California’s Channel Islands are a chain of eight islands that extend along the state’s southern coastline from Santa Barbara’s Point Conception to the Mexican border. Popular tourist destinations today, these islands once supported some of the earliest human populations in the Americas; archaeological evidence of maritime Paleo-Indian settlements on the northern islands dates back some 13,000 years. The indigenous peoples of the islands—the Chumash of the northern islands and the Tongva of the southern islands—thrived into historic times by relying upon the abundance and diversity of marine and terrestrial resources available to them. California’s Channel Islands presents a definitive archaeological investigation of these unique islands and their inhabitants, and is the first publication to discuss the islands and their peoples holistically rather than individually or by subgroup.

Tracing the human occupation of the islands from the earliest settlement at the end of the Pleistocene by marine-adapted foragers with sophisticated stone tool technologies to the tragic story of historic depopulation continuing into the nineteenth century, contributors discuss topics including human settlement patterns on small and large scales, prehistoric trails, the use of plant resources, and ceremonialism. They also address the decisions that people made when confronted with diverse and changing environments. By focusing on distinct aspects of human relationships with California’s Channel Islands through time, they tell a story of settlement, subsistence, and ritual on the coastal edge of western North America.

This compendium of scholarship condenses decades of excavation and analysis into a single, illuminating volume that will be indispensable for those interested in the Channel Islands or New World history or archaeology.

Christopher S. Jazwa is a PhD candidate in anthropology at Pennsylvania State University.
 

Jennifer E. Perry is an anthropology professor at California State University, Channel Islands. She is a coauthor of The Punta Arena Site and Early and Middle Holocene Cultural Development on Santa Cruz Island, California.

List of Figures
List of Tables
Introduction
1. The Ecological, Environmental, and Cultural Context for Island Archaeology: Christopher S. Jazwa and Jennifer E. Perry
2. Points in Space and Time: The Distribution of Paleocoastal Points and Crescents on California’s Northern Channel Islands: Todd J. Braje, Jon M. Erlandson, and Torben C. Rick
3. The Early Holocene Occupation of Santa Cruz Island: Amy E. Gusick
4. Settlement Systems on Santa Cruz Island between 6300 and 5300 BP: Michael A. Glassow
5. The Ideal Free Distribution and Settlement History at Old Ranch Canyon, Santa Rosa Island, California: Christopher S. Jazwa, Douglas J. Kennett, and Bruce Winterhalder
6. Geographic Information Systems as a Tool for Analyzing Intra-Site Spatial Variability on San Nicolas Island, CA: Richard B. Guttenberg, René L. Vellanoweth, William E. Kendig, Rebekka G. Knierim, and Steven J. Schwartz
7. Paleoethnobotanical Investigations on the Channel Islands: Current Directions and Theoretical Considerations: Kristina M. Gill
8. The Archaeology of Ritual on the Channel Islands: Jennifer E. Perry
9. Cultural Landscapes of Catalina Island: Wendy G. Teeter, Desireé Reneé Martinez, and Karimah O. Kennedy Richardson
10. The Native Depopulation of Santa Catalina Island, California: Ivan H. Strudwick
11. Island Perspectives: Michael Jochim
List of Contributors