The Prehistory of the Northwest Coast

by R.G. Matson, Gary Coupland

This volume provides a descriptive overview of the cultural complexity on the northwest coast that stretches from northern California to Alaska. Topics covered range from the earliest settlements to the subsequent cultural diversities in Native American populations. Maps, charts, and illustrations further enhance the book's interest and appeal.

382 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1994

Reviews

[Nyr-Sigtar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This landmark synthesis offers the first comprehensive overview of Northwest Coast archaeology in decades, tracing the remarkable trajectory from initial colonization to the complex hunting-gathering societies encountered by Europeans. Matson and Coupland present a compelling narrative of how hereditary inequality, large plank houses, and elaborate art emerged not from agriculture but from the intensification of salmon storage and maritime resources, with their stage-based framework providing welcome clarity to a complex archaeological record. The chapters on the Locarno Beach and Marpole phases are particularly strong, convincingly demonstrating that the development of social complexity lagged behind economic change. However, the book's relentless focus on the central and north coasts leaves the Oregon and northern California regions frustratingly peripheral, and the prose can feel like an extended literature review rather than engaged argument. The concluding discussion of future research directions is valuable, but one wishes the authors had been bolder in engaging with broader anthropological debates about the origins of inequality. Still, for specialists in Pacific Northwest prehistory, this is an indispensable reference that will shape the field for years to come, even if casual readers will find themselves drowning in site lists and radiocarbon dates.