Archives
XÁ:YTEM: 9,000 years of history in the Valley of the Stone People
Source: Hatzic Rock Comparative Report, Ellen Lee and Lyle Henderson, Archaeological Research Branch, CPS.
Archaeological Culture History of the Northwest Coast
Until Knut Fladmark's 1982 article, "there has been no serious effort to evolve or apply large scale integrative cultural 'stage' concepts in British
Columbia equivalent to the traditional 'Paleoindian, Archaic, Formative (Woodland, Late, Sedentary, etc.)' formulations of central and eastern areas of the
continent, and even a semantically neutral subdivision of general provincial prehistory into 'Early, Middle, and Late' periods has not been generally adopted"
(Fladmark 1982; 100,101). Simple generalizations about the region are difficult because of its cultural and environmental diversity.
Fladmark (1982; 101) divides the culture history of coastal sites into two general periods. The Lithic Stage dates greater than 5,000 / 5,500 years
Before Present, representing the earliest cultural types, including the Mazama, Milliken, and Pasika Phases. The Development Stage dates after 5,000 /
5,500 years Before Present up to contact, representing the Esilao, Emery, Baldwin and Charles Phases.
The Hatzic Rock site is reported to have two archaeological components, the largest associated with the Charles Phase (5,500 - 3,300 B.P.), and a small,
conjectural component in the Lithic Stage (5,00 - 9,000 B.P.) This analysis focuses on the Charles Phase.
The Charles Phase
The Hatzic Rock Site is classed in the Development Stage and represented by the Charles Phase or cultural type. The Development
Stage includes:
"all sites dated later than 5,500 BP, possessing evidence of development towards the ethnographic cultural pattern, including increased artifact
diversification, the appearance of specialized fishing and sea mammal hunting technology, wood working, large houses, wealth-status objects, art, and large
population aggregates" (Fladmark 1982; 10)
The Charles Phase comprises the Eayem, St. Mungo, and Mayne phases, and were grouped together by Charles Borden to describe this component. These
phases share many basic traits including ground stone (slate) tools, decorated stone, flaked stone, pebble tools, microblades, tools associated with fishing
and sea mammal hunting, rock-lined hearths and pits, and rarely, semi-subterranean or pithouses.
Hatzic Rock (DgRn 23)
The site was located by Gordon Mohs, who discovered archaeological remains in the soil that had been removed by bulldozers. In
1991, Mohs excavated the site for, and under authority of, the Stó:lo Nation.
Cultural Assemblage of the Hatzic Rock Site
Considerable disturbance to the surface of the site was caused by bulldozer in 1990. However,
substantial and significant archaeological remains were found down to about a metre and one-half below the disturbed surface and in undisturbed areas of the
site. The site extends over 41,000 square metres, and possibly into other areas that have yet to be tested.
Remains recovered include two semi-subterranean houses and approximately 16,000 artifacts. The artifacts found in the layers above the living floors of
the houses appear to date to about 1,000 B.C. and earlier. The deposits related to the occupation of the houses have calibrated radiocarbon dates between
3,300 and 3,650 B.C.
About two-thirds of one house was excavated. The structure was substantial, with internal dimensions measuring eight metres by eight metres. It was
originally constructed by digging into the side of a gravel slope. The roof of the house had been supported by vertical posts measuring between 10 to 30
centimetres in diameter. The numerous post-moulds that represent the remains of these posts indicate that the house had been repaired several times,
likely indicated a long occupation. Several hearth and pit features were also found inside the house. The floor was packed sand that had been brought
from somewhere off site. Evidence of a drainage trench was found around the outside of the gravel walls of the house.
The lithic material includes chert, slate, quartz crystal, jasper, and obsidian. The source of the obsidian has been traced to quarries located in
Oregon, indicating a trade network was established. Of particular interest was the discovery of two round stones, which Mohs believes are gaming stones.
The faunal remains from Hatzic are limited because of soil acidity in this area. However, identifiable remains do indicate salmon was harvested.
Other species include land mammals and bird. No sea mammals or molluscous are mentioned.
Human remains are present at Hatzic Rock. However, no burials have been subject to controlled excavation using modern archaeological techniques.
Charles Hill-Tout did excavate some burials in and around the Hatzic area in 1895. Hill-Tout was able to expose a complete skeleton. However, once
exposed, all bones except the skull disintegrated. The skull did show some signs of cranial deformation, but Hill-Tout does not make clear what type of
cranial deformation was practised.
Scientific and Archaeological Significance of Hatzic Rock
In 1991, the Archaeology Branch of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, Recreation, and Culture
contracted I.R. Wilson Consultants to conduct an archaeological resource inventory and impact assessment of the proposed housing subdivision at Hatzic. As
a result of their examination of the site, they state, "It is now clear that intact cultural deposits are present over the entire development property" (Wilson
1991; 17).
Dr. David Pokotylo of the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, University of British Columbia, helped develop the archaeological research design,
accompanied the field party, monitored all subsurface investigations, and produced a report on the general nature and scientific significance of the
archaeological resources observed. His recommendations concerning whether there is enough potential left in the site to warrant protection and further
research follows:
"Although the development impact to date has been considerable (a bulldozer removed three to four feet of topsoil from a large portion of the site before an
assessment could be undertaken), the test trench program has established that many areas of the development property still contain archaeological deposits of
integrity" (Pokotylo 1991; 15)
Dr. Pokotylo recommends that development be halted until a major research program can determine the overall site structure and answer significant
research questions. He describes the site as follows:
"the block excavation area contains a well dated Charles Phase (ca. 5,500 / 4,500 - 3,300 B.P.) component, and has the potential to provide important
information on the Early Period (ca. 5,000 - 9,000 B.P.) occupation in the southwestern British Columbia, that is poorly understood and is represented at very
few sites. Archaeological deposits in lots 8 and 11 are therefore assigned a "high" level of scientific significance, given their potential to add to the
extant excavation data and provide a more detailed record of the residential structure of the site and lower mainland / Fraser Valley prehistory. Subdivision
lots with deposit B are assigned a "medium-high" level of scientific significance. Such general types of archaeological deposits (ie., diffuse subsurface
scatters of lithic artifacts with no discernible archaeological layers or features associated) are probably abundant in the lower Fraser Valley. However,
the proximity of deposit B to well-dated components ca. 4,500 - 5,00 years B.P., and potentially extending to ca. 9,000 B.P., justify a relatively high
significance assessment ranking to allow the relationship of the two deposits to be determined before subdivision development proceeds" (Pokotylo 1991; 14, 15)
.
As a result of the assessment performed by I.R. Wilson consultants, provincial designation and site development is seriously being considered.
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