Saint Mungo phase
The Saint Mungo phase is an archaeological period associated with the Charles culture in southwest British Columbia, particularly along the lower Fraser River. This phase is contemporaneous with the Mayne phase in the Gulf Islands and the Eayem phase in Fraser Canyon, suggesting a shared cultural expression during this time. Notable sites from this phase include the Saint Mungo cannery, characterized by shell middens that provide insights into the seasonal food gathering practices of local communities. Evidence from these sites indicates a diverse diet, including fishing, mollusk collecting, and elk hunting.
Significantly, the Glenrose cannery site revealed the earliest known Northwest Coast fish weir, highlighting the development of a storage economy that supported increasing sociocultural complexity. The Pender Canal site contributed to understanding the artistic and ceremonial traditions of the time, with findings such as simple labrets, which may have served decorative purposes rather than indicating social status. Overall, the Saint Mungo phase reflects a rich cultural landscape that set the groundwork for future developments in the region.
Saint Mungo phase
Related civilization: Northwest Coast cultures.
Date: 2200-1200 b.c.e.
Locale: Lower Fraser River, British Columbia, Canada
Saint Mungo Phase
The Saint Mungo phase of the lower Fraser River, the Mayne phase of the Gulf Islands, and the Eayem phase of Fraser canyon are all contemporaneous expressions of the Charles culture of southwest British Columbia. The site at the Saint Mungo cannery is a shell midden. These phases all reveal a seasonal round of food gathering, and some sites yield evidence of fishing and mollusk collecting and others of elk hunting. Considerable data on subsistence, including presence of the earliest known Northwest Coast fish weir, come from the Glenrose cannery site, whereas most information on the developing art and ceremonial tradition was found at the Pender Canal site. Simple labrets (lip ornaments) were in use and may have been decorative rather than a mark of status differences, as they were in later phases. The presence of the fish weir, in which thousands of salmon could be captured at one time, is very important, as it indicates the presence of a storage economy, a necessity for the increasing sociocultural complexity evident in later cultural phases in this region.
Bibliography
Carlson, Roy L., and Phillip M. Hobler. “The Pender Canal Excavations and the Development of Coast Salish Culture.” British Columbia Studies 99 (1993).
Matson, R. G. The Glenrose Cannery Site. Archaeological Survey Papers 52. Ottawa, Ont.: National Museum of Man, 1976.