Heiltsuk Adoption of Euro-American Material Culture at Old Bella Bella, British Columbia, 1833 – 1899
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Heiltsuk Adoption of Euro-American Material Culture at Old Bella Bella, British Columbia, 1833 – 1899 by Michelle R. Lynch B.A., Portland State University, 2008 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Archaeology Faculty of the Environment © Michelle R. Lynch 2015 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Spring 2015 All rights reserved. However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be reproduced without authorization, under the conditions for “Fair Dealing.” Therefore, limited reproductions of this work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review, and news reporting is likely to be in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately. Approval Name: Michelle R. Lynch Degree: Master of Arts Title: Heiltsuk Adoption of Euro-American Material Culture at Old Bella Bella, British Columbia, 1833 – 1899 Examining Committee: Chair: Dr. Catherine D’Andrea Professor Dr. David Burley Senior Supervisor Professor _________________________________________ Dr. Rudy Reimer Supervisor Assistant Professor _________________________________________ Dr. Alan McMillan External Examiner Adjunct Professor _________________________________________ Date Defended/Approved: February 20, 2015 ii Partial Copyright Licence iii Abstract The contact-era Heiltsuk settlement of Old Bella Bella, British Columbia, site of both HBC Fort McLoughlin (1833-1843) and a Methodist mission (1880-1890), existed during a time of rapid change resulting from interactions with Euro-American groups. Notable among these changes is a shift from traditional plank houses to European-style single-family frame houses that occurred shortly after missionary arrival. Using data collected during a 1982 excavation, this study compares the artifact assemblages from Fort McLoughlin, one contact-era traditional plank house, and one frame house to analyze changes in the frequencies of various artifact types between the two contact periods. By looking at how European goods were incorporated by the Heiltsuk into their culture over time, this research examines the process of adoption of Euro- American material culture on the Northwest Coast and explores the idea that material culture was actively used by the missionaries as a tool of enculturation. Keywords: Heiltsuk; Historical Archaeology; Hudson’s Bay Company; Material Culture; Methodists; Northwest Coast iv Acknowledgements This thesis would not have been possible without the help of the many people. I’d like to thank my senior supervisor, Dr. David Burley, for helping me find a great project, and for his patience and guidance throughout it. Thank you to my committee members, Dr. Rudy Reimer and Dr. Alan McMillan for their insights and suggestions. I am very grateful to Jennifer Carpenter, director of the Heiltsuk Cultural Education Centre for her help and hospitality during my visit to Waglisla and the HCEC archives and for providing helpful commentary on my work throughout my research. The Simon Fraser University Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology houses the collection used in my research and made it available to me. The SFU Department of Archaeology provided financial support through an entrance scholarship and graduate fellowship. Melissa Roth photographed the collection for use in this thesis. She, along with Elizabeth Velliky, Rolanda Ward, and Janis S.T. Martin all provided support and editing advice throughout the writing process. To everyone above, and to the many friends and family members who provided aid and encouragement, thank you! v Table of Contents Approval.......................................................................................................................... ii Partial Copyright Licence ................................................................................................ iii Abstract...........................................................................................................................iv Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................vi List of Tables ................................................................................................................ viii List of Figures ................................................................................................................. x 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Hypotheses and Objectives .................................................................................... 3 1.2 Previous Archaeological Research and Data Context ............................................. 4 1.3 Summary ................................................................................................................ 6 2. Historical Background .......................................................................................... 7 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 7 2.2 The Heiltsuk ............................................................................................................ 7 2.3 The Early Fur Trade Period (1785-1843) .............................................................. 10 2.3.1 The Maritime Fur Trade ............................................................................. 10 2.3.2 Fort McLoughlin and Early Old Bella Bella ................................................. 11 2.3.3 Old Bella Bella after Fort McLoughlin (1843-1880) .................................... 12 2.4 Old Bella Bella and the Methodist Mission (1880-1900) ........................................ 13 2.5 Summary .............................................................................................................. 17 3. Archaeological Background............................................................................... 20 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 21 3.2 The Old Bella Bella-Fort McLoughlin Excavation .................................................. 21 3.2.1 Fort McLoughlin ......................................................................................... 22 3.2.2 The Plank House ....................................................................................... 25 3.2.3 The Frame House ..................................................................................... 28 3.3 Project Assessment .............................................................................................. 30 3.3.1 Fort McLoughlin Findings .......................................................................... 30 3.3.2 Plank House Findings................................................................................ 31 3.3.3 Frame House Findings .............................................................................. 32 3.4 Previous analysis of the Old Bella Bella – Fort McLoughlin Collection .................. 33 3.5 Summary .............................................................................................................. 35 vi 4. Methods and Results .......................................................................................... 36 4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 36 4.2 Hypotheses and Correlates – Rationale and Discussion ....................................... 38 4.3 The Old Bella Bella Artifact Assemblage and its Organization............................... 42 4.4 Results .................................................................................................................. 47 4.4.1 Architecture ............................................................................................... 47 4.4.2 Arms/Hunting Items ................................................................................... 49 4.4.3 Domestic Items.......................................................................................... 51 4.4.4 Fishing Items ............................................................................................. 56 4.4.5 Lithic Items ................................................................................................ 57 4.4.6 Personal Items .......................................................................................... 61 4.4.7 Storage Items ............................................................................................ 74 4.4.8 Unknown Items.......................................................................................... 75 4.5 Summary .............................................................................................................. 76 5. Discussion ........................................................................................................... 79 5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 79 5.2 Heiltsuk Adoption of Euro-American Goods during the Fur Trade ......................... 79 5.3 The Heiltsuk and the Lasting Impact of the Fur Trade ........................................... 82 5.4 Heiltsuk Adoption of Euro-American Goods following Methodist Missionary Arrival83 5.5 Heiltsuk Reactions to Methodist Enculturation