Abstract:

The prehistory of the Canadian Plateau, a vast area stretching from the Coast Range to the Rocky Mountains and from the international border to the 'big bend' of the Fraser River near Prince George, has, until recently, been virtually unknown. The purpose of this paper is to review the archaeological investigations which have taken place in this area during the last decade and to formulate an areal culture history. More specifically, this paper will: (1) Define a series of archaeological units for the sub-areas of the Canadian Plateau; (2) Integrate these units into a general framework for Canadian Plateau prehistory; and (3) Discuss cultural continuity and change on the Canadian Plateau in terms of adaptations to changing paleo-environments.