Archaeological Survey of Seymour Inlet, Quatsino Sound, and Adjacent Localities ROY L. CARLSON and PHILIP M. HOBLER Introduction From May 25 to July 14, 1973, the authors The area covered by the survey is shown in Figures 60 carried out a site survey of Seymour Inlet, Quatsino and 61. The sites have been numbered according to Sound, and several adjacent localities. Brian Apland the Borden (1952) system and the detailed descrip­ and Joyce May assisted us in this project. The pro­ tions and locations have been added to the provincial ject was sponsored jointly by the Archaeological Sites government's master site file. Advisory Board and the Department of Archaeology, The settlement pattern of the ethnographic Simon Fraser University, and the latter’s research period involved the following site functions: winter vessel, M.V. SISIUTL, was employed in the survey. villages, fishing camps, shellfish gathering camps, The primary purpose of the survey was to locate and burial sites, "forts", hunting camps, and probably assess the scientific importance and archaeological re­ other special purpose sites such as rock art sites. source significance of archaeological sites in the areas Some sites could have served at any one time in two under consideration. The only previous work in the or more of these capacities. Through time sites could region was by Kenady in 1969. shift from one type of use to another. Archaeological A total of 63 sites were located; most of them survey is generally not sufficiently sensitive to permit had not been previously recorded. Artifacts in private these distinctions, so we have adopted a primary collections from Quatsino Sound were examined and classification of habitation sites, burial sites, rock art this proved a useful source of information. A few sites, and beach sites. The sites are listed by type in artifacts were picked up from the beaches in the Tables 1, 2, and 3. Three localities — Seymour Inlet, course of the survey. While test pitting was not under­ northern Vancouver Island, and Quatsino Sound were taken as part of the work, the nature of the sites and surveyed — and the following section contains a des­ the artifacts observed do permit some general con­ cription of sites found in each of these localities. clusions regarding the culture history of the region. Seymour Inlet and Related Localities Access to this system is from Queen Charlotte rapids. Cougar Inlet, Slingsby and Schooner Channels, Strait through either Schooner or Slingsby Channel. and Allison Flarbour lie between the narrows and These narrow channels join just below the Nakwaktok Queen Charlotte Strait. With the exception of Schwar- Rapids which open into Seymour Inlet. This inlet zenberg Lagoon, these waterways were surveyed in is the largest in the system which includes Nugent their entirety. Small streams, some with salmon runs, Sound, Frederick Sound, Salmon Arm, Belize Inlet, exist at the heads of these long inlets. Clams, mussels, Mereworth Sound, Alison Sound, and all lesser bodies and prawns are plentiful in a number of localities, of water to which access by water can be gained only but there is an absence of shellfish at the heads of the by passing through the Nakwaktok Narrows. The long inlets where the water is less saline. The Japanese narrows themselves mark the transition from outer to oyster has become established in one locality. Seals inner coast, and the largest concentration of habita­ were seen almost every day. tion sites is in the zone just above and below these The major characteristics of the shoreline are 115 116 CURRENT RESEARCH REPORTS 4. EhSs 3. 11. EgSs 5. 18. EgSq 6 . 25. EgSu 6 . 32. EgSu 2. the Seymour Inlet 5. EhSs 1. 12. EgSu 1. 19. EgSp 1. 26. EgSv 5. 33. EgSu 3. system. 6 . EhSs 4. 13. EgSq 2. 20. EgSt 1. 27. EgSv 4. 34. EfSt 5. 7. EgSs 2. 14. EgSq 3. 21. EgSu 9. 28. EgSv 3. 35. EfSt 1. Fig. 61. Site locations in the Quatsino Sound system. 1. EdTa 2. 18. EdSv 1. 2. EdTa 3. 19. EdSv 4. 3. EdSx 2. 20. EdSv 6 . 4. EdSx 1. 21. EdSv 12. 5. EdSx 4. 22. EcSv 1. 23. EdSu 1. 6 . EcTa 1. 24. EdSv 8 . 7. EdSx 8 . 25. EdSv 7. 8 . EdSx 7. 9. EcSx 4. 26. EdSv 5. 10. EdSx 5. 27. EdSv 11. 11. EcSx 1. 28. EdSv 13. 12. EdSw 4. 29. EdSv 3. 13. EdSw 3. 30. EcSw 1. 14. EdSw 2. 31. ExSx 2. 15. EdSw 1. 16. EdSv 10. 17. EdSv 2. SEYMOUR INLET, QUATSINO SOUND 118 CURRENT RESEARCH REPORTS Table 2. Northern Vancouver Island sites. <d X X X X H cn «n to w U4 IM «H IM W U W W W HABITATION SITES X X X Post and beam house remains X Milled lumber houses X Ethnographic winter village X Shallow midden X X Medium depth midden X " F o r t " X X BURIAL SITE X Burial shed X ROCK ART SITE X Red pictograph X Anthropomorphic face X its steepness and unbroken character punctuated here locations is by Boas (1934). The region had not been and there with bays and the mouths of shallow la­ surveyed previously. We were unable because of time goons. Everywhere is the appearance of geologic and weather to completely survey Nakwaktok terri­ recency with few well developed beaches, sparse habi­ tory. Twice we set out to survey the coastline between tation and no great depth or antiquity to sites. A Blunden Harbour and Cape Caution, and both times decrease in sea level of only 5 —10 meters would were forced back by weather conditions. The coast­ leave the area above the rapids as one vast inland lake. line here remains to be surveyed as do the Storm The Nakwaktok, a Kwakiutl speaking band, Islands. The only internal waterway in this system were the known aboriginal inhabitants of the Seymour not examined was Schwarzenberg Lagoon. Inlet system. There are 15 reserves in the region; Very few aboriginal artifacts were observed in none are occupied at the present time. Two additional the course of the survey. The tip of an awl made of reserves, one in the Storm Islands and another at deer ulna at site EgSu 8, a basal fragment of a flanged Blunden Harbour are also in Nakwaktok territory. maul from the beach at site EhSu 7, the fragment of a We were unable to survey the Storm Islands where a chiselshaped object of ground slate and the tip of a large midden was reported, but did survey Blunden pointed bone object came from site EgSu 6. Loca­ Harbour to the south and include the data from there tions which looked favourable for the occurrence of in this section. Blunden Harbour was abandoned in chipped stone on the beach were examined, but no 1963, and band headquarters are now on the Tsul- such industries were found. Sites and features found quate Reserve at Port Hardy. The main published in this locality are listed in Table 1, and site locations source of ethnographic information concerning site are shown in Figure 60. Northern Vancouver Island Several sites were recorded along the coast be­ since 1970, and the posts and beams of the long- tween Port Hardy and the mouth of Quatsino Sound, houses extant a few years ago (Fig. 62) had been but a thorough and complete survey was not conduct­ sawn up and pushed to one side. Five sites were ed. The old site of Xumtaspi (EfSx 1) was visited. A noted and are listed in Table 2. bulldozer had been run over the surface of the site Quatsino Sound Quatsino Sound with Holberg and Rupert Arms cuts two-thirds of the way across Vancouver Island. SEYMOUR INLET, QUATSINO SOUND 119 120 CURRENT RESEARCH REPORTS Fig. 62. The village o f Xumtaspi (EfSx 1) on Hope Island in 1970. Photo by /. McGregor. Aboriginally it was the home of the Quatsino, and in addition recorded 12 new sites. A wide range Giopino, and Koskimo bands. An earlier survey of of sites covering a long time span is present in the area. this region by Kenady in 1969 resulted in the record­ Site types and features are listed in Table 3. ing of 22 sites (Kenady 1970). We visited these sites Habitation Sites We have placed all sites with either shell are clearly hunting or trapping sites, and others middens or house remains in this category. Some of are less clearly one or the other. these sites are distinctly winter village sites, others Winter Village Sites There are several types of winter village sites. doned in 1973; Ba-as (EfSt 1) at Blunden Harbour The most recent type consists of a row of houses abandoned in 1963 (Fig. 63); Xumtaspi (EfSx 1) on arranged along a crescentic sand or gravel beach. Five Bates Pass abandoned since 1950; Clatux (EcSx 1) sites fall into this category: Xutes (EdSv 4) near at Koprino in use seasonally at least as late as 1914 Quatsino which was in the process of being aban­ (Royal Commission, 1916, Vol. 2:382), and probably SEYMOUR INLET, QUATSINO SOUND 121 Fig. 63. The village o f Ba-as (EfSt 1) at Blunder! Harbour. as a winter village before that; and Tsowenochs at tions than the three other sites. Neither site shows Klaskino abandoned before 1914. Deep shell middens surficial evidence of houses today other than the de­ are associated with all of these sites, even though pressions. The original survey plan of Clatux shows tradition indicates that occupation began within the five houses there in 1884. historic period at at least two of them.