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10 - Ancient Mortuary Ritual and Cultural Resilience on the Northwest Coast of North America

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2018

By
Bryn Letham  and
Gary Coupland
Edited by
Daniel H. Temple  and
Christopher M. Stojanowski
Daniel H. Temple
Affiliation:
George Mason University, Virginia
Christopher M. Stojanowski
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
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Summary

Mortuary practices of Northwest Coast fisher-hunter-gatherer societies varied through time and space, and while burials with grave goods were rare, there were instances of lavish mortuary displays and disposals of wealth. This chapter focuses on the potential social effects attributed to the rituals surrounding these burials, which likely reflect communal negotiations of the social order and represent ancient institutions similar to the potlatch system. We specifically propose that these institutions, which included inheritance of positions that were socially promoted through funeral feasts and mortuary rituals, helped maintain resilience and sustainability in Northwest Coast social systems through ancestral affiliation. That is, elaborate mortuary rituals may have buffered against uncertainty during times of stress, and successful deployment of these rituals contributed to the persistence of cultural systems. This chapter contrasts archaeological evidence from two areas of the Northwest Coast – the Lower Fraser River area and the Prince Rupert Harbour area – for which distinct settlement systems and demographic histories contextualize the appearance of lavish burials.
Type
Chapter
Information
Hunter-Gatherer Adaptation and Resilience
A Bioarchaeological Perspective
 , pp. 227 - 252
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2018

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