- Department of Anthropology
Portland State University
Portland, Or 97207
- Prehistoric Archaeology, Human Evolution, Maritime Archaeology, Human Behavioral Ecology, Household Archaeology, Pacific Northwest Coast archaeology, and 19 moreColumbia Plateau Archaeology, Hunter-Gatherers, Biological-Cultural Coevolution, North Pacific, Evolution of Social Complexity, Anthropology, Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Archaeological Method & Theory, Archaeological GIS, Social Change, Historical Ecology, Human-Environment Relations, Coastal and Island Archaeology, Coastal Geomorphology, Paleoenvironment, Underwater Archaeology, Quaternary Geology, Collective Action, Archaeological Theory, and Geoarchaeologyedit
We consider the provocative idea of whether urbanism as a condition or process is visible in Northern tsimshian archaeology. We define the condition of urbanism through four traits, each of which we associate with measurable variables. We... more
We consider the provocative idea of whether urbanism as a condition or process is visible in Northern tsimshian archaeology. We define the condition of urbanism through four traits, each of which we associate with measurable variables. We explore changes in these across the study area in 100-year time bins over 6000 years. We also consider urbanism as a process that includes five kinds of relations. We consider these through six chronological stanzas visible in our metric data. While there is evidence of changes towards urbanism, we argue that urbanism as a condition is not evident in our data. We propose that urbanism involves a suite of causes and trajec-tories with multiple potential outcomes, not all of which achieve the threshold of cities.
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We consider the provocative idea of whether urbanism as a condition or process is visible in Northern tsimshian archaeology. We define the condition of urbanism through four traits, each of which we associate with measurable variables. We... more
We consider the provocative idea of whether urbanism as a condition or process is visible in Northern tsimshian archaeology. We define the condition of urbanism through four traits, each of which we associate with measurable variables. We explore changes in these across the study area in 100-year time bins over 6000 years. We also consider urbanism as a process that includes five kinds of relations. We consider these through six chronological stanzas visible in our metric data. While there is evidence of changes towards urbanism, we argue that urbanism as a condition is not evident in our data. We propose that urbanism involves a suite of causes and trajec-tories with multiple potential outcomes, not all of which achieve the threshold of cities.
We extend an established simulation-based method to test for significant short-duration (1–2 centuries) demographic events known from one documented historical and one oral historical context. Case study 1 extrapolates population data... more
We extend an established simulation-based method to test for significant short-duration (1–2 centuries) demographic events known from one documented historical and one oral historical context. Case study 1 extrapolates population data from the Western historical tradition using historically derived demographic data from the catastrophic European Black Death/bubonic plague (Yersinia pestis). We find a corresponding statistically significant drop in absolute population using an extended version of a previously published simulation method. Case study 2 uses this refined simulation method to test for a settlement gap identified in oral historical records of descendant Tsimshian First Nations communities from the Prince Rupert Harbour region of the Pacific Northwest region of British Columbia, Canada. Using a regional database of n = 523 radiocarbon dates, we find a significant drop in relative population using the extended simulation-based method consistent with Tsimshian oral records. We conclude that our technical refinement extends the utility of radiocarbon simulation methods and can provide a rigorous test of demographic predictions derived from a range of historical sources.
Research Interests: History, Demography, European Studies, Archaeology, Historical Demography, and 15 moreOral history, Hunters, Fishers and Gatherers' Archaeology, History of Plague, Modeling and Simulation, Radiocarbon, Radiocarbon Dating (Earth Sciences), Time series analysis, Hunter-Gatherers (Anthropology), Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology, Warfare, Simulation, Canada, Radiocarbon Dating (Archaeology), Hunter-Gatherers, and The Plague
Prince Rupert Harbour (PRH), on the north Pacific Coast of British Columbia, contains at least 157 shell middens, of which 66 are known villages, in an area of approximately 180 km2. These sites span the last 9500 yr and in some cases are... more
Prince Rupert Harbour (PRH), on the north Pacific Coast of British Columbia, contains at least 157 shell middens, of which 66 are known villages, in an area of approximately 180 km2. These sites span the last 9500 yr and in some cases are immense, exceeding 20,000 m2 surface area and several meters in depth. Recent archaeological research in PRH has become increasingly reliant on radiocarbon dates from marine shell for developing chronologies. However, this is problematic as the local marine reservoir effect (MRE) remains poorly understood in the region. To account for the MRE and to better date the Harbour’s sites, we propose a ΔR of 273±38 for the PRH area, based on our work at the site of Kitandach (GbTo-34), a massive shell midden-village centrally located within the Harbour. We followed the multiple paired sample approach for samples from specific contexts and ensured contemporaneity within the groups of marine and terrestrial materials by statistically assessing for outliers using the χ2 test. Taking together, the results for this and previous studies, it appears the MRE was fairly constant over the past 5000 yr.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Environmental Science, Oceanography, Ecology, Environmental Sustainability, and 9 moreRadiocarbon Dating (Earth Sciences), Pacific Archaeology, Hunter-Gatherers (Anthropology), Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology, Pacific Northwest Coast archaeology, Chronology, Archaeology of shell middens, Radiocarbon Dating (Archaeology), and Landcape Archaeology
Excavations at the late prehistoric-early historic Chinookan sites of Meier and Cathlapotle in the Greater Lower Columbia Region recovered several hundred metal artifacts. Portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) was used initially to quickly... more
Excavations at the late prehistoric-early historic Chinookan sites of Meier and Cathlapotle in the Greater Lower Columbia Region recovered several hundred metal artifacts. Portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) was used initially to quickly determine
metal type. Then a sample of copper artifacts was subjected to another round of XRF analysis to identify the presence of native copper and, or, chronologically sensitive copper metals. No native copper artifacts were identified and the lack of Muntz
metal, a specific type of brass patented in the 1830s, corroborates the dating of material from both sites as no later than the early historic period. Meier and Cathlapotle were important sites for the indigenous working of trade copper, some of which was likely destined for Native communities further inland. This trade copper was a highly valued prestige good in the Plateau and Pacific Northwest and it moved rapidly through Native trade networks in advance of other non-Native trade goods and continued to be used for personal adornment and incorporated into burials into the nineteenth century.
metal type. Then a sample of copper artifacts was subjected to another round of XRF analysis to identify the presence of native copper and, or, chronologically sensitive copper metals. No native copper artifacts were identified and the lack of Muntz
metal, a specific type of brass patented in the 1830s, corroborates the dating of material from both sites as no later than the early historic period. Meier and Cathlapotle were important sites for the indigenous working of trade copper, some of which was likely destined for Native communities further inland. This trade copper was a highly valued prestige good in the Plateau and Pacific Northwest and it moved rapidly through Native trade networks in advance of other non-Native trade goods and continued to be used for personal adornment and incorporated into burials into the nineteenth century.
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... The Wintu & their neighbors: A very small world-system in northern California. Post a Comment. CONTRIBUTORS: Author: Chase-Dunn, Christopher K. Author: Mann, Kelly M. (b. 1971, d. ----. PUBLISHER: University of Arizona... more
... The Wintu & their neighbors: A very small world-system in northern California. Post a Comment. CONTRIBUTORS: Author: Chase-Dunn, Christopher K. Author: Mann, Kelly M. (b. 1971, d. ----. PUBLISHER: University of Arizona Press (Tucson). SERIES TITLE: YEAR: 1998. ...
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Page 1. Aboriginal -- Slavery on the Northwest Coast of North America Page 2. Page 3. Page 4. ... 2. SlaveryNorthwest Coast of North AmericaHistory. 3. Indians of NorthAmericaNorthwest Coast of North America Economic conditions. ...
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... The general editors of the series are Michael Blake and RG Matson, both faculty members in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology ... Barry Kaye and David I. Cole-Hamilton Footing the Bill: Conservation Costs in the Private... more
... The general editors of the series are Michael Blake and RG Matson, both faculty members in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology ... Barry Kaye and David I. Cole-Hamilton Footing the Bill: Conservation Costs in the Private Sector/340 Katherine Singley Contributors/357 ...
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Page 1. THE EVOLUTION OF SOCIAL RANKING ON THE NORTHWEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA Kenneth M. Ames The small, hierarchically organized societies on the Northwest Coast provide excellent examples of the ...
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This study reports ancient DNA (aDNA) and stable isotope analyses of eight dog skeletal elements from the Cathlapotle site on the Lower Columbia River of the western United States. The aDNA analysis confirmed the elements as dogs (Canis... more
This study reports ancient DNA (aDNA) and stable isotope analyses of eight dog skeletal elements from
the Cathlapotle site on the Lower Columbia River of the western United States. The aDNA analysis
confirmed the elements as dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). Two haplotypes were found, both of which group
within dog Clade A, and have patchy distributions to the north in British Columbia and as far south as
Teotihuacan (Mexico). The isotopic analysis showed that the dogs' dietary protein was derived almost
exclusively from marine sources. Lower Columbia River ethnohistoric accounts and Cathlapotle
zooarchaeological records indicate that while marine fish were dietary keystones, the local diet was more
diverse, and included terrestrial organisms and freshwater fishes. This apparent discrepancy raises the
possibility the dogs were selectively fed. Thus their diet may not be a close proxy for human diet in this
context.
the Cathlapotle site on the Lower Columbia River of the western United States. The aDNA analysis
confirmed the elements as dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). Two haplotypes were found, both of which group
within dog Clade A, and have patchy distributions to the north in British Columbia and as far south as
Teotihuacan (Mexico). The isotopic analysis showed that the dogs' dietary protein was derived almost
exclusively from marine sources. Lower Columbia River ethnohistoric accounts and Cathlapotle
zooarchaeological records indicate that while marine fish were dietary keystones, the local diet was more
diverse, and included terrestrial organisms and freshwater fishes. This apparent discrepancy raises the
possibility the dogs were selectively fed. Thus their diet may not be a close proxy for human diet in this
context.
The Bear Creek site in Redmond, Washington, yields important information about settlement, subsistence, and technology in the Puget Lowland during the late Pleistocene–Holocene transition. The lithic assemblage is dominated by expedient... more
The Bear Creek site in Redmond, Washington, yields important information about settlement, subsistence, and technology in the Puget Lowland during the late Pleistocene–Holocene transition. The lithic assemblage is dominated by expedient flake technology, but also contains bifaces and retouched tools. Ongoing analyses focus on site formation, procurement strategies of lithic raw materials, production of flake tools, and technological comparisons of Bear Creek stemmed and concave-base points with other Paleoarchaic technologies of western North America.
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Chapter in edited volume covering contact-era aboriginal habitation at Middle Village, Washington, near the mouth of the Columbia River. Excavation and analysis of features and artifacts reveal similarities to and differences from... more
Chapter in edited volume covering contact-era aboriginal habitation at Middle Village, Washington, near the mouth of the Columbia River. Excavation and analysis of features and artifacts reveal similarities to and differences from contemporary levels at important sites upriver ( though within the same Chinookan cultural region) at the Meier and Cathlapotle villages. The volume is 'Frontiers of Colonialism', edited by C.D. Baule (University Press of Florida, 2017).