Our understanding of the precontact nature of the Northwest Coast has changed dramatically over the last twenty years. This book brings together the most recent research on the culture history and archaeology of a region of longstanding anthropological importance, whose complex societies represent the most prominent examples of hunters and gatherers. Combining archaeology, ethnohistory, and ethnography, this collection investigates several aspects of this cultural complexity, carrying on the intellectual traditions of Donald H. Mitchell and Wayne Suttles. The papers included here are important contributions describing original research and serve as well-deserved tribute to Professor Mitchell… Any archaeologist working on the Northwest Coast will want to read this book… I encourage Northwest Coast archaeologists to read Quentin Mackie’s (2001: 4-11) useful critique of cultural complexity and typological thinking, and to confront the archaeological record on its own terms. -- Madonna L. Moss, Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon ― Canadian Journal of Archaeology, 28, 2004 An archaeologically-based examination of pre-contact Northwest Coast society. R. G. Matson is a member of the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at the University of British Columbia. Gary Coupland is a member of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto. Quentin Mackie is a member of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Victoria.