Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
A report on the ceramic assemblages from the Selkirk Composite site of Bushfield West in western Canada. Moving away from the stylistic interpretation of the ceramics, typical of studies of this type of site, Gibson presents a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the assemblage. He looks at how and where vessels were used at the site and the domestic tasks and activity areas associated with them, revealing important aspects of human behaviour at this late pre-European contact site.
Synopsis
The book examines the use of pottery by late pre-European contact Cree people occupying a site on the bank of a river in east-central Saskatchewan (Canada). The site of Bushfield West yielded an unusually complete ceramic assemblage which was part of a rich archaeological component representing a possibly asynchronous human occupation. The intact site provided information on the vessel function, which could be correlated not only with the activities which were interpreted to have taken place on the site, but also with certain aspects of the social structure exhibited by the site's inhabitants. An opportunity arose to explore the relationship between pottery use and Selkirk Composite site occupation. Such a relationship can in fact be correlated with certain kinds of social organization, including gender-specific pottery use. The book includes a catalogue of the vessels examined.