Abstract

The Richardson Island site is a multicomponent campsite dating to the early Holocene. The site includes two localities, one in the present-day intertidal zone and one on a 15-metre raised beach. In 1995 deeply stratified cultural deposits associated with the 15-metre raised beach portion of this site were investigated through examination of natural exposures, systematic auger sampling and test excavation. The cultural horizons date from ca. 9,050 BP at the base to ca. 8,000 BP near the top. The lower horizons are characterized by abundant bifaces and large stone tools while the upper horizons exhibit high frequencies of microblades, microblade cores, large stone tools and a few bifaces. Lithic analysis from the well-dated archaeological components at Richardson Island and nearby Echo Bay suggests that a technological transition occurred shortly after 9,000 RCYBP. Before 9,000, biface technology is well represented and there is very limited evidence for microblade technology. After this time evidence for bifaces becomes rare while microblade technology is abundantly represented. This evidence fits well to that recovered from other sites in Haida Gwaii as well as from Namu on the Central Coast and several maritime sites in southern Alaska.