horizon (4,000-2,400 BP)
- coincides with improving, post-Altithermal climatic conditions
- large pithouses (7.5-16 m dia), with internal hearths, storage pits
- lithics: variety of point styles; concave bases, shallow-notched or “eared”
points common -- similar to Northern Archaic
- many stone tools crudely made, using inferior material; bone tools
include barbed points, harpoon valves
- personal decoration (bone beads, bracelets) presents, but no
sculptured artwork
- burials: flexed, in pits below house floors
- subsistence: diverse faunal remains; variety of mammals (deer, elk),
birds, fresh water fish and salmon, fresh water mussels
- settlement patterns: little evidence of upland sites; subsistence
activities concentrated around valley residential sites -- forager (residential
mobility) or collector (pithouse sites)?
‚
Plateau
(Thompson?) Horizon (2,400-1,200
BP)
- smaller pithouses (4-8.3 m dia), except in mid-Fraser/Lillooet area
(8-11.5 m dia)
- smaller pits (2-4 m dia) outside pithouses; earth ovens,
storage/refuse pits
- lithics: side- and corner-notched points (including arrow size);
improved workmanship, use of fine-grained basalt (also cherts, obsidian) --
mid-to-long distance exchange of high quality raw material
- notched points similar to Northern Archaic, but appear much later on
Plateau
- bone/antler tools: bilateral barbed points and composite harpoon
valves (for salmon fishing?); not greatly different from Shuswap
- sculptured artwork: present in late Plateau components (could be
Kamloops)
- burials: not may, not well dated; generally flexed; in house floor
and non-house floor contexts; some richly interred, including infants! (could
be Kamloops)
- first evidence of coastal trade (with Marpole people?) -- marine
shells in mid-Fraser region
- subsistence: mid-elevation roasting pits, indicate use of roots in
this zone; special activity site typical of collectors
- C13/C12 ratios show 40-60% marine based diet (salmon); note that Gore
Creek skeleton (dated 8,200 BP, near Kamloops) had 90% terrestrial diet
‚
Kamloops Horizon (1,200-200 BP)
- pithouses variable in size (5-20 m dia)
- lithics: Kamloops side-notched points, small triangular
notched arrowheads; also lanceolate side-notched points
- increased use of groundstone (mauls, stone sculpture), decorated bone
and antler, similar to coast
- burials: (many and better dated); R. Schulting suggests three types:
1. elaborate wooden cists or multiple tomb
2. shallow pit
3. talus slope
- type 1 (and sometimes type 2) burials often richly interred (nephrite
adzes, steatite sculpture, copper, decorated bone, shell beads, ochre) --
differentiation of wealth and status
- evidence of substantial inter-regional trade (esp. with coast)
- subsistence: 40-60% marine based, with declining gradient inland;
probably not much different from Plateau horizon -- just reflects larger burial
sample
‚
Conclusions
1. salmon and early villages (ca. 4,000 BP) on Plateau; this is
where intensive salmon fishing begins according to Kew model
2. mid-Fraser “big sites” (Keatly Creek, Bell, Bridge River);
favourable salmon fishing because of many rapids (this is where salmon are at
their best!); best evidence of coastal interaction
3. household archaeology and household corporate groups
‚
Keatly Creek site
- major pithouse village site excavated by B. Hayden (1980s)
- excavated small (9, 12), medium (3), large (7) houses
- found key differences in...
storage space
- #9, 50 l/m2; #12, 20 l/m2; #3, 22 l/m2;#7,
70 l/m2
intensity of hearth use
- less charcoal, ash accumulation in small houses (less access to
fuel?)
densities of artifacts, faunal, botanical remains
- increase with size of housepit; thought to reflect longer occupations
density of wealth items
- nephrite, copper, obsidian, dentalia, more common in big houses
diversity of salmon species
- 2 year-olds (pink), low status; 3 year-olds (coho?); 4 year-olds
(sockeye?), high status, more common in big houses