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Tsimshian Society and Culture
Trade
Goods obtained in trade
 Pre-contact
Trade Goods
In pre-contact times, the Tsimshian exchanged their goods for items
such as
jade,
obsidian,
amber,
pigments,
copper,
furs, and
shells.
European
Trade Goods
European trade goods included woollen and cotton cloth,
buttons and beads, tobacco, guns,
ammunition, iron and steel,
metal pots and pans, and sheets of copper.
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Jade
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Adze Blade
Nephrite
Collected by I.W. Powell, 1900; Nass River
(XII-B-530)
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Revered among the high cultures of the Americas (particularly
the Maya) as well as in China, jade was an important trade item
on the Northwest Coast. Major sources of jade were found on the
Fraser River and in the interior of northern British Columbia.
Jade is a hard stone used to make war clubs and adze blades.
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Obsidian
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Obsidian Trade Item
Ca. 2000 B.C.
Dodge Island site, Digby Island, excavated 1967
(GbTo-18-876, core fragment)
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Obsidian, a black volcanic
glass, was used to make spear-points
and knives. Trade in this choice material can be traced by modern
scientific "finger printing" techniques to more than 10,000 years
ago in British Columbia. Prince Rupert Harbour benefited from
obsidian sources in the central and northern interior of British
Columbia.
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Amber
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Amber beads obtained from the interior in trade
Ca. A.D. 1
Boardwalk site, excavated 1969
(GbTo-31-2268)
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Amber beads and pendants have been recovered in cemeteries in the
Prince Rupert Harbour area dating to the first millennium B.C.
The source of amber seems to be the coal deposit in the vicinity of
Prince George, about 400 km from the Harbour.
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Pigments
Red and black are the dominant pigments in North Coast art. They
are derived from iron oxide and charcoal, then mixed with fish
oils to produce a durable paint. The iron oxide for red pigment was
imported from the interior. Copper oxide from the Queen Charlotte
Islands was used for green pigment.
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The stone mask of The Thief
(Raven) was originally painted with iron and copper oxides.
The mask is thought to have been worn by a dancer during performances re-enacting
the cultural hero, Raven, who stole Light (the sun, the moon and the stars)
from the house of the Chief of Heaven and brought it into this world.
(VII-C-329)
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Copper
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Copper Bracelet
This provides evidence of the early penetration of copper metallurgy
from Siberia to the northwest coast.
Ca. A.D. 1
Boardwalk site, excavated 1968
(GbTo-31-524)
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Copper metallurgy, which evolved during the Bronze Age of China,
spread to the Northwest Coast about 1000 B.C. (via Siberia and
Alaska) through intertribal trade. At first the exclusive prerogative
of shamans who traded magical techniques among themselves, metallurgy
became important for weapons and markers of chiefly wealth.
In prehistoric times, cold hammering of copper was commonly practised,
and smelting and annealing were unknown. The major source of copper
was on the Eyak River, just below the Aleutian Peninsula in Alaska.
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Shell
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Chief Minisk of Gitlakdamix Nass River, wearing a garment with a
double-headed eagle motif made with dentalia shells.
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Dentalium was the prince of shells among coastal peoples, favoured
as the basis of wealth in prehistoric times. It was present in the
Prince Rupert Harbour sites in the first millennium B.C.
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Pecten shell from the south coast obtained in trade
late 18th century
Kitandach site, excavated 1972
(GbTo-34-2042 b)
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Pecten shells appeared in the Prince Rupert area in the period after
contact with Europeans. In other areas, they are associated with
Secret Society dances that spread along the coast immediately after
contact.
Dentalia and abalone shells were used for clothing and ceremonial
objects, as well as for earrings, necklaces and pendants.
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Buttons and Beads
Glass beads became the currency of trade throughout North America
from the time of Columbus. Shell and bone buttons were manufactured
in the Philippines and elsewhere for the fur trade. They were used
as decorative items in personal adornment, including the elaborate
dance blankets of the period of contact. The buttons and beads may
have symbolized the souls of individuals who form the lineages
represented by the crests on the blankets.
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Iron and Steel
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Strike-a-light
A wrought-iron fire-making tool, procured in trade with the Russians
in the early 19th century
Collected by G.T. Emmons for Lord Bossom, before 1900
(VII-X-927)
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The strategic advantage of steel created long-distance trade from
Siberia to the Northwest Coast, via Alaska, even before contact with
Europeans. Throughout the eighteenth century, knives and guns were
eagerly sought from European fur traders. The trade in weapons
increased warfare on the coast at the end of the century, until
British gunboats imposed peace and encouraged trade to prevail.
Steel "strike-a-lights" for fire making as well as chisels and
adze blades were popular trade items in the 1800s.
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Steel war dagger with abalone inlay, designed to represent a dogfish
Collected by A. Mackenzie, 1884
Haida, Masset, Queen Charlotte Islands
(VII-B-948)
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Iron was probably traded with tribes from Siberia within the past
2,000 years. Double-bladed iron war daggers were identical on
both sides of the Bering Strait well before the 1700s. Cast iron
was also traded from an early date in the form of kettles and pots.
Since iron and steel corrode quickly in the damp conditions of
the area, little trace of them has been found in the archaeological
sites.
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Date Created: August 17, 1998 | Last Updated: May 31, 2011
Glass beads became the currency of trade throughout North America
from the time of Columbus. Shell and bone buttons were manufactured
in the Philippines and elsewhere for the fur trade. They were used
as decorative items in personal adornment, including the elaborate
dance blankets of the period of contact. The buttons and beads may
have symbolized the souls of individuals who form the lineages
represented by the crests on the blankets.
