HOBLER_3-Property Final - Bella Coola Rock Corporation

Transcription

Credit sheet
Project personnel consist of the following individuals.
Philip M. Hobler.
Project Director, Central Coast Heritage, Associate professor
Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University.
2962 Starlight Way, Coquitlam V3C 3P5. Phone 604-464-1691.
Box 484 Hagensborg, B.C. V0T 1H0, Phone 250-982-2608.
Inge R. Dahm.
Senior Researcher, Central Coast Heritage. M.A. Simon Fraser University
2962 Starlight Way, Coquitlam V3C 3P5. Phone 604-464-1691.
Box 484 Hagensborg, B.C. V0T 1H0, Phone 250-982-2608.
Rudy Reimer
Field assistant, acting field director. Squamish Nation,
M.A. Simon Fraser University.
James Hans
Field assistant. Nuxalk Nation, Bella Coola B.C. V0T 1C0
Simon Mack
Field assistant. Nuxalk Nation, Bella Coola B.C. V0T 1C0
Archaeology Assessment - DL 33, DL 444, Nusatsum
January, 2001
Central Coast Heritage - Mr. Philip M. Hobler
Page 1
Management Summary
Two questions guided the investigations.
1) Would archaeological sites be impacted by the proposed quarrying and related
activities on the three properties?
2) If sites potentially are to be harmed what actions would prevent or lessen such
impacts?
We conclude:
¥ That there are archaeological sites in or near the proposed developments.
¥ That at D.L. 444 It is unlikely that quarrying will impact archaeological sites provided a
triangle about 300 square meters in area (25 X 25 X 35.4m) in the extreme back east corner
be avoided.
¥ That at D.L. 3: With reasonable care and attention to the archaeological remains noted
below, impacts to an historic site and two associated CMT s can be avoided.
Further action we recommend:
During the process of clearing and surface stripping of the Nusatsum property in preparation
for quarrying there should be monitoring for archaeological remains. This work need not be
continuous during the clearing process. An half-hour examination near the end of each clearing day should be sufficient.
January, 2001
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Contents
Credit sheet
Management summary
Contents
Introduction
The Development projects
The three project areas
Project areas background
Methodology
Resource inventory
Resource evaluation
Impacts and significance
Evaluation of research
Management recommendations
References cited
Appendix 1. Cultural background
Appendix 2. Shovel test logs
Appendix 3. Archaeological site inventory forms
January, 2001
Page 3
List of Figures
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Location of the Nusatsum property.
Location of D.L. 3 and D.L. 444 from 1:50,000 map.
Location of D.L. 3 and D.L. 444 from land status map.
Location of the proposed Nusatsum gravel pit.
Distant aerial view D.L. 444 and D.L, 3.
Triangular tree injury and its natural cause.
Section of Lt. Palmer s 1862 map of the Bella Coola estuary.
Early view of the Bella Coola Estuary from near D.L. 3.
Carlson s 1898 map showing the mountain road through D.L. 3
Bella Coola cannery insurance map, 1915.
D.L. 444 field survey transects.
D.L. 3 field survey transects
Rough sketch of Nusatsum shovel test lines.
Culturally modified tree, D.L. 3. Site FcSq H-00-T1
Flaked stone artifacts from site FcSo H-00-T1.
Tables
1.
2.
CMT data for site FcSq H-00-T1.
CMT data for site FcSq H-00-T2.
January, 2001
Page 4
Introduction.
This study, conducted under permit 2000-251, is concerned with the related development of
three properties, one in the in the Bella Coola Valley and two above the head of North
Bentinck Arm. Our contact is Mr. Tom Roux of 100 Mile House (250) 791-5402. Mr Roux
represents No Cents Holdings. The objective of the impact assessment is to determine
whether any archaeological sites are likely to be impacted by the proposed activities out and if
so to make recommendations concerning them.
The persons conducting the assessment are listed on the credit sheet.
Hobler has had 32 years of experience in Central Coast archaeology and 33 years on the
faculty of the Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University. He is resident part time in
Bella Coola.
Dahm has had nine field seasons of survey and excavation experience and has participated
in the field work on over twelve archaeological impact assessments, overviews and related
British Columbia Cultural resource management projects. Dahm is also a part time resident
of Bella Coola.
Rudy Reimer holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in archaeology and has participated in and supervised a number of archaeological impact assessments.
Simon Mack is one of the most experienced Nuxalk field workers in forestry and archaeology
and has participated in formal archaeological training programmes and numerous overviews
and impact assessments.
James Hans is a person of remarkable field observation skills. He is a member of the Nuxalk
Nation and has participated in a number of AIA projects in his area.
Field work took place over five days from August 14th to the 19th., 2000.
January, 2001
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The Development Projects
The proposed development is an entirely new economic endeavour for the Bella Coola Valley.
Compared with logging, the project s possible environmental and archaeological impacts are
limited to an extremely small area. The No Cents projects will involve large scale bedrock
granite quarrying and reduction and, at another site, loose sand and gravel quarrying. The
shipment of these products will be via a deep water bulk loading facility to be constructed at
Sutlej Point. In addition, a small water bottling plant may be built on D.L. 3.
The bedrock granite quarrying and reduction to angular gravel will take place on District Lots
444 and 33 near the head of North Bentinck Arm. The quarrying of loose sand and gravel
will take place at an immense glacial deposit on the lower Nusatsum River in the middle Bella
Coola Valley. The transportation of these products will require the construction of a bulk
loading ship terminal at Sutlej Point, North Bentinck Arm.
An archaeological impact assessment has already been completed for this area (Dahm and
Hobler 2000). Many of the environmental and other assessments for the No Cents projects
are now completed. The three remaining properties are the subject of this report.
These consist of:
1)
2)
3)
The Nusatsum gravel deposit location (Fig. 1).
D.L. 444 the back half of the main bedrock quarry (Figs. 2,3).
D.L. 3 The site of the water bottling facility (Figs. 2,3).
January, 2001
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Figure 1. Location of the Nusatsum Property
January, 2001
Page 7
Figure 2. Location of D.L. 444 and D.L. 3, the Bella Coola Estuary, and head of North Bentinck Arm
January, 2001
Page 8
Figure 3. Location of D.L. 444 and D.L. 3, land status map.
January, 2001
Page 9
The three project areas.
Located in the mid Bella Coola Valley and at the head of North Bentinck Arm, the three properties are within the Nuxalk Nation s territorial claim. There is no overlap with other Native
claims. All three are areas which the Nuxalk people once used and in which they still take an
active interest. They are not the locations of major aboriginal settlements or of intensive
aboriginal land use according to the remaining archaeological, ethnographic and historical
evidence. However all are within 3 km of major Nuxalk settlements. This proximity alerted
land use planners to the fact that the areas are in a zone of at least medium archaeological
sensitivity or potential. Prior logging has greatly reduced the potential for finding pre 1846
culturally modified trees in any of these zones.
The Nusatsum property
Figure 4.
Location of the proposed Nusatsum gravel pit.
The terrain consists of a massive gravel deposit 100 m or
more in thickness (Fig. 4).
Roads, cut banks and other
surface exposures indicate this
deposit is made up of glacial
materials, consisting of
rounded to sub-angular granite, grano-diorite and quartzite.
Material sizes range from sand
through gravel to large cobbles. These materials were
deposited by late Pleistocene
outwashes from the Nusatsum
River. These floods carried
masses of material into the
Bella Coola Valley at a time
when sea level was nearly at
the head of the valley. The
flat top of the Nusatsum deposit represents the approximate level of the sea at the
January, 2001
Page 10
time. This is about 200 m ASL. Microscopic examination of a comparable terrace deposit at
Tsini tsini in the upper valley revealed diatoms and sponge spicules indicative of a saline marine environment (Hobler 2000). These depositional events probably took place between
11,000 and 10,000 B.P. On the Tsini tsini terraces a large archaeological site appears to be
associated with these early deposits. Pithouses are also found on terraces above the river in
the upper valley. There are about four small pithouses at the site of Upper Qwiliuth near
Tweedsmuir Lodge and another is reported near Firvale. Radiocarbon dates of 1100 B.P. were
obtained from Upper Quiliuth.
On the Nusatsum property the steep un-vegetated gravel slope fronting on Highway 20 is the
result of recent gravel removal by the Department of Highways. The undisturbed top of the
gravel deposit is forested and stable. The area has a varied vegetation, most likely due to past
logging activities (between 30-60 years ago). There are also indications of an old fire possibly
from the burning of logging slash. Major tree species are; Hemlock, Cedar, Fir, Alder, and
Birch. The understory is mainly ferns, devils club and moss. Although it has been logged, the
flat top of the deposit is probably otherwise little changed since its formation and appears to be
the original level sea terrace surface. As such it is potentially important as a possible location
for early archaeological sites. The bedrock slopes of Mt. Nusatsum, or Mt. Nusqalst as it is
also known, against which the gravel was deposited will not be impacted by this quarry development and thus are not sampled in this impact assessment.
D.L. 444
This landlocked property faces North Bentinck Arm west of the present government dock (Figs.
2,3,5). It is immediately behind or south of D.L. 33 and is an extension of that property further
up the slope. Bedrock throughout the block is barely covered by a thin mantle of soil. Wind
thrown trees are common due to the lack of soil for anchoring roots. The property is forested
with an even stand of conifers. The relatively young age of the trees may be in part due to the
inability of the smooth bedrock terrain to permit any trees to attain significant growth without
being blown over. Starting from the lower edge of D.L. 444 the gradient increases. The
terrain at the top or southern edge of the property is beginning to break into bluffs and ledges.
There are traces of poorly developed rock-cut terraces of uncertain geologic age. Late
Pleistocene maximum glaciation which peaked around 17,000 B.P. would have scraped the
rock bare and may have shaped these incipient rock terrace features.
January, 2001
Page 11
Figure 5. Aerial view showing the locations of D.L. 444 and D.L. 3. Photo by R. Reimer.
D.L. 3
This property starts at sea level on Highway 20 and slopes up to 150 m in elevation (Figs.
2,3,5). There are some small flat areas in the front close to the road. Like D.L. 444, in places
there are poorly defined discontinuous incipient rock-cut terraces. Soil depths vary. In some
areas and especially in ravines the much greater age of the forest growth reflects the presence
of a deeper soil mantle. Natural damage to older trees does occur in this area and should not
be confused with cultural modifications. Low triangular scars on the uphill faces of a few trees
seem to represent damage caused by slides or by falling nearby trees. In one case we can
clearly see the natural cause of this low triangular scarring (Fig. 6).
Project area background
A summary of Bella Coola Valley archaeology and Nuxalk traditional cultural practices was prepared
for the D.L. 33 report (Dahm and Hobler 2000) and is included below as Appendix 1. The following
background observations are specific to the three properties that are the subject of this report.
January, 2001
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D.L 444 and D.L. 3
These blocks, especially D.L. 3 relate to
the mouth and estuary of the Bella Coola
River and to its historic and precontact
human use. The average reach of high
tides on the Bella Coola River marks a
zone of intensive use by aboriginal people
well back into prehistory. In the 1860 s
European traders, with the sometimes
uneasy concurrence of the Nuxalkmx,
also became established in this zone
(Figs. 7,8). They used the Nuxalk trail or
hired Nuxalk spoon canoes to transport
themselves and their goods up the valley
to the trails to the interior. The traders
served the Cariboo gold rush and its need
for more direct sea-land routes to the
interior gold fields.
Lt. Palmer arrived in 1862 with instructions to survey a route up the valley and
across the plateau to Ft. Alexandria on
the Fraser. His main route follows the
Figure 6. Triangular scar from natural injury. The
already established trail along the river
fallen tree that caused the injury is still present.
but his proposed road to the interior follows the edge of the valley up against the mountains on the south side. The western end of
the proposed road ended at the high tide line about 640 meters into the present Lot 3. This is
the earliest evidence of proposed development for Lot 3.
Also in the early 1860 s, the Military Land Grants Act permitted potential settlers to claim most
of the delta up the river to the area known today as Four Mile. These were grants of land in lieu
of pensions for retired British military officers. As a result private land owners were registered
for much of the property which 20 years later became Indian Reserve No.1. Some of these
early 1860 s land grant claims were not settled. The establishment of the reserve in 1882
reclaimed whatever was left of the once private properties. In fact, The Military Land Grant Act
January, 2001
Page 13
stated that granted lands could be reclaimed by the government for several purposes one of
which was for Indian reserves. Kopas relates that in 1864 there were 16 Whites resident in
the valley (1970:109). By 1884 Fillip Jacobsen reported that there were no European settlers
in the Bella Coola Valley and even John Clayton was living in Bella Bella at that time (Faa
1995: 81). The report of the 1892 valley survey by Cotton and Palmer mentions that Several
settlers had taken up claims in the valley (1893:470).
In the 1880 s Adam King was the ranking chief of the Nuxalk river mouth village of Koomkoots.
He was the father of Albert King and Sam (King) Pootlass and great grandfather of the current
ranking Nuxalk hereditary chief Lawrence Pootlass and elected chief Archie Pootlass. Adam
King urged Jacobsen to bring settlers into the valley for the potential employment they might
provide for his people. King offered to reward Jacobsen with a piece of land (Faa 1995: 181).
Eventually, in 1894 an entire colony of settlers came, a large group of Norwegians who
cleared land and farmed in the middle reaches of the valley.
As far back into prehistory as we can see there were the Nuxalkmx. The 1860 s gold rush
brought the traders and packers. Finally in the 1890 s came full scale agricultural based settlement. Both the earlier activities and the later commercial fishing and logging all had different
land use patterns and different needs affecting the valley and its estuary. A few of these affect
the archaeological record at D.L. 3.
Access
The Nuxalkmx gained canoe access from the sea to their main river mouth settlement of
Koomkoots on the present reserve townsite by awaiting the tide and ascending on slack water
(Figs. 7,8). The head of North Bentinck Arm provided poor anchorage for ships and there were
no docking facilities. During the gold rush deep water vessels with Cariboo bound passengers
and cargo had to anchor close to the head of the inlet. Goods and people were transferred to
river canoes from Koomkoots or one of the other Native villages at the mouth of the river. For
three decades beginning in the 1860 s passengers and the trader s freight had to to be poled
up the river on the tide in Nuxalk canoes. The business was not sufficient to justify the cost of
a dock on the saltwater and the even greater cost of building a saltwater access road.
With the establishment of the Norwegian community in 1894-1895 the valley s population
January, 2001
Page 14
Figure 7. Part of Lt. Palmer s 1862 map showing the location of the Royal Engineer s camp
and the big village of Koomkoots. D.L. 3 is in the left centre in the area labled clif fs .
January, 2001
Page 15
Figure 8. View of the Bella Coola estuary probably in the 1890 s taken from the mountain
above and just east of D.L. 3. John Clayton s store and buildings are in the right centre.
Koomkoots is in the extreme right centre. B.C. Archives and Records Service, Visual
records.
January, 2001
Page 16
doubled. Within a year there were about 200 Norwegians in the valley in addition to the estimated 200 Nuxalkmx. A saltwater wharf and road access to it became a necessity. In 1896 L.
R. Hamlin, a civil engineer, is commissioned by the government to build a wharf on the south
side of the estuary. He used timbers salvaged from an unfinished bridge over the Bella Coola
at Koomkoots. At the same time he built a rough trail across the mountainside to link the wharf
with the road up the valley. The rough trail appears on the Carlson map of 1898 (Faa 1995:
191). The mountain road or cannery trail is remembered as being very difficult. It was so
bad the settlers would transport their goods by canoe from the wharf to a tidal slough at the
eastern end of Lot 3 closest to where the road up the valley began. A dispute ensued when
Clayton fenced off his property (D.L. 3) denying others access to the slough and hence to the
wharf. In 1898 Carlson wrote to government officials that:˚ The mountain road is not passable
for pack animals or loaded wagons, and in my opinion it will not be possible to get it in good
shape for any reasonable amount (Faa 1995:191).
On Carlson s 1898 map (Fig. 9) it is described as being an impassable road for loaded wagons . In an 1899 letter Carlson wrote government officials that: the road along the mountain
cannot be put in passable condition for summer travel without a great amount of work . In
winter it was:˚ impassable ... water trickling down forming hummocks of ice, almost suicidal for
a person to attempt to walk it as the lower side of a great part of the road is sheer descent.
(Faa 1995: 195). To quiet the dispute the settlers were granted a temporary right of way in
March 1899 across the short distance of the northeast corner of D.L. 3 to the tidal slough
where they could load wagons. By 1904 there was a bridge across the Bella Coola at Four
Mile and another built across the Neceetsconnay to the new mile long wharf on the north
side of the bay. The Norwegian settlers now had road access to the sea and in a short time
the new settlement was established on the government surveyed lots at the mouth of the
Necleetsconnay.
Logging
Logging in D.L. 3 seems to be of different ages. The construction of the wharf in 1896 must
have required some local timber as did the construction of the Bella Coola Cannery which
opened in 1900. Once in operation the cannery required prodigious quantities of firewood for
its boilers. Firewood would have been obtained locally at first and may account for the numerous old saw cut stumps we observed on the property. Before the firewood and later logging
the forest undoubtedly had many culturally modified trees. There were probably many
hemlocks stripped for their edible inner cambrium in addition to bark stripped and planked
cedars.
January, 2001
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Cannery
The Bella Coola Cannery opened in 1900. Its property was divided off the west end of Clayton s original D.L. 3. The insurance map dated 1915 (Fig.10) shows no road access and the
impassable mountain road becomes known as the cannery trail . For over twenty years this
is the only land access to the cannery and wharf on the south side of the bay. The cannery
had housing for Chinese, Japanese, Native, and European staff. A hotel once existed probably
on the cannery property facing directly on to the public wharf.
Nusatsum property
Mt. Nusatsum and the Nusqualst area figure prominently in Nuxalk mythology, history and
culture. A major origin story tells of a great flood. The waters rise until only Mt. Nusatsum, the
highest mountain in the valley, is visible. The survivors live in a large camp on the upper
slopes of Mt. Nusatsum. Eventually the waters subside and the people begin to move down
from the mountain. On their descent they learn how to use the various plants and animals for
food, clothing etc. and by the time they reach the valley are fully equipped and begin to build
villages and re-populate the valley (McIlwraith 1948: II 502-503; Boas 1898: 95-97). The village of Nusqualst at the foot of Mt. Nusatsum was built at that time. It was the largest and
most important village when Mackenzie visited in 1893 and called it Great Village . Nusqualst
January, 2001
Page 18
Figure 9. Carlson s 1892 map showing L.3. The mountain r oad which later was known
as the cannery trail is marked Impassable Road for Loaded Weapons.
January, 2001
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Figure 10. The bella Coola Cannery, 1915. This area was cut out of the original D.L. 3.
UBC Library, Special Collections.
January, 2001
Page 20
village continued to prosper until the population was decimated by the smallpox epidemic in
1862-63. The few survivors finally deserted in the 1880 s and took up residence in the Nuxalk
village of Koomkoots near the mouth of the river.
Stories set in the early time period describe land to the west of Bella Bella and the ocean
extending up the valley to the east as far as the headwaters of the Atnarko (Clearwater) where
the village of Smaien a or Chief Slhextlekwailhx s village sat on the shoreline. Places that are
now many miles inland are described as having dangerous tidal currents and whirlpools. One
such place was Nukeets Place of the Whirlpool where Hagensborg is today . Another was
Mount Xlhikwals in the upper Bella Coola valley which had dangerous currents and where
there was always much wind, making it feared by mariners in those distant days . Raiders
from the north arrived at Smaien a by sea in canoes (McIlwraith 1948: 89,594-5; Boas 52-53).
Holocene geological events match descriptions in some of the very ancient stories of the
Nuxalkmx. Archaeological evidence of this very ancient time indicates use of a basic expedient stone took kit with quarry and flaking sites. Sites typical of this Early Period have been
found on gravel terraces similar to those in the Nusatsum area. These gravel terraces were
deposited at the shorelines of the raised sea as the ice age was ending.
Mount Nusatsum is also an important source of squalst , the greenstone used for adzes and
points from the Middle Period on. This gives the village it s name Nusqualst, place of squalst .
Nusqualst village stretched along the bank of the Bella Coola river from the mouth of
Nusqualst creek to above the present highway bridge another 100 meters. A number of traditions have been passed down from these early times into the twentieth century. One of the
original inhabitants of Nusqualst, K m lsonxw brought down from Nusm ta, the heavens, the
grizzly bear crest which is used even today by descendants of people from Nusqualst.
The first written description of the area is from Mackenzie s visit in 1793. He describes a large
village and calls it Great Village. Later in the 1860 s Nusqalst is bypassed by the pack trains to
the interior who use the trail on the south side as far as Canoe Crossing or alternately the river
to that point. Palmer s proposed road to the Interior crosses the Nusatsum almost as far up as
the present highway and may be the site of an early Native bridge. By 1895 a rough road had
been pushed through to near the mouth of the Nusatsum but early attempts at bridging it
failed. Though no specific record has been found of a trail via the Nusatsum to the high alpine
and then west to South Bentinck arm there are stories that such a route exists.
January, 2001
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Methodology
The field methods and techniques employed in each of the three areas followed the plan set
out in the permit application. In this project we accomplished all of our goals of ground coverage and data recording. In all three areas standard recording methods were employed. Shovel
tests were recorded with notebook and tape recorder as were other field observations. Photographs were taken. Provincial archaeological site inventory forms were used for recording site
data (Appendix 3). In all three properties ground coverage was by a 3-4 person survey crew
working as an integrated team. Where terrain permitted crew member spacing was set up for
a 15 m view path. Transects were walked in fixed directions kept parallel by compass bearings
maintained by the end persons on the line using Sunto compasses for greatest accuracy. In
addition proper transect coverage was maintained through the use of a hip chain by the end
crew member so that on the next transect the end person has in sight the nearest side line of
the previous transect. This avoids gaps or overlaps between transects.
Method for D.L. 444
Of the three properties D.L. 444 has the lowest archaeological potential because of its elevation, slope gradient and lack of soil cover (Fig. 2). The relatively recent forest cover precludes
the existence of pre 1846 CMTs. The steeply sloping granite bedrock was sampled by standard transects spaced more widely than in higher potential areas. These transects paralleled
the slope (Fig.11). Shovel tests were employed only in those areas with relatively level surfaces and with depths of deposits that justify such tests. The extremely thin soil mantle and
shallow bedrock precluded shovel tests over most of the area. These conditions result in
frequent wind-thrown trees which provide excellent subsurface exposures for archaeological
inspection. Shovel test results are tallied in Appendix 2. Informal stratification was employed
in the sense that those small flat zones with reasonable soil cover received the additional
archaeological attention of shovel tests. Nuxalk AIA policy requires that where possible there
be some examination of areas immediately external to the property boundaries. This was
possible on the east and south boundaries. The north boundary was covered in the earlier
impact assessment of D.L. 33. Since shovel tests proved informative and did not reveal cultural deposits no evaluative tests were necessary.
January, 2001
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Figure 11. D.L. 444 archaeological survey transects centre lines.
Method for D.L. 3
Despite its proximity to large Nuxalk settlements, the terrain in this area is not likely to
contain major archaeological sites. Road construction some time after 1924 resulted in
severe alteration to the entire shoreline zone of D.L. 3, a principal area for archaeological
remains. The property is steeply sloping and rocky with few flat areas. Systematic survey
transects were run in the upper third of the property. In the difficult steep brushy middle
terrain where recent logging has taken place our transects were placed judgmentally
(Fig.12). The lower area of cliffs and bluffs above Highway 20 could be inspected adequately from below but could not be laterally traversed.
January, 2001
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Figure 12. D.L. 3 archaeological survey
transect centre lines.
Method for the Nusatsum property:
Both general survey transects and specific shovel test transects were completed (Fig.13).
The soil cover and level terrace surface indicate higher archaeological potential, especially
for early sites. Therefore shovel tests were conducted at average intervals of 30 m along
each transect. Old logging roads criss- cross the terrace surface and run down its side
slopes in two places. The road surfaces and associated burms and cuts provide excellent
exposures, better than any shovel tests. These were 100% examined.
January, 2001
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Method of site evaluation
For all three properties sites were evaluated on the
basis of significance to science, to local history
and to the public and local community.
Method of Impact identification and assessment
It is our understanding that for the Nusatsum
gravel deposit and for the bedrock quarrying operations in D.L. 444 and 33 the entire present day
land surface will be removed down to great depth.
There is no possibility of saving or avoiding archaeological sites that are directly in the path of
such activity. We have known from the start that
any possible archaeological sites in the midst of
these quarrying projects will be totally destroyed.
In D.L. 3 the proposed water bottling plant has not
been sited yet. Its size relative to the size of the
property is quite small. Thus, in D.L. 3 there are
avoidance options available.
Resource Inventory (Field survey findings)
D.L. 444
A cluster of three CMT s were found and flagged with
yellow CMT ribbon. They are in the extreme southeast corner of the property (Fig.14). These were
recorded as site FcSq-H-00-T1 (Appendix 3). They
are as follows:
Figure 13. Nusatsum property,
rough sketch showing shovel
test lines.
CMT 1
Adzed with a tool about 5 cm in width probably a steel blade, probably girdled the tree all
January, 2001
Page 25
around at top and bottom but evidence
is only preserved at the top.
CMT 2
A large cedar, 6 m from back SE corner
of the block, a deep overgrowth, 96 cm
diameter, 3 m circumference at the scar,
CMT 3
A completely dead cedar, about to fall,
height of girdling scar is 1.6 m, back
half of tree is missing.
These trees are in an essentially second
growth area with some evidence of an
earlier forest fire. Because of their location in the back corner of the development, they are easily avoidable.
Figure 14. Culturally modified tree in D.L. 3.
Site FcSq H-00-T1.
Table 1. CMT features at Site FcSq H-00-T1.
C M T F E A T U R E
Temp. Site Number:
CMT S P
CL
TP
R E C O R D I N G F O R M
FcSq H-00-T1
FEAT DBH SLP
LEN
1
C
BS
girdle
cuts
34
N50%
2
C
BS
rec
cuts
96
N20% 0.92m 35cm
3
C
BS
girdle
cuts
3 9 . 5 N25%
January, 2001
2 m
WID
1.6m
THK
107 cm 0 . 5
39cm
HAG
SDE T M K
NT
92
all
axe
-
10
61
south
axe
-
0.5
75
all
axe
-
Page 26
D.L.3
We found traces of a narrow rock cut road, site FcSq-H-00-T-2, located well up the slope,
about 40 m in elevation above Highway 20. This man made feature resembles a horse trail
more than a wagon road. It runs high up among the ledges parallel to the slope. Research
later showed this to be the remains of the rough road to the area s first wharf. Both this mountain road as it was known and the wharf were built in 1896 by Hamlin in response to the well
justified pleadings of the fledgling Norwegian community. The wharf was just east of the
present day remains of the Bella Coola Cannery which was built in 1900. The rock cut sections of the road are barely 2 m in width. Much of the road has been obliterated by side slope
erosion. The section we recorded runs about 30 m and is preserved because it was cut into
the rock using dynamite (Faa 1995: 173). This section can be found about 80 m west of Frier s
( Lot A inset into Lot 3) west boundary.
Two CMT s were found close to the road (Fig. 12). One is a blaze on a small tree and the
other is a larger cedar marked by axe cuts. They could be a function of the road construction
or could be of aboriginal origin. A number of smallish diameter very old looking saw cut
stumps found 200 m west of Frier s west boundary and 80 m back from the road probably
represent firewood cutting for the cannery after 1900.
Table 2. CMT data for Site FcSq H-00-T2
C M T F E A T U R E
Temp. Site Number:
CMT S P
CL
TP
R E C O R D I N G F O R M
FcSq H-00-T2
FEAT DBH SLP
LEN
WID
THK
HAG
SDE T M K
NT
1
C
BS
rec
cuts
1 5 9 S55% 128cm 40cm
8cm
33cm
S
axe
-
2
C
BS
blaze
cuts
23.5
2cm
99cm
E
axe
-
flat
January, 2001
39cm
12cm
Page 27
Nusatsum Property
Site FcSo-H-00-T1: We found early flaked stone materials on a road surface 90 m outside of
the property at the base of the hill. The surrounding geological deposit is quite different from
the nearby terrace gravels. There are two large pieces of flaked andesite (Fig.15 ). Typology
indicates an Early Period age for these two artifacts (10,000-5,000˚BP). The artifacts were not
in primary deposition. Despite intensive searching the original cultural deposit from which they
may have been derived could not be found. They do not appear to have been transported far
by natural processes and show little rolling or edge rounding. Unfortunately their position as
part of the road fill could mean recent redeposition by power equipment, possibly from a distant source. Evaluative tests in the road fill were not undertaken as the area is outside of the
proposed development property.
No CMT s were found anywhere on the Nusatsum quarry
property. Stands of old growth
timber well off the property to
the southwest were not examined but might be the location
of CMT s reputed to exist in
the general area.
Figure 15. Flaked Stone
surface finds from site
FcSo H-00-T1, plan and side
views. Both are of andesite.
The length of the top specimen is 9.2 cm. Top is a
rough side scraper. Bottom
is a notch-spur, characteristic of flake tool technology
of the Early Period on the
Central Coast.
January, 2001
Page 28
Resource Evaluation
The field work showed the three properties to be relatively lacking pre-contact archaeological
resources. No large or significant clearly pre 1846 archaeological sites were found in the
areas slated for development. The three sites found are detailed above and evaluated below.
FcSo H-00-T1
For the science of archaeology this site could have been of considerable significance as it is
clearly of Early Period age. Sites of this time period are extremely rare on the British Columbia
coast and if found intact can provide important new information. Such sites represent the first
people to have lived in the area and could date as early as 10,000 years ago. Unfortunately
the two pieces of flaked stone that constitute this site were found on a road surface deposit at
the foot of a high hill. They appear to be redeposited from an unknown source and hence
disconnected from their original site context. It is unlikely that even extensive testing in the
immediate area where they were found would yield additional material information.
FcSq H-00-T2(road)
We know the exact age of this historic trail-road. It was built in 1896. Its integrity is excellent at
least in its rock-cut portions. It is the first historical archaeological site associated with the
1894 Norwegian settlement of the Bella Coola Valley to be formally recorded. Bridges, roads
and many buildings from the historic settlement have vanished, some systematically removed
by dealers for sale elsewhere. Valley residents feel this loss keenly. So far, only a single
structure has been preserved as a monument and that has been moved from its original location. This trail-road was used equally by the Nuxalkmx and by the European settlers and is
part of the heritage of both. It is recommended that the property owners try to plan future
developments in a way that will preserve a stretch, perhaps 50 m, of this original feature for
future public historical interpretation.
January, 2001
Page 29
FcSq H-00-T2(CMT s)
The smaller of these two culturally modified trees is a blaze scar on a small tree that seems to
be associated with the road. The bark stripped cedar, while close to the road, is on a tree
large enough to have been modified prior to 1846. As for historical significance to the Bella
Coola Valley communities the two modified trees on this site are not as important as the site s
major cultural feature represented by the historic rock-cut trail.
Impacts and significance: a strategy of avoidance
Site FcSo-H-00-T1
is not impacted by the proposed No Cents development. In effect avoidance has already
occurred. The work on the project will take place more than 50 m from the site. Because of
the high permeability of this gravel outwash fan it is unlikely that drainage shifts resulting from
the site clearing and gravel quarrying could affect the site.
Site FcSq-H-00-T-1
This CMT site is in the extreme southeast corner of D.L. 444, the upper back corner of the
proposed development. It is well flagged and easily avoided. By excluding from development
a triangle formed by the southernmost 20 m on the eastern boundary of the property and the
eastern most 20 m of the southern boundary, the entire CMT area will be protected.
Site FcSq-H-00-T-2
Both the road feature and the CMT s are in a small area marked on the site sheet. The site is
far enough away from the proposed water bottling facility that attention to its presence in the
planning stages should be sufficient to save it from harm. It is on a steep ledged side slope
and it is unlikely that any development will occur in this area.
January, 2001
Page 30
Evaluation of Research
The authors are satisfied with the intensity of ground coverage and frequency of subsurface
tests in the three properties. While there can never be absolute certainty that all archaeological sites have been found, the three properties were thoroughly examined to full AIA standards.
The results are about what was expected. In the case of the flat terrace surface at the
Nusatsum quarry site the possibility of an early archaeological site caused us to employ an
intensive shovel testing strategy, with negative results.
Management Recommendations
The authors believe that with care and attention the completion of the proposed No Cents
projects will not impact archaeological or historic sites. One of the sites found was out of the
area of the Nusatsum quarry development. The CMT site in D.L 444, FcSq H-00-T1, is easily
avoided as suggested above. Development of the water bottling plant in D.L. 3 should be
planned with the location of site FcSq H-00-T2 in mind. As that site is in the steepest terrain of
the property and well away from the water source stream, avoidance should be easy.
We recommend archaeological monitoring of the clearing and initial surface stripping of the
Nusatsum terrace surface prior to gravel quarrying.
January, 2001
Page 31
References Cited
Bjork, Kenneth O.
1971, Bella Coola. Americana Norvegica.Vol.3. Universitetsforlaget Oslo
Boas, Franz
1898, The Mythology of the Bella Coola Indians. Memoirs of the American Museum of
Natural History, Vol II(1): 25-127.
Cotton, A.F and R.E. Palmer
1893 Report of Surveys in the Bella Coola Valley. British Columbia Sessional Papers ,
Crown Land Surveys pp. 467-470, Victoria.
Dahm, Inge R. and Philip M. Hobler
2000, The No Cents Granite Quarry at D.L. 33, An Archaeological Impact Assessment.
Report for permit 2000-108. On file Archaeology Branch, Victoria.
Faa, Eric
1995, Norwegians in the Northwest. Runestad, Victoria.
Hobler, Philip M.
2000, The Early Period Site of Tsini Tsini, the 1994, 1995 and 1996 Excavations. FcSm
11 Permit report 96-085. On file with Culture Library, Archaeology Branch, Victoria.
Kopas, Cliff
1970, Bella Coola. Mitchell Press Ltd. Vancouver.
McIlwraith, T.F.
1948, The Bella Coola Indians. University of Toronto Press.
January, 2001
Page 32
Appendix 1
Cultural Background
(Taken from D.L. 33 Report)
The summary of area archaeology and Nuxalk traditional cultural practices given below is from
the the authors report on the archaeological impact assessment for D.L.33 at Sutlej Point
(Dahm and Hobler,2000). That property is immediately adjacent to D.L. 444 and D.L. 3 reported above. The background is generally applicable to the three properties which are the
subject of the current report except that the latter have no evidence of burials or memorial
activities. Cultural background information specific to the three properties that are the subject
of the current report is presented in the main text under the heading Project area background .
The ten thousand years have been divided into three broad time periods based on changes in
artifact types, site types and associated radiocarbon dates. The Early Period from 10,000 BP
(before present) to about 5,000 BP is represented by a technological system consisting of
heavy flaked stone choppers, probably for wood working, stone scrapers, elongate leaf-shaped
points and other flaked stone tools including small blades, microblades , made from widely
traded obsidian, a volcanic glass-like rock. Due to factors such as fluctuating sea levels, nonsedentary land use, and low population densities, only a few archaeological sites from the
Early Period have been identified. Early Period archaeological sites on the outer Central
Coast are probably under water, having been inundated by rising post glacial sea levels with
the melting of the earth s glacial ice caps. In contrast, in the inner coastal fjords and river
valleys maximum isostatic depression of the land surface by massive accumulations of glacial
ice resulted in an episode of significant uplift following ice melt. Thus the earliest potential
human occupation sites in the inner coast are on benches and terraces above present rivers
up to 200 m in elevation and in salt water areas at similar elevations.
During the Middle Period from about 4,500 BP to about 2000 BP the stone tool kit shifts
gradually from tools made by flaking to tools made by pecking, grinding and polishing. Ground
stone adzes, celts and wedges appear as well as tools and other objects of bone, antler and
shell. Artifacts of the latter materials include composite toggling harpoon heads and composite
bipoints of bone; mussel shell knives and scrapers; bird bone awls, ornaments and ceremonial
art. The large shell midden deposits of the semi-permanent settlements of this period have
preserved faunal remains of a variety of fish, especially salmon and herring, mammal species
including deer, goat and beaver and a variety of birds. During this period the basis for the
complex cultures observed by Europeans in the historic period is first established. There is
evidence of art, of differentiating levels of social status, and of trade between the interior and
the coast and along the coast.
January, 2001
Page 33
The prolific archaeological evidence from the Late Period (2000 BP to 200 BP) indicates the
continuing development and specialization of subsistence technologies and social and cultural
practises. Stone artifact assemblages are dominated by pecked and ground perforated and
un-perforated stone discs, a variety of hand mauls and hammers, polished greenstone adze
blades and celts, and hammer stone grinders . A recent study has shown that these
hammerstone grinders are actually the throwing stones of a Nuxalk game called Sktsa
(Crompton 1995). Small flaked triangular arrow points of obsidian and basalt are also found.
Bone and antler objects include unilaterally barbed harpoon points, splinter awls, spindle
whorls, bark beaters, blanket pins, whistles and ornaments. There are also large numbers of
small pointed bone objects that represent composite fishing gear such as bone hooks, leisters,
and herring rakes. Artifacts of shell include knives, scrapers, rattles and ornaments. Wood
and fibre artifacts are only preserved in rare anaerobic environments, wet sites , such as mud
in intertidal zones, lakes or swamps. Wood fish weir stakes and fish traps, boxes and bowls,
arrow shafts and fish hooks and fibre hats, baskets, mats, ropes and string have been found at
wet sites dating to this period.
January, 2001
Page 34
The Bella Coola Valley and Estuary
Middle Period sites are poorly represented in the Bella Coola Valley, probably because of the
valley s long history of flooding and channel change. Between 15,000 and 11,000 BP the ice
melted and sea levels rose inundating the Bella Coola and even the Atnarko Valleys. Shortly
after this the land, relieved of the pressure of overlying ice, rose and sea shores retreated to
near the present position at the mouth of the river. Throughout the Bella Coola Valley, Early
Period artifacts such as choppers, points and flakes are found on remnants of elevated gravel
terraces and elevated dunes formed at the time of higher sea levels. The site of Tsini Tsini on
a high gravel terrace near the confluence of the Atnarko and Talchako Rivers is the one Early
Period site in the Bella Coola Valley that has been excavated (Hobler, 2000). This site has
produced pebble choppers, elongate leaf shaped points, obsidian microblades and an unprecedented volume of lithic debitage, all typical of the Early Period.
Early occupation of the valley is also related in Nuxalk oral histories. There are a number of
detailed origin stories which describe the sea invading the valley to its head and one relating
that the Atnarko river once flowed the other way (south) to the sea.
All archaeological sites on the valley floor date to the Late Period, 2,000 to 200 BP and to post
European contact times. Earlier settlement sites along the river banks and sites such as fish
weirs have been destroyed by fluctuations caused by periodic flooding and river course
changes. McIlwraith s informants reported 26 village sites in the Bella Coola Valley
(McIlwraith, 1948 p.5-13 ). Excavations of village sites at Qwliuth (FcSm 6), Nusqalst (FcSo
1), Stskiutl (FcSq 8) and Snxlhh (FcSq 4) and archaeological surveys conducted for research,
heritage inventory and impact assessments, as well as information recorded by early ethnographers, have provided a large material inventory for this period in the valley (Hobler and Bedard
1992).
A variety of structural remains ranging from pithouses (circular house pit depressions) to large
post and beam plank houses built on the ground and also on stilts with floors up to 10 m.
above the ground are found in the valley. Shallow pit structures have been found in the upper
valley at Qwliuth near Tweedsmuir lodge. The pit lodges of Upper Qwliuth produced a radiocarbon date of 1170±80 BP. Pithouses are also reported on the south side of the river opposite
Firvale, and near Nusqalst creek. At Nusqalst village remains of rectangular plank houses built
on stilts as well as surface houses were reported and excavated. At Snxlhh (near Four Mile)
large rectangular plank houses were built on short posts around large central hearth mounds.
Refuse middens at village sites have produced prehistoric artifacts of stone, bone, antler and
shell and also faunal and floral remains such as fish bones, mussel shells, deer, bear and goat
bones and teeth and bird bones. Large amounts of elderberry seeds were found at Nusqalst.
Storage or cache pits in the form of small circular depressions are often found in and around
village sites in the upper valley. A variety of European artifacts were found at Snxlhh.
January, 2001
Page 35
Wooden weir fish traps were used to trap spawning salmon. Remains of fish weirs, where they
have survived, appear as multiple lines of wooden stakes protruding from the river bed. Fish
weirs also incorporated additional perishable components such as nets or basket traps. Each
village would have had a fish trap near by. A small stone wall type fish trap has been reported
close to the head of the valley.
Other archaeological sites found in the valley include rock art, both petroglyphs and pictographs, bear traps, camp sites and lithic scatters, rock shelter cache sites, trails and culturally
modified trees (CMTs). The most common types of CMTs are bark stripped trees, plank removals from living trees and remnants of aboriginal logging. Logged trees include canoe
trees, sectioned and test holed trees. Hemlock was bark stripped for the inner cambrium
which was chopped and pounded into edible cakes. In 1793 Mackenzie reports huge numbers of bark stripped hemlock trees. Both red and yellow cedar were bark stripped and logged
for a variety of products from canoes, paddles, poles, planks and house posts to mats, hats,
baskets and masks. Scars on the oldest CMTs have often healed over and are not easily
discernible prior to cutting. The scars can be roughly dated by ring counting or more accurately dated by sophisticated dendrochronology. The oldest date for a CMT in B.C. is A.D.
1467 (Eldridge and Eldridge 1988). CMTs are ubiquitous and are commonly found in stands
of old growth forest.
Burials and related sites
In pre-contact and early contact times in the Bella Coola area the dead were most often interred in boxes behind the village along the edge of the forest and at the upstream and downstream ends of settlements. Some deceased were placed in boxes in caves remote from
villages. Tree burials, especially for children, and box burials on the top of burial poles have
also been recorded. Twins were always placed in trees. A few burials in small mortuary
houses can still be observed in the upper valley. The transition from flexed burials in traditional
graves to extended burials in cemeteries began in the late 1880 s and reflects the beginning of
mission activities in the valley. Tombstones came into use in the 1890 s but were not always
placed on the graves.
Traditional Nuxalk beliefs and practices concerning spirits and the afterlife are expressed in the
variety of ways of dealing with the dead. These are relevant to the interpretation of the the
traditional use site (FcSq 5) in the quarry development area.
Included in the causes of death are natural causes, war, death by witchcraft, death by being
wanted or needed in the spirit world, somewhat akin to being to good for this world . Death
from illness, disease and other natural causes was attributed to many things including witchcraft and breaking taboos . In traditional times although there are numerous causes of death,
death by accident or misadventure isn t one of them. When a canoe is capsized on the ocean
and it s occupants are drowned.... The Bella Coola do not consider a drowning a mere accident
- it is because Qomoqua was hungry and desired human flesh (McIlwraith 1948: 434).
After four days the various constituents of a person have departed the physical remains and
January, 2001
Page 36
they can be disposed of in an appropriate manner. The remains had to be properly disposed
of so they could not be used as a conduit for the spirit or ghost to return to the village. A heavy
stone was placed on the back of the neck of the deceased in the burial box. When the box
was in the grave boards were placed over it with a heavy stone at each corner to prevent the
return of the ghost. Once the grave was filled to ground level more boards were laid over it
and rocks piled on them. Sometimes as a further deterrent four stakes were placed at the
corners with cedar bark ropes strung between them on the east and west sides. Four spruce
saplings were cut and placed between the grave and the village, or on each side of the grave,
their sharp needles forming another barrier. Later, European style picket fences around the
grave served the same purpose. Individual graves were left unidentified so any returning
spirits would be confused. Graves were also left unmarked so that witches could not identify
the remains of the deceased and use them to attack family and friends. Graves of chiefs and
other powerful individuals were not identified for the same reasons.
Memorial posts, poles or stones are placed after the memorial potlatch, usually held a year or
more after the death. They were sometimes placed near the grave but did not mark it directly
for reasons already mentioned. Memorial poles were also placed in front of residences and in
other appropriate places. After conversion to Christianity memorial poles or tombstones were
sometimes placed in front of the church. In more recent times the memorial stone is placed at
the burial site in the cemetery.
McIlwraith describes three types of traditional memorial posts. The first is a wooden post
carved with the crests of the deceased. This type is equivalent to a totem pole erected during
the persons life and indeed sometimes the totem pole was moved to the cemetery to serve as
a memorial. The second type consists of uncarved poles set upright in the cemetery, each one
representing a potlatch given by the deceased. The third type is made of boards attached to a
pole. The boards are painted with pictures of valuables such as coppers, canoes and slaves,
which were distributed by the deceased at potlatches (McIlwraith,1948: Plates 18-24, 442443). Once tombstones were introduced these were used in lieu of poles with the name of the
person replacing the crest. For a decade or more following the introduction of commercial
tombstones native crest designs were drawn by local artists and sent to Victoria stone carvers.
Painted pictures were sometimes replaced by written declarations of the value of goods distributed.
Widows and widowers of a deceased person were considered ceremonially unclean for one
year and had to obey a number of prohibitions. The spouse of the deceased person was not
allowed on the river or on the river bank. They were not even to appear at the front door of a
house facing the river. If they wish to travel on the ocean, they cannot embark at the village
but must go through the woods to a point on the shore and there be picked up by the canoe.
There is a regular Widows and Widowers Rock about a mile on either side of every village on
the ocean (McIlwraith 1948: 457). Such a location describes almost exactly the Sutlej Point
site.
January, 2001
Page 37
A˚p p e n d i x R e f e r e n c e s
McIlwraith, T
1948, The Bella Coola Indians. University of Toronto Press.
Eldridge, Morley and A. Eldridge
1988, The Newcastle Block of Culturally Modified Trees. Report on file, Culture Library,
Ministry of Small Business, Tourism and Culture, Victoria.
Crompton, Amanda J.
1995, A Study of Sktsa, the Bella Coola National Game. Honours thesis, Department of
Archaeology, Simon Fraser University.
Hobler, P. M.
2000, The Early Period Site of Tsini Tsini, The 1994. 1995, and 1996 Excavations. Permit report 96-085, Report on file, Culture Library, Ministry of Small Business, Tourism, and
Culture, Victoria.
Hobler, P. M. and Beth Bedard
1992, Qwliuth and Snxlhh, Prehistory to History in the Bella Coola Valley. permit report,
Report on file, Culture Library, Ministry of Small Business, Tourism, and Culture, Victoria.
January, 2001
Page 38
Appendix 2
Nusatsum shovel test log
January, 2001
Page 39
Appendix 3
Site forms
January, 2001
Page 40

HOBLER_3-Property Final - Bella Coola Rock Corporation

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