Abstract

The regional economy of the Prince Rupert harbour area at ca. 1500 BP involved numerous resident local groups. How was this economy organized? Our preliminary analysis explores the degree of specialization in the subsistence economy of these local groups by comparing faunal remains from auger samples from four village sites in the region. Despite close contact with each other and mutual participation within a system of social ranking, these groups appear to have maintained considerable autonomy in subsistence activities.