Subsistence at Si•čə’nəł:The Willows Beach Site and the Culture History of Southeastern Vancouver Island

  • I.M. Willerton
  • K.M Stewart

Abstract

Archaeological excavations at the Willows Beach site (DcRt-10) on southeastern Vancouver Island have revealed the presence of two distinct culture types – characteristic artifact assemblages generally associated with particular time periods – during the site’s 2630–270 BP occupation. Following Croes’s theory that culture type change reflects subsistence intensification, Willows Beach faunal assemblages are examined for evidence of change over time. Analysis of faunal remains from dated, stratified units associated with the two culture types suggests that at least some subsistence change occurs commensurate with changes in subsistence artifacts and culture type. Reference is also made to faunal changes at the nearby Esquimalt Lagoon and Maplebank sites. Greater sample sizes are needed to further support this association.
Section
Feature Article/Compte-rendu