Paleoethnobotany of Kilgii Gwaay: a 10,700 year old Ancestral Haida Archaeological Wet Site by Jenny Micheal Cohen B.A., University of Victoria, 2010 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Anthropology Jenny Micheal Cohen, 2014 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. Supervisory Committee Paleoethnobotany of Kilgii Gwaay: A 10,700 year old Ancestral Haida Archaeological Wet Site by Jenny Micheal Cohen B.A., University of Victoria, 2010 Supervisory Committee Dr. Quentin Mackie, Supervisor (Department of Anthropology) Dr. Brian David Thom, Departmental Member (Department of Anthropology) Dr. Nancy Jean Turner, Outside Member (School of Environmental Studies) ii Abstract Supervisory Committee Dr. Quentin Mackie, Supervisor (Department of Anthropology) Dr. Brian David Thom, Departmental Member (Department of Anthropology) Dr. Nancy Jean Turner, Outside Member (School of Environmental Studies) This thesis is a case study using paleoethnobotanical analysis of Kilgii Gwaay, a 10,700- year-old wet site in southern Haida Gwaii to explore the use of plants by ancestral Haida. The research investigated questions of early Holocene wood artifact technologies and other plant use before the large-scale arrival of western redcedar (Thuja plicata), a cultural keystone species for Haida in more recent times. The project relied on small- scale excavations and sampling from two main areas of the site: a hearth complex and an activity area at the edge of a paleopond. The archaeobotanical assemblage from these two areas yielded 23 plant taxa representing 14 families in the form of wood, charcoal, seeds, and additional plant macrofossils. A salmonberry and elderberry processing area suggests a seasonal summer occupation. Hemlock wedges and split spruce wood and roots show evidence for wood-splitting technology. The assemblage demonstrates potential for site interpretation based on archaeobotanical remains for the Northwest Coast of North America and highlights the importance of these otherwise relatively unknown plant resources from this early time period. iii Table of Contents SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE ........................................................................................................... II ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................................. III TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................................... IV LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................. VII LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................. VIII ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................................................................................... IX DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................................... X CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2 – BACKGROUND AND LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................... 4 PALAEOENVIRONMENTAL RECONSTRUCTION OF THE NORTHWEST COAST.....................................................4 Pleistocene-Holocene Climate and Relative Sea Level History .......................................................... 5 Paleontology of Haida Gwaii ............................................................................................................................. 7 Vegetation history ............................................................................................................................................... 11 Limitations and Gaps in Research ................................................................................................................ 20 HAIDA CULTURE HISTORY .......................................................................................................................................... 22 (Pre-) Kinggi cultural material (>12,800 – ~10,700 cal. BP) .......................................................... 23 Kinggi Complex (>10,700 – 9700 cal. BP) ................................................................................................ 24 Later Period Traditions ..................................................................................................................................... 25 Early Moresby Tradition (9700-8900 cal. BP) ....................................................................................... 25 Late Moresby Tradition (8900-5700 cal. BP) ......................................................................................... 26 Early (Transitional) Graham Tradition (5700-2000 cal. BP) ......................................................... 26 Late Graham Tradition (2000-200 cal. BP) ............................................................................................. 28 KILGII GWAAY SITE ....................................................................................................................................................... 28 Archaeological work to date........................................................................................................................... 29 Site structural context ....................................................................................................................................... 31 Artifact Assemblage ............................................................................................................................................ 35 Faunal remains ..................................................................................................................................................... 38 Macro- and microbotanical remains .......................................................................................................... 38 CHAPTER 3 - METHODOLOGY .....................................................................................................39 FIELD SAMPLING ............................................................................................................................................................ 39 Paleopond edge deposits .................................................................................................................................. 41 Hearth feature samples on west side of site ............................................................................................ 42 Control samples .................................................................................................................................................... 45 Exploratory sample from EU 35 .................................................................................................................... 45 LABORATORY METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................... 46 Seeds ........................................................................................................................................................................... 46 Wood and charcoal ............................................................................................................................................. 48 METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES .......................................................................................................................................... 49 CHAPTER 4 - RESULTS......................................................................................................................52 WOOD ARTIFACTS ......................................................................................................................................................... 52 Wedge tips ............................................................................................................................................................... 54 Stakes ......................................................................................................................................................................... 56 iv Tool handle haft.................................................................................................................................................... 57 Wood chips .............................................................................................................................................................. 57 Split root/withes .................................................................................................................................................. 61 Wood plank ............................................................................................................................................................. 62 Split wood ................................................................................................................................................................ 63 Points/ pointed artifacts................................................................................................................................... 64 Worked