Prehistoric Mink (Mustela vison) Trapping on the Northwest Coast

In 1902 Franz Boas wondered “How far can archaeological methods supplement ethnological information?” Ethnographic documents for the Northwest Coast of North America fail to report the pattern of trap placement when small fur-bearing mammals were sought. Zooarchaeological data concerning mink (Mustela vison) remains from the Wapato Valley of sw Washington and NW Oregon indicate that more males than females were procured by late prehistoric foragers (A.D. 1400–1834). Modern mammalogical data indicate this sex ratio is to be expected when traps are placed in a grid rather than a linear pattern. Traps were apparently distributed throughout the marshy lowlands of the Wapato Valley in a grid pattern rather than in linear arrangements. Archaeological data thus can supplement ethnological information.