Zooarchaeology and ethnozoology at Tse’K’wa (Charlie Lake Cave), North Peace Region, British Columbia

The archaeological site of Tse’K’wa in the Peace River Region of British Columbia contains faunal remains dating from approximately 11,000 cal BP to the present. Over 20,000 vertebrate faunal remains were analyzed to examine the cultural and ecological record of this site. Of these, 4,000 were identified to the level of Order or more precise classification. Zooarchaeological analyses were integrated with Dane-zaa oral traditions concerning animal species found in the site deposits. This data shows that Ancestral Dene and Dane-zaa community members utilized the site to process and consume animal remains through the entire Holocene sequence. People harvested fish, birds, and mammals from the nearby wetland and forests, and processed and consumed them at Tse’K’wa. There is little evidence for significant environmental change, and there appears to be continuity in the use of sucker, waterfowl, large rodents, snowshoe hare, a wide range of carnivores, and ungulates throughout the site’s history.