Richard Pearson "Retires;" Goat Lake Petroglyph Site; Marjorie Halpin Remembered; Permits 2000; Index Volume 31 ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY of a MIDDEN BRITISH COLUMBIA
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TilE• Publication of the Archaeological Society of British Columbia ISSN 0047-7222 Vol. 32, No. 2 - 2000 SERVICES RE!;IEIVED NO\/ 15 2~00 ., '0., .,c (.) Q) "' .,"Q) -E ~ ~ Richard Pearson "retires;" Goat Lake petroglyph site; Marjorie Halpin remembered; Permits 2000; Index Volume 31 ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF A MIDDEN BRITISH COLUMBIA Published four times a year by the Dedicated to the protection of archaeological resources Archaeological Society of British Columbia and the spread of archaeological knowledge. Editorial Committee President Editor: Heather Myles (274-4294) Andrew Mason (874-9221) [email protected] andrew_mason @golder.com Assistant Editor: Helmi Braches (462-8942) [email protected] Membership Permit Lists: Richard Brolly ( 689-1678) Leah Pageot (687-7754) [email protected] [email protected] News Editor: Heather Myles Annual membership includes a year's subscription to Field Editor: vacant Publications Editor: Monica Karpiak (215-1746) The Midden and the ASBC newsletter, SocNotes. [email protected] Membership Fees Production & Subscriptions: Fred Braches ( 462-8942) Individual: $25 Family: $30 Seniors/Students: $18 braches@netcom. ca Send cheque or money order payable to the ASBC to: SuBSCRIPTION is included with ASBC membership. ASBC Membersh-ips Non-members: $14.50 per year ($17.00 USA and overseas), P.O. Box 520, Bentall Station payable in Canadian funds to the ASBC. Remit to: Vancouver BC V6C 2N3 Midden Subscriptions, ASBC ASBC on Internet P.O. Box 520, Bentall Station http://asbc.bc.ca Vancouver BC V6C 2N3 SuBMISSIONS: We welcome contributions on subjects germane to BC archaeology. Guidelines are available on request. Sub Affiliated Chapters missions and exchange publications should be directed to the appropriate editor at the ASBC address. Nanaimo Contact: Pat [email protected] President: Mary Durdle (250) 754-9861 Copyright Monthly lectures at Malaspina College, 900 Fifth Street, Contents of The Midden are copyrighted,by the ASBC. Nanaimo, BC It is unlawful to reproduce all or any part, by any means what Victoria Contact: Shirley Cuthbertson (250) 382-0288 soever, without the Society's permission, which is usually gladly given. Internet: http://www.museumsassn.bc.ca/- bcma/museums/asbc Contributors this issue Meetings on the third Thursday of the month at 7:30pm at the Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria. Robbin Chatan, Monica Karpiak, R.G. Matson, Andrew Mason, Bruce Mason, Heather Myles The British Columbia Heritage Trust has provided fi ARcHAEOLOGICAL SociETY OF BRITISH CoLUMBIA nancial assistance to this project to support conservation meetings in Vancouver featuring illustrated of our heritage resources, gain further knowledge and in lectures are usually held on the second crease public understanding of the complete history of Wednesday of each month from September to British Columbia. June at 8:00P.M. in the Auditorium of the BRITISH COLUMBIA Vancouver Museum at 1100 Chestnut Street. New members and visitors are welcome. [JI!rJtage Admission is free. ~{r'tfb Next lecture: 13 December, DanaLepofsky, SFU, on the Strathcona Park site. a THE IDDEN Business as Usual Table of Contents As incoming President of the ASBC, I would like to thank the 1999/ Richard J. P~arson : An appre- 2 2000 executive for their hard work over the past year. Last year's pro ciation upon his "retirement" grams and issues of the Midden were quite interesting and the upcoming by R.G. Matson season shows equal promise. Goat Lake Site Reveals Culture 6 Past President Helmi Braches' editorial in the last issue of the Midden in Transition (Vol. 32, No.I ), pointed out that many of the current ASBC executive by Andrew Mason members have degrees in archaeology or anthropology. Does this mean Amendment to the Heritage 7 "professionally trained" archaeologists are "taking over" the ASBC? Conservation Act Absolutely not! The core values of the Society remain the same, "to draw together both professionals and lay persons interested in the ar Magical, Mythical, but Never 8 Mundane chaeology of this province" and "to encourage the identification and pro Review by Monica Karpiak tection of archaeological sites and materials in BC". In my case, I joined the ASBC roughly 11 years ago as a student con Snug and Comfortable Quarters 8 Review by Robbin Chatan templating a career in archaeology. At that time the ASBC was (and continues to be) a source of current information on BC archaeology and Marjorie Halpin 10 provided an opportunity to meet like-minded people outside the univer Debitage 10 sity environment. The ASBC was invaluable to my professional devel opment and now I am happy to be in a position where I can give back to Permits 11 the organization. I am sure you will find similar stories with the other Exhibits 15 members ofthe executive. Lectures 15 I look forward to meeting new members and renewing acquaintances at the upcoming meetings and hope to meet the members of our Victoria Index Vol. 31 (1999) 16 and Nanaimo branches later this year. I encourage members to visit our Recent Publications 19 Society's Web page, http://asbc.bc.ca, and to contact the executive with Conferences 20 ideas on how we can better serve the membership. Andrew Mason President Cover Page Pictograph site EaSe I, Goat Lake (Weyerhaeuser Canada Ltd.) See Andrew Mason's article "Goat Lake Site Reveals Culture in Transi tion," on pages 6 and 7. The Midden 3212 RICHARD J. PEARSON AN APPRECIATION UPON HIS "RETIREMENT" by R.G. Matson I FIRST BECAME AWARE of Richard Pearson preting existing reports, and evaluating being impressed by the one piece of work in a seminar at the University of Califor them in terms of anthropological and ar of his I had read, and hearing about him nia, Davis, where I was a graduate stu chaeological perspectives and problems, from Bill Lipe, I had the opportunity (and dent in the late 1960s. The subject was as Richard did in this short article. Many . pleasure) ofworking with him for the next South American archaeology and the pro of Professor Pearson's publications can be 28 years. fessor (and my de facto advisor) was D.L. seen in this vein. Another attribute of this What is Richard's background? How True. The question being examined was paper was its directness; that it spoke did he come to spend the bulk of his aca the argument for trans-Pacific migration frankly to the issue at hand in a clear and demic career at UBC? What follows is as expounded by B. Meggers and David unequivocal fashion. This, too, is charac largely abstracted from his academic c. v. Kelley. Meggers had published an article teristic of much of Richard's work. The He grew up in Toronto and went to the showing plates of pottery sherds from publication was aimed not at fellow Asian University of Toronto. He was a member Ecuador and from Japan that appeared to archaeologists, many of whom probably of the active gq:mp of youngsters em be very similar, too similar to be easily were aware ofthe weaknesses in Meggers' ployed by the National Museum of Man explained by chance or "parallel" evolu- article, but to North American archaeolo Archaeological Survey of Canada, and . tioli. Richard had just published a short gists who were struggling, as we were in lists the position of "Field Director" for article in American Anthropologist that seminar, to understand the probabil the years 1960-1962. This group included (70:85-86, 1968) which pointed out that ity of trans-Pacific contact. Many of Ri fellow students at the University of To- the Japanese sherds were selected from a chard's publications also have this at . ronto such as George MacDonald and large area and from close to I 0,000 years tribute, despite his many significant Bruce Trigger who also went on to make of history, so that the resemblance at any contributions on more technical issues of significant contributions to archaeology. one point of time and place was much interest to Asian archaeologists. However, Another fellow student in anthropology at reduced. Meggers' article did not make if some aspect of Asian archaeology had Toronto who became well known was Ri this clear, and when one took this factor a major impact on issues elsewhere, Ri chard Lee. Much of Richard's early field into account, the resemblance between the chard was certain to produce an impor work took place in Ontario, and the first sherds from Japan and Ecuador was no tant paper. I think this aspect of his publi publication he lists is in 1959 on the longer convincing evidence of a direct cations reflects his great abilities as a MacDonald Site in Ontario History, but connection in need of a "special" expla teacher. Professor Pearson was probably he also carried out investigations (and nation. the most outstanding teacher in his depart published on them) on Prince Edward Is It was clear from this early publication ment during his 30 years at UBC. This land and in New Brunswick. He gradu that Richard Pearson was someone who drive to pass on what you have learned to ated with a bachelor's degree in anthro recognized the anthropological signifi others who might (or should) use it is pology in 1960 from Toronto. cance of existing empirical information clearly a very significant part of his aca From Toronto he went to Yale for gradu and the necessity of making sure that it demic persona. ate work, where he met Bill Lipe and was properly presented to the field as a A few years after this graduate seminar found that Bruce Trigger also joined them. whole. It was also apparent that he was I was a freshly minted academic myself at I think it was at Yale where he met Kazue, likely to become an important figure in Northern Arizona University and was his future wife, who was in a librarian sci archaeology.