BRENDAN GRAY THESIS.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Sampling Methods in Northwest Coast Household Archaeology: A Simulation Approach Using Faunal Data from the Ozette Site by Brendan Gray B.A., Simon Fraser University, 2004 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Anthropology Brendan Gray, 2008 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee Sampling Methods in Northwest Coast Household Archaeology: A Simulation Approach Using Faunal Data from the Ozette Site by Brendan Gray B.A., Simon Fraser University, 2004 Supervisory Committee Dr. Quentin Mackie, Department of Anthropology Co-Supervisor Dr. Yin Lam, Department of Anthropology Co-Supervisor Dr. Brendan Burke, Department of Greek and Roman Studies Outside Member iii Abstract Supervisory Committee Dr. Quentin Mackie, Department of Anthropology Co-Supervisor Dr. Yin Lam, Department of Anthropology Co-Supervisor Dr. Brendan Burke, Department of Greek and Roman Studies Outside Member The methodological and theoretical considerations that must be addressed when excavating the traditional longhouses of the First Nation peoples who lived in the Pacific Northwest region are the foci of this thesis. The large amount of faunal data contained within the remains of houses require the use of explicit, justifiable sampling strategies; however, the methods used to sample these dwellings are not generally a central research focus. A sampling simulation of faunal data recovered from the excavation of numerous houses from the village site of Ozette is the empirical basis of this research, and provides a method for examining the efficacy of different sample strategies. Specifically, the effects of sample size and sample method on richness, relative abundance and the interpretation of status using faunal data are investigated. The results are of heuristic value for future household archaeology on the Northwest Coast and suggest alternative sampling methods which attempt to cope with the labour-intensive research generally required for shell-midden archaeology. iv Table of Contents Supervisory Committee ...................................................................................................... ii Abstract..............................................................................................................................iii Table of Contents............................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures................................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. ix Dedication.......................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Thesis Organization .................................................................................................. 3 Chapter 2: The Northwest Coast Longhouse...................................................................... 6 2.1 Ethnographic Context ............................................................................................... 6 2.2 Household Archaeology............................................................................................ 9 2.3 The Ozette Site........................................................................................................ 15 2.4 Interpretive Frameworks and Issues ....................................................................... 19 2.5 Methodological Issues ............................................................................................ 24 Chapter 3: Sampling Method and Theory......................................................................... 28 3.1 Sampling Overview ................................................................................................ 28 3.2 Sampling Terminology and Methods...................................................................... 30 3.3 Identifying Sample Size Effects.............................................................................. 32 3.3.1 Sampling to Redundancy................................................................................. 33 3.3.2 Rarefaction....................................................................................................... 34 3.3.3 Regression........................................................................................................ 35 3.4 Identifying the Effects of Sample Configurations: the MAUP............................... 36 3.4.1 Ecological Fallacy and Issues of Scale ............................................................ 36 3.4.2 The MAUP and Archaeology .......................................................................... 40 Chapter 4: Sampling on the Northwest Coast................................................................... 45 4.1 Sampling Studies .................................................................................................... 45 4.2 Sample Strategies Used to Excavate Houses.......................................................... 47 Chapter 5: Sampling Simulation Methods........................................................................ 53 5.1 Obtain and Modify Ozette Faunal Data.................................................................. 53 5.1.1 The Raw Faunal Database (RFD).................................................................... 53 5.1.2 The Corrected Faunal Database (CFD)............................................................ 56 5.2 Spatial Display of the CFD..................................................................................... 60 5.3 Selecting and Testing Sample Strategies ................................................................ 63 5.3.1 Probabilistic Samples....................................................................................... 64 5.3.2 Judgmental Samples......................................................................................... 71 5.4 Narrowing the Focus............................................................................................... 73 5.4.1 Phase 1: Taxonomic Richness ......................................................................... 73 5.4.2 Phase 2: Taxonomic Abundance...................................................................... 74 5.4.3 Phase 3: Status ................................................................................................. 75 Chapter 6: Effects of Sampling on Richness (NTAXA)................................................... 77 6.1.1 House 1 Results................................................................................................ 80 6.1.2 House 2 Results................................................................................................ 82 v 6.1.3 House 5 Results................................................................................................ 83 6.2 Rarefaction Analysis............................................................................................... 85 6.3 Discussion............................................................................................................... 90 Chapter 7: Effects of Sampling on Relative Abundance .................................................. 93 7.1 Spearman's Rank Correlation.................................................................................. 93 7.2 Maximum Variability in a Sample.......................................................................... 98 7.2.1 House 1 Results.............................................................................................. 100 7.2.2 House 2 Results.............................................................................................. 106 7.2.3 House 5 Results.............................................................................................. 110 7.3 A Note on Auger Samples .................................................................................... 114 7.4 Discussion............................................................................................................. 114 Chapter 8: Effects of Sampling on the Interpretation of Inter- and Intra-house Status .. 119 8.1 Defining and Interpreting Status........................................................................... 119 8.2 Status Indicators.................................................................................................... 123 8.2.1 Decorative, Ceremonial, Symbolic Shellfish................................................. 123 8.2.2 Whale ............................................................................................................. 128 8.2.3 Salmon and Halibut........................................................................................ 131 8.3 Inter-house Status: Evaluating Multiple Lines of Evidence ................................. 135 8.4 Intra-house Status at House 1 ............................................................................... 137 Chapter 9: Discussion and Conclusion ..........................................................................