Abstract

A 1992 biological distance analysis of four skeletal samples defined a close relationship between Prince Rupert Harbour and Greenville on the North Coast but emphasized Blue Jackets Creek as a distinct entity. Additional samples, with tests of statistical significance, confirm a cohesiveness of the north mainland coast groups, possibly an indicator of common Tsimshian ancestry to circa 3,000 years ago. In this analysis, the 4,000 year-old skeletons from Blue Jackets Creek remain a separate entity, significantly apart also from later Haida Gwaii inhabitants. The later, historic period samples are closer to those of the prehistoric north mainland coast but maintain a separate identity, possibly reflecting physiographic impediments to contact as well as different ancestral origins.