Assessing continuity in the ancestral territory of the Tsleil-Waututh-Coast Salish, southwest British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

Archaeological interpretations of continuity and abandonment can have significant implications for descendent communities. Such interpretations are contingent on the social and spatial scale of analysis. We assess the evidence for continuity among the Coast Salish at four of social-spatial scales using a suite of radiocarbon dates derived from Tsleil-Wat (Burrard Inlet and Indian Arm) and the Fraser Valley (similar to 3500-250 cal BP). We define continuity as the ability to pass on place-based knowledge inter-generationally conservatively a span of 60 years. For each social-spatial scale, we evaluate whether we have the minimum number of radiocarbon dates required to assess continuity. We also utilize demographic modeling of the radiocarbon dates to evaluate whether there are significant gaps in the data that would indicate discontinuities in occupation. Overlapping radiocarbon dates suggest continuity at various social-spatial scales, but our ability to detect long-term continuity increases with sample size and size of the social-spatial unit. The modeling did not reveal gaps in occupation, but low statistical power limits our ability to make conclusive interpretations. These analyses highlight both the importance of choosing appropriate scales of analysis and the potential limitations of archaeological data sets for evaluating continuity at culturally meaningful scales in the past.