Late Holocene Sociopolitical Complexity and Changes in Archaeological Patterns at Secondary Settlement Locations on California’s Northern Channel Islands

Abstract

On California’s northern Channel Islands, changes associated with increasing social complexity occurred during the late Holocene (after ~3600 cal BP), with an acceleration during the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (1150–600 cal BP). Although there were general patterns, how they manifested in the distribution of large settlement sites and smaller camps varied across the islands. This chapter includes examples from two locations: Laguna Canyon in southwestern Limuw between the historic villages of Liyam and Shawa; and Dry/Soledad Canyons in northwestern Wima between the villages of Nimkilkil, Niaqla, and Silimihi. In both cases, the growth of complexity was accompanied by an increase in territoriality. In Laguna Canyon, low-density settlement persisted despite the decrease in use of local, low-quality toolstone. In Dry/Soledad Canyons, large settlement sites that had been occupied for at least 4000 years were depopulated as the landscape became an intermediate area of prominent village sites. This has implications for our understanding of local expressions of increasing social complexity within broader systems.