Abstract

This paper emphasizes the value of a social archaeological approach to the study of pre-contact zooarchaeological data. The Dionisio Point site on Galiano Island is the point of departure for a consideration of regional economic patterns within a social context. Discussion begins with an examination of spatial patterns evident within House 2 at Dionisio Point, one of five large house depressions visible at the site. The primary goal is to address patterning within the fauna in relation to previously described artifact and feature data. These data have indicated status differentiation within House 2. The faunal assemblage, however, presents a somewhat different window into the social economy of the time. Situating the zooarchaeological data from Dionisio Point within the social landscape of the southern Gulf of Georgia offers an opportunity to view the site within a multi-scalar continuum of interaction. A coherent narrative of daily routines, their meanings and contingencies alongside knowledge of seasonal movements on the landscape place the unique zooarchaeological data from Dionisio Point in regional perspective.