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Persistence and meaning in fur-bearing mammal usage on the Nechako Plateau, British Columbia

Faculty Advisor

Date

2019

Keywords

fur trade, zooarchaeology, colonies, subsistence fishing, salmon fisheries, Canada

Abstract (summary)

The archaeological record indicates the use of salmon and a wide range of terrestrial mammals at sites spanning the last millennium in the vicinity of the Nautley River on the Nechako Plateau of central British Columbia. In particular, a long record of sustained use of small and medium bodied fur-bearing mammals, especially beaver, rabbit, and muskrat, is evident, which neither prey-selection, nor fur trade intensification models adequately explain. Instead, the usage of diverse small prey is best understood in the context of the contingencies and long-term structure of the region's salmon fishery, the social networks between communities and places, the various uses people had for these animals, and the meanings of their relationship to them.

Publication Information

Prince, P. (2019). Persistence and meaning in gur-bearing mammal usage on the Nechako Plateau, British Columbia. International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 23, (3): 728-754.

Notes

Item Type

Article

Language

English

Rights

All Rights Reserved