Exploring Lithic Exchange on the Interior Plateau of British Columbia
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
In Pursuit of the Quarry: Exploring Lithic Exchange on the Interior Plateau of British Columbia by Cameron J. Pollock B.A. Simon Fraser University, 2016 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Archaeology Faculty of Environment © Cameron J Pollock 2018 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Fall 2018 Copyright in this work rests with the author. Please ensure that any reproduction or re-use is done in accordance with the relevant national copyright legislation. Approval Name: Cameron J Pollock Degree: Master of Arts Title: In Pursuit of the Quarry: Exploring Lithic Exchange on the Interior Plateau of British Columbia Examining Committee: Chair: Christina Giovas Assistant Professor Rudolf Reimer Senior Supervisor Associate Professor George Nicholas Supervisor Professor Jesse Morin External Examiner Independent Heritage Consulant and Archaeologist K’omoks First Nation and Tsleil-Waututh Nation Date Defended/Approved: October 26, 2018 ii Abstract This thesis represents an exploratory provenance study to map the spatial distribution of lithics from the Arrowstone Hills lithic source, located near Cache Creek BC, across the Southern Interior Plateau. Using X-Ray Fluorescence analysis, an elemental signature for this source was generated, against which lithic artifacts from archaeological sites located across the Plateau were compared. The Arrowstone Hills source was also compared to five other lithic sources on the Plateau and Northwest Coast. It was determined that the Arrowstone Hills source is part of a geological complex that includes at least three other nearby lithic sources possessing a similar elemental signature, named here the Kamloops Fine-Grained Volcanic complex. Furthermore, it was determined that lithics from this complex are ubiquitous across the Plateau, and were likely moved through exchange networks. Cultural factors such as kin relationships, resource rights, and territorial sovereignty likely influenced how these networks operated at different times throughout the past. Keywords: X-Ray Fluorescence; Fine-Grained Volcanics; Toolstone; Exchange; Canadian Plateau. iii Acknowledgements I have a litany of individuals and organizations to thank for their invaluable contributions in this research – it would not have happened without them. I first thank my supervisor Dr. Rudy Reimer for his training, and guidance throughout this project. I also thank my committee member Dr. George Nicholas for his support and for his extensive, but ultimately entirely helpful edits. I thank them both also for helping develop this project from the literal ashes of the research I was planning to undertake, after the 2017 forest fires reduced my planned study area to cinders. I extend my gratitude to Bert William, of the Bonaparte Indian Band, the real expert on the Arrowstone Hills source. He graciously shared his knowledge of the source, and showed me what it was really like on the ground. I also thank J.R. William, Bert's brother, for not throwing me out on my rear after he found me collecting samples in an archaeological site. I also thank Lea McNabb and the Skeetchestn Indian Band for helping me get oriented and connected with the right people. Thanks to Dr. Barbara Winter, Dr. Bob Muir, Peter Locher, and Shannon Wood from the Simon Fraser University Department of Archaeology for helping me locate and sample the many boxes of lithics stored in the basement. I extend my gratitude to the following people and organizations for allowing me to analyze materials in their collections: Drs. Grant Keddie and Genevieve Hill and Royal British Columbia Museum, Nikki Bose and the Okanagan Heritage Museum, Wayne Choquette, Andrea Thompson, and Tipi Mountain Eco-Cultural Services Ltd., and Bernadette Manuel and the Upper Nicola Band. Much appreciation to Craig Skinner and the Northwest Research Obsidian Studies Lab, and Andrew Mason and Golder Associates for providing XRF data from sites and sources in the Interior. I also thank BC Hydro for funding the research undertaken by Golder Associates. I am grateful to Mike Rousseau for his insights and for sharing helpful archaeological reports on sites in the Nicola Valley, and to Dr. Stanley Copp and Bruce Ball for their iv correspondence and insights into the archaeology of the Plateau and the Arrowstone Hills. I acknowledge Eric Forgeng and the BC Archaeology Branch for getting me through the permit application process. Even though it never ended up getting used because of the forest fires, it was still helpful for framing my research. Many thanks to my fellow graduate students, especially those in research design, for helping me hash out my project, and for all the fun. To my parents Diana and Bruce Pollock, thank you for loving and supporting me, and making sure I received a good education. Lastly, thanks to my wonderful wife Jaclyn for all her edits, keeping me company on long drives to collect samples, and generally putting up with me. v Table of Contents Approval ............................................................................................................................ ii Abstract ............................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. vi List of Tables ................................................................................................................... viii List of Figures................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 Research Objectives and Design ...................................................................................... 6 Thesis Structure ................................................................................................................ 7 Chapter 2. Geological and Cultural Background of the Arrowstone Hills ............ 10 Geological History ........................................................................................................... 10 Cultural History ................................................................................................................ 16 Early Period..................................................................................................................... 16 Archaeological Evidence for Use of the Arrowstone Hills ............................................... 20 Ethnographic Descriptions of Lithic Use and Exchange on the Plateau ......................... 25 Plateau Lithic Use Beyond the Arrowstone Hills ............................................................. 26 Summary ......................................................................................................................... 27 Chapter 3. Methods and Methodology ..................................................................... 28 Principles of XRF Analysis. ............................................................................................. 28 Source Characterization. ................................................................................................. 30 Provenance Analysis. ...................................................................................................... 31 Analytical Procedures ..................................................................................................... 31 Sampling Strategy ........................................................................................................... 34 Summary ......................................................................................................................... 42 Chapter 4. Results ...................................................................................................... 43 Source Characterization and Differentiation for the Arrowstone Hills ............................. 44 Provenance Study ........................................................................................................... 50 Summary ......................................................................................................................... 63 Chapter 5. Discussion ............................................................................................... 64 Spatial Patterning of Kamloops FGV Complex Lithics Across the Plateau ..................... 64 Describing and Identifying Material Acquisition and Exchange in the Archaeological Record............................................................................................................................. 66 Describing and Modelling Distribution. ............................................................................ 67 Archaeological Indicators of Acquisition and Exchange .................................................. 70 Cultural Influences over the Exchange of Kamloops FGV Complex Materials ............... 75 Acquisition and Exchange of KFGVC Materials on the Plateau ...................................... 81 Chapter Summary ........................................................................................................... 85 vi Chapter 6. Conclusion ...............................................................................................