University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 2015 A ZOOARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDY OF GENERATIONAL DECISION- MAKING: MODELING SUBSISTENCE AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE IN LATE-HOLOCENE OCCUPATIONS OF HOUSEPIT 54 AT THE BRIDGE RIVER SITE (EeRl4), MID-FRASER, B.C. Matthew Joseph Walsh The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Walsh, Matthew Joseph, "A ZOOARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDY OF GENERATIONAL DECISION-MAKING: MODELING SUBSISTENCE AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE IN LATE-HOLOCENE OCCUPATIONS OF HOUSEPIT 54 AT THE BRIDGE RIVER SITE (EeRl4), MID-FRASER, B.C." (2015). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 4624. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/4624 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A ZOOARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDY OF GENERATIONAL DECISION-MAKING: MODELING SUBSISTENCE AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE IN LATE-HOLOCENE OCCUPATIONS OF HOUSEPIT 54 AT THE BRIDGE RIVER SITE (EeRl4), MID-FRASER, B.C. By MATTHEW JOSEPH WALSH Master of Arts, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 2013 Bachelor of Arts with Distinction, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 2007 Dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Anthropology, Cultural Heritage University of Montana Missoula, MT October, 2015 Approved by: Sandy Ross, Dean of The Graduate School Graduate School Anna M. Prentiss, Chair Department of Anthropology, University of Montana Jaime Awe, Committee Member Department of Anthropology, Northern Arizona University John Douglas, Committee Member Department of Anthropology, University of Montana Sarah Halvorson, Committee Member Department of Geography, University of Montana Meredith Snow, Committee Member Department of Anthropology, University of Montana © COPYRIGHT by Matthew Joseph Walsh 2015 All Rights Reserved ii ABSTRACT Walsh, Matthew J., Doctor of Philosophy, Oct, 2015 Anthropology A Zooarchaeological Study of Generational Decision Making: Modeling Subsistence, Demographic, and Environmental Change in Late-Holocene Occupations of the Bridge River Site (EeRI4), Mid-Fraser, B.C. Chair of Supervisory Committee: Dr. Anna Marie Prentiss Department of Anthropology The Bridge River site is a winter pithouse village near the confluence of the Bridge and Fraser Rivers in the Mid-Fraser Canyon that was occupied periodically from as early as 1800BP to the mid-19th century. Prentiss et al. (2008) divide the range of occupations into four Periods: Bridge River (BR) 1, c. 1800-1600BP, BR2, c. 1600-1300BP, a short-lived BR3, c. 1300-1100BP (by the end of this period the village appears to have been largely abandoned), and BR4, a late reoccupation of the site, c. ~500 to 100BP (Prentiss et al. 2008, 2011, 2012). During BR2 and into BR3, between 1500-1100BP, the village experienced punctuated population growth and then underwent dynamic and rapid population decline and abandonment at the end of BR3. This trend continued throughout the Middle Fraser region toward the end of BR3, as major village populations experienced rapid declines and abandonment events leading up to roughly 1000 BP. The goal of this research is to investigate patterns of subsistence change through the course of pithouse occupations to determine if changes in subsistence reflect demographic fluctuations or indicate processes of intensification of key resources. Conflicting theories have been proposed to explain population decline in the Mid-Fraser, all centered around depletion of subsistence resources: 1) as the result of the onset of warmer/drier temperatures during the Medieval Warm Period that caused declining production of valuable subsistence resources (i.e. salmon) in the region (Prentiss et al. 2005); 2) as the result of the obstruction of salmon runs caused by a catastrophic landslide blocking salmon migration routes into the Mid-Fraser Canyon (Hayden 1997; Hayden and Ryder 1991, 2003); 3) due to the overexploitation and subsequent depletion of terrestrial resources, particularly deer and upland geophytes (Kuijt and Prentiss 2004); and 4) as the result of naturally occurring phenomena such as perennial fluctuations or falloffs in salmon production at major fisheries (Kew 1992). Through the analysis of the Housepit 54 archaeofaunas and other materials and features, and the application of systematic methods of assessing taxonomic variability and population dynamics (Grayson 1981; Chamberlain 2006), this research seeks to evaluate the relationship between changing subsistence practices and the distinct population fluctuations that define the period between the onset of BR2 and the end of BR3. The intact stratified floor sequence at Housepit 54 offers the potential to observe changes in subsistence at a near generational scale spanning the periods of major village growth and decline circa BR2-BR3. Looking at changes in subsistence at the household level over time within a single pithouse provides a unique opportunity to test how households coped with demographic and subsistence changes. This research draws on zooarchaeological data and applies concepts of resource intensification and decline to comment on the effects on food availability during the period of population growth and decline experienced from BR2 to the end of BR3. A Malthusian Model (Malthus 1798; Prentiss et al. iii 2014; Puleston et al. 2013) is used to juxtapose subsistence intensification scenarios with changes in household population within Housepit 54 specifically. Finally, a brief evaluation is offered of how a general Malthusian framework may offer a synergistic perspective from which to assess test expectations regarding population pressure and its effects on subsistence change at the household level. iv Acknowledgements This research was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (Grant #RZ-51287- 11). Previous work at Bridge River has been funded by the National Science Foundation (Grant #s BCS-0313920 and BCS-0713013). All research at Bridge River has been undertaken with the express permission, supervision, and support of the Xwisten Band of the St’at’imc First Nation of British Columbia, Canada – without their continued backing none of this research would have been possible, and for that I am truly grateful. Laboratory space was provided by Dr. Anna M. Prentiss in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Montana and the Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum and Montana Comparative Skeletal Collection under the curation of David Dyer and Paul Hendricks provided comparative skeletal materials that were used for analysis of the animal bone assemblage. Many students and volunteers contributed to excavation efforts and laboratory work for the 2013 and 2014 investigations at Housepit 54 and I am indebted to each of them for their hard work, curiosity, and enthusiasm. Members of the Xwisten Band have been instrumental to the ongoing archaeological research in their ancestral lands - Bradley Jack, Gerald Mitchel, and Carl Alexander have been constant sources of support and wisdom, and Josh SnQeqtseqa Jack and Everett Tom are a couple of the best guys to share an excavation Unit with. Thanks to everyone that participated in the 2013 and 2014 field seasons and laboratory analyses: Anna Arnn, Kristen Barnett, Emilyn Bauer, Nasreen Broomandkoshbacht, Mary Bobbitt, Nick Chapoy, Lorena Craig, Megan Denis, Brenda Frank, Nadine Gray, Nicole Hansen, Sarah Howerton, Ali Johnson, Corey Johnson, Kat, Rebeka Kneifel, Elizabeth Lynch, Matt Mattes, Tanner Marsh, Matthew McKee, Sarah Moberg, Jackson Narcisse, Megan Nishida, Sarah Nowell, Nate Perhay, Lindsay Scott, Dougless Skinner, Douglas Sullenberger, Alex Swalling, Lydia Sykora, Morgan Thurman, Emilia Tifental, James Verzuh, Ina Williams, and Lexi Williams-Larson - I can’t thank you all enough. Emilia Tifental and Dr. Lisa M. Smith have been extremely helpful in the lab and Nate Perhay did much of the data entry for the 2014 faunal assemblage and remained remarkably dedicated despite not even being in the state – I owe you guys a very special thanks! Gabe Frazier has been considerably patient in teaching me various ins and outs of GIS – thank you. Special thanks go to my advisor and committee chair, Anna M. Prentiss for her brilliance, tireless enthusiasm, and for her willingness to include me in so many wonderful projects. Anna - without your guidance, mentoring, and friendship I could not be where I am today – thank you so much for all that you do and all that you are. I also wish to thank my committee members: Jaime Awe, John Douglas, Sarah Halvorson, and Meredith Snow for their valuable insights, their patience, and their promptness throughout the course of this process. Lastly, I am truly grateful to all my family and friends for their continued support. Casey, Cheyenne, Clare, Jeffrey, Lisa, Louis, Luke, Matt, Michelle, Mikey, Squirrel, Tallier, and all the other usual suspects - you know who you are! – I am truly grateful for your friendship. Owen and Nanci Walsh – you are the best parents I could ever ask for. Thank you for your endless love and encouragement. Margie