Continuity and Change in Lithic Tool Use Over Generations at Housepit 54 (EeRl4) at Bridge River: Two tests of heritable continuity

Building on previous research on the cultural transmission of material culture between generations at Housepit 54 (Prentiss et al. 2016; 2020a), this poster presents ongoing research exploring the possible transmission trajectories of lithic technologies across activity areas and occupation floors at Housepit 54 using two levels of analysis: by blocks within each floor, and by floor, delimited by excavation units (floor strata [time] and excavation blocks [space]) at the site. Activity areas (based on the distribution of lithic materials) are evident in different places at different times of occupation within the pithouse (Prentiss et al. 2020b; 2022a), but are there any indications that certain areas were recognized or marked out for specific tool-related activities similarly across multiple occupations? For example, different lithic tools distributed in the same blocks or areas within blocks on time-adjacent floors can tell us about the possible use-life of particular spaces as well as the possibility of inter-generational continuity between different occupations. This implies the possibility of cultural transmission regarding the use of space over generations. The research presented takes a cultural phylogenetic approach to this study of continuity and change in the use of activity space over multiple generations at Housepit 54.