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Catching fish at Tokotan Lake, Urup Island

(Copyright Kenji Ito 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)

The primary goal of my research is to identify and characterize the nature of social networks among the late-Holocene inhabitants of the Kuril Islands by investigating the distribution of obsidian – a non-local lithic raw material widely used for stone tool production – across the island chain. In all parts of the world, human groups have developed various strategies and adaptations to mitigate the risks associated with the environmental uncertainty of the physical landscape. In the Kuril Islands of the North Pacific Ocean, foraging groups lived for more than 4,000 years in an isolated environment prone to potentially catastrophic events including volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Participation in social networks is one behavioral adaptation that arguably allowed these groups to maintain a degree of cultural resiliency in the face of challenges at various scales, from climate change to natural catastrophic events.

Social networks are structures that can create opportunities or constraints for the human groups that participate in them. For low-density foraging groups that are threatened by extinction without reciprocal relationships with other groups, social networks reduce the risks associated with living in uncertain environments. A social network perspective focuses on the social, economic, and communicative ties among members of the network and the patterns that emerge as a result of those ties.

Environmental factors often play a role in shaping human behavior, acting as a catalyst for developing and maintaining exchange relationships. The archaeological record of the Kuril Islands offers an opportunity to explore the importance of social networking and exchange in an insular environment. By combining traditional archaeological methods of lithic analysis and raw material sourcing with network analysis concepts rooted in sociology, this research will characterize the presence and nature of social connections among prehistoric hunter-gatherers in the Kuril Islands.

PUBLICATIONS

Phillips, S. Colby and Robert J. Speakman (2009). Initial source evaluation of archaeological obsidian from the Kuril Islands of the Russian Far East using portable XRF. Journal of Archaeological Science 36(6): 1256-1263.

S. Colby Phillips University of Washington Department of Anthropology Box 353100 Seattle, WA 98195 colbyp@u.washington.edu

LINKS Kuril Biocomplexity Project CV for S. Colby Phillips Academia.edu Page Misc Links	Catching fish at Tokotan Lake, Urup Island (Copyright Kenji Ito 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) The primary goal of my research is to identify and characterize the nature of social networks among the late-Holocene inhabitants of the Kuril Islands by investigating the distribution of obsidian – a non-local lithic raw material widely used for stone tool production – across the island chain. In all parts of the world, human groups have developed various strategies and adaptations to mitigate the risks associated with the environmental uncertainty of the physical landscape. In the Kuril Islands of the North Pacific Ocean, foraging groups lived for more than 4,000 years in an isolated environment prone to potentially catastrophic events including volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Participation in social networks is one behavioral adaptation that arguably allowed these groups to maintain a degree of cultural resiliency in the face of challenges at various scales, from climate change to natural catastrophic events. Social networks are structures that can create opportunities or constraints for the human groups that participate in them. For low-density foraging groups that are threatened by extinction without reciprocal relationships with other groups, social networks reduce the risks associated with living in uncertain environments. A social network perspective focuses on the social, economic, and communicative ties among members of the network and the patterns that emerge as a result of those ties. Environmental factors often play a role in shaping human behavior, acting as a catalyst for developing and maintaining exchange relationships. The archaeological record of the Kuril Islands offers an opportunity to explore the importance of social networking and exchange in an insular environment. By combining traditional archaeological methods of lithic analysis and raw material sourcing with network analysis concepts rooted in sociology, this research will characterize the presence and nature of social connections among prehistoric hunter-gatherers in the Kuril Islands. PUBLICATIONS Phillips, S. Colby and Robert J. Speakman (2009). Initial source evaluation of archaeological obsidian from the Kuril Islands of the Russian Far East using portable XRF. Journal of Archaeological Science 36(6): 1256-1263.	PHOTOS Kuril Islands Summer 2007 Kuril Islands Summer 2006 Russia February 2006 San Juan Islands July 2005 Other Photos
Send mail to: colbyp@u.washington.edu Last modified: 8/11/2009 3:40 PM Copyright 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 S. Colby Phillips