Under the supervision of Dr. Jeanne Arnold, Michael Lenert will conduct an investigation of a large, 2000-year-old Sto:lo village, the Katz Site, in the Fraser River Valley, British Columbia. This study explores long-term changes in hunter-gatherer household and village organization. The Katz village site includes some of the earliest village households in the valley. By studying spatial distributions of stone artifacts and hearth and posthole features on several house floors, one can identify where particular activities occurred in a range of houses and begin to recreate how life varied across these ancient pithouses. Lenert will examine three house floors in depth and will collect smaller samples from seven other houses.
As one of the earliest communities in the region, research at Katz can help unveil how and why big villages first appear in these kinds of societies. Data collected will contribute to a fuller understanding of important regional and broader anthropological issues involving (1) changes over time in how humans scheduled their efforts and divided into smaller task groups to obtain resources that were becoming increasingly constrained in time and space, (2) the development of multi-family households and resource ownership, and (3) possibly the emergence of class distinctions. Archaeological and ethnographic data for the greater Northwest Coast region suggest the presence of a series of coastal and island societies with political systems best described as among the world's most "complex" hunter-gatherer societies. The degree to which the ancient Katz community shared this political elaboration is unclear. Using household-based data, the Katz village investigation will help to define and explain the political and economic organization of this early community.
In addition to addressing questions about political changes that may occur as largely sedentary hunter-gatherer societies emerge, this work will enhance our understanding of incipient village household and community life in general. It should be possible to see if all households conducted the same economic tasks or if some households were specialized, perhaps responsible for activities such as fishing or hunting or producing particular kinds of labor-intensive tools. The study will also provide new insights into trade and exchange among valley communities.
Broader impacts of the Katz study are numerous and extend to the training of more than 20 undergraduate field school students and the Chawathil Sto:lo (First Nations) community, as well the daily and ongoing sharing of information with the greater Sto:lo Nation during all fieldwork. Field school and Chawathil Band participants have been trained extensively in archaeological field methods as part of this project. Archaeological training of Chawathil Band members at Katz will allow them to participate in subsequent projects conducted in Sto:lo territory. Results of this project will be distributed in various formats, including Lenert's dissertation, conference presentations, refereed journal publications, talks at local community gatherings, and meetings held at the Chawathil Band office.
