Peoples of the Northwest Coast: Their Archaeology and Prehistory [Paperback]

Kenneth M. Ames (Author), Herbert D. G. Maschner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2000

Extending some 1,400 miles from Alaska to northern California, America's Northwest Coast is one of the richest and most distinct cultural areas on earth. The region is famous for its magnificent art--masks, totem poles, woven blankets--produced by the world's most politically and economically complex hunters and gatherers. As this pioneering account shows, the history of settlement on the Northwest Coast stretches back some 11,000 years. With the stabilization of sea levels and salmon runs after 4000 B.C., many of the region's salient features began to emerge. Salmon fishing supported rapid population growth to a peak over 1,000 years ago. The spread of rain forest made available trees such as red cedar that could be turned into vast houses and seaworthy canoes. Large households and permanent villages emerged alongside slavery and a hereditary nobility. Warfare became epidemic, initially hand to hand but later characterized by the development of fortresses and the bow and arrow. Art evolved from simple carvings and geometric designs 5,000 years ago to the specialized crafts of the modern era. Written by noted experts and profusely illustrated, this is an essential reference for scholars and students of Native American archaeology and anthropology as well as travelers to the region.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Shows that archaeology is now providing vast amounts of information about these fascinating cultures. -- American Archaeology

About the Author

Kenneth Ames is Professor of Anthropology at Portland State University. Herbert Maschner is Adjunct Associate Professor of Anthropology at Idaho State University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson; First Paperback Edition edition (July 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500281106
• ISBN-13: 978-0500281109
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #926,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Rich Place--A Rich Volume, April 2, 2000

By 

F. Nelson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peoples of the Northwest Coast: Their Archaeology and Prehistory (Hardcover)

Peoples of the Northwest Coast is a rich volume dealing with the archaeology of the Alaska, B.C. and Washington coasts. The thematic nature of the book allows the reader to explore topics such as Ecology: Environments and Demography, Northwest Coast Subsistence, and Households and Beyond. Photographs and illustrations offer an additional insight into prehistoric life on the northwest coast. Ames and Maschner have presented "their view of things", which may frusterate some readers; however, it remains the first synthesis of northwest coast archaeology and prehistory: a valuable book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-Worth the Reading, September 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Peoples of the Northwest Coast: Their Archaeology and Prehistory (Paperback)

It is all too often that the general public gets the impression that Native American cultures were monolithic, unchanging societies, with little or variation through the centuries. The greatest contribution of this book is to counter this misconception. Through its pages unfolds the story of a dynamic culture whose history contains as many twists and turns as any more familiar civilization. The text is enlivened by excellent illustrations and chapters focusing on specific aspects such as warfare and art. There is nothing in the book which should not be there, and very little that is missing, and although some less scholarly readers may get bogged down in the details, it is an invaluable reference for anyone interested in the subject.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding contribution to Native American studies., March 3, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peoples of the Northwest Coast: Their Archaeology and Prehistory (Paperback)

Peoples Of The Northwest Coast presents a condensed thematic overview. "The evolution of ranking and stratification among Northwest coast societies is at the heart of any understanding of the coast's cultural history (p. 254)." The text goes on to say "..obsidian evidence shows large -scale exchange networks existed on the coast by...10,000 B.C." This is a summary-survey of Northwest Coast archaeology with an emphasis on the role of variability in prehistory and cultural development. Written by two renowned professors of anthropology, the style and language of Peoples Of The Northwest Coast have been made deliberately accessible . The spare text is enriched by copious black and white photos, illustrations, maps, and diagrams. The richness and beauty of the Northwest Coast from Oregon to Alaska is always present in this 13,000 year archaeological history of its peoples. Cautious in tone, wary of leaping to generalizations or stereotypic thinking, the text achieves the authors' goals of educating the interested public with pleasure, presenting Northwest archaeology for popular consumption, and introducing to specialized students the pressing research questions of Northwest Coast excavation, and finally to present some of the value of archaeology to First Nation Peoples, the fourth audience. It is seen as another means to supplement and display the Coast Peoples' traditional oral histories.

Writing such a book is an ambitious undertaking. The result is well worth exploring. The role of art in these prehistories is especially presented in the ninth chapter titled "Northwest Coast Art." Nonlinear prehistory is not the oxymoron it might at first seem to be. Focussing on ecology, environments, oldest cultures, later Pacific and Modern Period Northwest Coast Subsistence Status, Ritual and Warfare, the chapters lead to a condensed complex of conclusions about variability, regional similarities, and cultural richness. The pathway to conclusions about community organization and social stratification is well defined.

Peoples Of The Northwest Coast is a respectable rave of a book.

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer