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.
Recommended Citation
Cannon, Amanda C., "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" (2006). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 2136.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/2136
https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/s1784n921