Dissertation Research: Household Organization and Social Inequality at the Dionisio Point Village Site, Northwest Coast

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Under the direction of Dr. Keith Kintigh, Mr. Colin Grier will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will conduct archaeological excavation at Dionisio Point, located on Galiano Island in British Columbia. The site contains five large prehistoric house depressions and test excavations have produced radiocarbon dates ranging from 2150 - 1400 BP. This, in addition to stylistic analysis of artifacts recovered, places the site within the Marpole phase of Northwest Coast prehistory. It was during this time that ethnographically observed patterns first appear in the archaeological record. Because of the availability of rich and dependable ocean and riverine resources, especially salmon, Northwest Coast peoples reached a level of social complexity and social stratification unique among hunters and gatherers. They inhabited large permanent villages, constructed multi-family dwellings, had hereditary chiefs as well as slaves and waged organized intergroup warfare. Mr. Grier wishes to gain insight into the processes which led to this pattern. In particular he plans to examine how social inequality developed. Both ethnographically and at Dionisio Point large carefully constructed plank dwellings housed multiple families. Each had their own fireplace and occupied a separate area within the house. At one level the large household formed a cohesive functioning unit and it is highly likely that individual families were mutually independent. However within the household each maintained a separate identity and Mr. Grier wishes to determine the extent to which egalitarianism applied on both a social and economic level. It is during the Marpole phase that chiefdoms emerged on the Northwest coast and the underlying goal of the research is to examine the relationship between emerging chiefdoms and the nature of interaction between smaller constituent family groups. Because individual family space is so well defined archaeologically within each plank house, the site provides and excellent situation to study this question. Mr. Grier will excavate broad horizontal areas within several houses and collect both artifacts and faunal remains. Comparison of the nature and amount of these materials among family units within individual houses and then between houses will allow him to assess relative degrees of inequality. This research is important for several reasons. It will provide insight into the changing roles of families in society as this larger entity increases in cultural complexity. It will also assist in training a promising young scientist.