Browsing by Author "Helmer, James W."

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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    A Faunal analysis of the Point Grey (DhRt5) site, Vancouver, B.C.
    (1989) Unfreed, Wendy J.; Helmer, James W.
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    Paleoeskimo subsistence and settlement in the High Arctic
    (1989) McCartney, Peter H.; Helmer, James W.
    This dissertation examines the ecological basis for Paleoeskimo subsistence and settlement in the Jones Sound region of the Canadian High Arctic. The early prehistory of the Eastern Arctic is characterized by overall low population densities, which are uneven and patchy with respect to both spatial distribution and continuity within local sequences. An understanding of the relationship between environmental factors and prehistoric demographic patterns is sought within (1) information on the characteristics of the physical environment, (2) archaeological evidence for Paleoeskimo subsistence and settlement and (3) a theoretical framework based on ecological models of descisionmaking for inferring systemic relationships between environmental parameters and human behavior. The High Arctic environment is distinguished by low primary productivity, low ecological diversity and high instability. Short-term and long-term variance in the availability of the most important resources (ringed seal and caribou) is linked to changes in precipitation, spring storm patterns and sea ice conditions. Along the northern coast of Devon Island, a series of lowland zones offer locally longer growing seasons, higher available moisture and larger and more stable populations of terrestrial resources. The archaeological data are derived from a five-year project centered on the Devon Lowlands which yielded site survey data and collections of well preserved fauna! and artifact collections from twelve excavated Paleoeskimo tent ring features. Resource selection is dominated by ringed seal with lesser, but consistent, numbers of caribou, bearded seal and birds. The settlement pattern is characterized by small coastal camps which are located to maximize access to both marine and terrestrial resources. An informal model of Paleoeskimo adaptation is offered which identifies several distinctive features. First, the low diversity and low predictability of the High Arctic resource base results in a subsistence system with a high susceptibility to risk yet limited flexibility to allow an effective response to variance in resource availability. Second, the differential ability of certain resources to satisfy the full spectrum of dietary and material needs creates added stress on the economic system. The effects of the instability of critical resources and the limited capacity for economic response are reflected in the settlement pattern by low population densities and a high dependence on residential mobility. Based on the expected effects of long term climatic trends on the resource base, a set of predictions for temporal changes in subsistence and settlement is derived from this model and compared to the archaeologically documented changes in Jones Sound through the early Paleoeskimo period. It is suggested that the cooling trend which dominates most of this sequence resulted in a progressive narrowing of the resource base and probably an increased unreliability of terrestrial resources . Despite the likelihood that the main food resource (ringed seal) would have become more productive through time, the reduced flexibility of the economic system and its increased susceptibility to risk ultimately led to the abandonment of Jones Sound at the end of this cooling trend.
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    Sea-levels and prehistory in Gwaii Haanas
    (1993) Fedje, Daryl W.; Helmer, James W.
    Integration of palynology and micropaleontology in an analysis of sediment cores and stratigraphic sections from the Gwaii Haanas Archipelago (southern Moresby Island) and adjacent Hecate Strait allows improved detailing of the sea-level curve for Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands). Transgressive and regressive events are established through analysis of several types of microfossils inluding pollen, dinocysts, diatoms, foraminifera and thecamoebians. This research shows that the early Holocene marine transgression in this area was very rapid. Mean sea level reached a maximum elevation of approximately 14 metres above present levels at about 9,000 years ago and relative sea-levels remained between 12.5 and 14 metres elevation above present levels until about 5,500 years ago. These results are highly significant in the search for and meaning of early archaeological sites in this area.
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    Similkameen Valley prehistory: cultural interaction across the interior plateau of British Columbia and Washington State
    (1992) Vivian, Brian C.; Helmer, James W.
    Archaeological and anthropological studies of the Interior Plateau concur that the Fraser and Columbia Plateaux are generally distinct regions of cultural development within the broader scope of plateau culture. A review of the cultural historical sequences indicate obvious exchange of cultural traits between the Fraser and Columbia regions over the last 9,000 years. However, few studies have examined the process of interaction and the transmission of cultural traits across the Interior Plateau. Located between the Fraser and Columbia Plateaux, the Similkameen Valley forms a natural corridor between the two plateau regions. The Similkameen Valley is an excellent location to identify and characterize cultural interaction across the Interior Plateau. A comparison of five different landuse models against the ethnohistoric record of the Similkameen Valley indicates that the pattern of interaction falls within the Diffuse Cultural/Ecological Transition Model. This conclusion is compared to the archaeological data from the Similkameen Valley, as a means of establishing the temporal continuity of this pattern. Analysis of projectile point types and the distribution of lithic raw materials indicates prehistoric Similkameen Valley populations were predominantly influenced by, and interacted with, Columbia· Plateau populations. This contradicts the ethnohistoric record, and discredits the role of the Similkameen Valley as a natural corridor between the Fraser and Columbia Plateaux. This analysis suggests that the degree and intensity of interaction across the Interior Plateau is a direct reflection of population mobility and subsistence economy.
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