Abstract

The contexts of some early to mid Holocene sites on the Central Coast of British Columbia. Core-testing of shell-midden sites in the Namu vicinity has revealed evidence of early to mid Holocene (10,000-5000 BP) occupation at three locations, in addition to the well-documented early occupation at Namu itself. All of these early sites occur on terraces that are greater than three metres in elevation, which contrasts with the lower elevations of initial occupation at more recent sites. Apart from elevation, the locational attributes of the early sites are highly varied, suggesting a diverse range of possible site functions. These few results from preliminary site testing highlight the potential effectiveness of core-testing for the investigation of early Holocene occupations, and point to a range of environmental and cultural factors relevant to the locations and discovery of early settlement in this region.