Year of Award

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Name

Anthropology

Department or School/College

Department of Anthropology

Committee Chair

Anna Marie Prentiss

Commitee Members

Meradeth Snow, Kelly Dixon, John Douglas, Jennifer Thomsen

Keywords

emergence of inequality, gender archaeology, household archaeology, hunter-gatherer-fisher studies

Abstract

This research examines cultural change and continuity as embodied within a singular multi-generational housepit (Housepit 54) located within the Bridge River site (K’etxelkná’z) in the Mid-Fraser Canyon, British Columbia, Canada. Previous research has highlighted the distinctive differences between Bridge River 2 and 3 time periods wherein the village was faced with dramatic population growth and climate change. These pressures crafted a Malthusian ceiling-type event which corresponded with the emergence of persistent institutionalized inequality. This research aims to illuminate issues of gender, kinship, social identity, and household social relationships in order to highlight how macro-scale cultural change is evinced in micro-scale space-use and activity patterns. This research examines how such a drastic restructuring of the sociopolitical realities within the Bridge River village (K’etxelkná’z) interfaces with interpersonal identity and cultural evolution at the household level.

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© Copyright 2023 Ashley Elizabeth Hampton