Giving voice to Juana María’s people : the organization of shell and exotic stone artifact production and trade at a Late Holocene village on San Nicolas Island, California

Graduation Date

2006

Document Type

Thesis

Program

Other

Program

Thesis (M.S.)--Humboldt State University, Environment and Community Interdisciplinary Program, 2006

Committee Chair Name

René Vellanoweth

Committee Chair Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island, San Nicolas Island, Juana Maria, Archaeology, Shell fishhooks, Chumash interaction sphere, Artifact production, Shell beads, Humboldt State University -- Theses -- Social Science, Southern Channel Islands, Trade, Channel Islands, Exotic stone, Daily practices, Nicoleno, Exchange networks, Gabrielino

Abstract

At the time of European contact, the southern California mainland coast and Channel Islands were occupied by a variety of Native groups that were socially complex and steeped in rich cultural traditions. Archaeological evidence found on San Nicolas Island, the most geographically isolated of the Channel Islands, offers a unique opportunity to examine past human daily practices and underlying social organization and world-views. This thesis focuses on the archaeological record at CA-SN-25, a village occupied intensely between approximately A.D. 1300 and A.D. 1800. Analysis of shell and exotic stone artifacts indicates a variety of domestic and ceremonial activities occurred at the site. Comparisons of CA-SNI-25 to other sites on San Nicolas and the Channel Islands suggest the villagers were intricately connected to other groups through family ties, exchange interactions, and socio-ritualistic activities. In all, this thesis illustrates the importance of archaeological investigations as a tool to enhance our understanding of daily practices, social and spiritual organization, and regional interactions of the Native people of San Nicolas Island.

https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/s1784n921

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