The most isolated archipelago on the west coast of the Americas, inhabited for at least 10,500 years, Haida Gwaii has fascinated scientists, social scientists, historians, and inquisitive travellers for decades. This book brings together the results of extensive and varied field research by both federal agencies and independent researchers, and carefully integrates them with earlier archaeological, ethnohistorical, and paleoenvironmental work in the region. It imparts significant new information about the natural history of Haida Gwaii, also known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, and the adjacent areas of Hecate Strait. Chapters analyze new data on ice retreat, shoreline and sea level change, faunal communities, and culture history, providing a more comprehensive picture of the history of the islands from the late glacial through the prehistoric period, to the time of European contact, known to the Haida as the "time of the Iron People." Much of the archaeological work was conducted with the direct participation of members of the Haida Nation. As a complement to the scientific approach of the research, two chapters provide a Haida perspective, explaining the value of traditional oral records and recounting several oral histories, including that of Taadl, the loon, which takes us back to the beginning of time. This volume is a veritable compendium of knowledge, out of which emerges the human and environmental history of Haida Gwaii and its dynamic landscape. Haida Gwaii will be of interest to scholars and students in archaeology and anthropology, and those with an interest in the environmental and cultural history of Haida Gwaii.
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references: p. [376]-401
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 971.1/12
- General Note
- Includes index Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- Geographic Area Code
- n-cn-bc
- ISBN
- 0774809213 9780774853873
- LCCN
- F1089.Q3
- LCCN Item number
- H35 2005eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- CaBNVSL
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (xxii, 426 p.)
- Published in
- Canada
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)jme00327137 (OCoLC)180704224 (CaOOCEL)404226
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Title proper/short title
- Human history and environment from the time of loon to the time of the iron people
- Transcribing agency
- CaBNVSL
Table of Contents
- Contents 6
- Illustrations 8
- Foreword 13
- Foreword 15
- Preface and Acknowledgments 19
- A Note on Radiocarbon Dating 22
- Part 1: Paleoenvironmental History 24
- 1 Late Quaternary Geology of Haida Gwaii and Surrounding Marine Areas 30
- 2 Hecate Strait Paleoshorelines 44
- 3 Terrestrial Paleoecology of Haida Gwaii and the Continental Shelf: Vegetation, Climate, and Plant Resources of the Coastal Migration Route 61
- 4 Vegetation History of Anthony Island, Haida Gwaii, and Its Relationship to Climate Change and Human Settlement 82
- 5 The Evolution of Endemic Species in Haida Gwaii 100
- 6 History of the Vertebrate Fauna in Haida Gwaii 119
- Part 2: Haida Traditional History 140
- 7 Tllsda Xaaydas K'aaygang.nga: Long, Long Ago Haida Ancient Stories 144
- 8 Taadl, Nang Kilslaas, and Haida 163
- Part 3: Haida History through Archaeological Research 168
- 9 Overview of Cultural History 177
- 10 Millennial Tides and Shifting Shores: Archaeology on a Dynamic Landscape 186
- 11 Kilgii Gwaay: An Early Maritime Site in the South of Haida Gwaii 210
- 12 Test Excavations at Raised Beach Sites in Southern Haida Gwaii and Their Significance to Northwest Coast Archaeology 227
- 13 Raised Beach Archaeology in Northern Haida Gwaii: Preliminary Results from the Cohoe Creek Site 268
- 14 The Graham Tradition 297
- 15 Gwaii Haanas Settlement Archaeology 326
- 16 Shoreline Settlement Patterns in Gwaii Haanas during the Early and Late Holocene 360
- Conclusion: Synthesis of Environmental and Archaeological Data 395
- References 399
- Notes on Contributors 425
- Index 430
- A 430
- B 431
- C 432
- D 434
- E 435
- F 435
- G 436
- H 437
- I 438
- J 438
- K 438
- L 439
- M 440
- N 441
- O 441
- P 442
- Q 442
- R 442
- S 444
- T 447
- U 448
- V 448
- W 448
- X 449
- Y 449
- Z 449