Since the Time of the Transformers: The Ancient Heritage of the Nuu-chah-nulth, Ditidaht, and Makah

Mima Kapches is head of the Department of Anthropology at the Royal
Ontario Museum.

The subject of this thoroughly researched and well-written book is the
Native peoples of the west coast of Vancouver Island and the
northwestern peninsula of Washington State. The Nuu-chah-nulth, the
Ditidaht, and the Makah have an archaeological history extending back
over 4000 years. In chronicling the changes experienced by these peoples
over time, up to the present day, McMillan begins with Native origin
myths and goes on to review Native ethnology, linguistics, and written
and oral histories.

In particular, McMillan presents an exhaustive and detailed overview of
the archaeological evidence. He uses data gathered from all excavations
to discuss the changes in hunting and fishing habits (e.g., the
intensification of whaling, which is a later adaptation, and the shift
in the location of the winter villages from the inner coasts to the
large villages on the outer coasts). The excavations and recoveries at
the precontact village of Ozette in Washington State receive special
mention. This village was covered by a mudslide, likely caused by a
tsunami, in AD 1500; the result was the preservation of parts of houses
and interior furnishings.

McMillan reviews the devastating consequences of European diseases and
the wanton destruction of villages by traders. The final chapters
discuss the long-overdue return of cultural pride to these peoples, a
return aided in no small part by the dedicated scholarly work of
archaeologists like Alan McMillan. His book will prove especially
valuable to researchers studying the northwest coast of Canada.