The houses of village chiefs were larger and more elaborate than the others. Kitwanga, ca. 1899. The Northwest Coast cultural pattern is in full stride by A.D. 500, and most of the cultural elements in existence at the time of contact with European explorers can be recognized in the latest levels. Clear status differentiation is apparent. The social ranks are reflected in the differences in burial patterns and grave furnishings.
Commoners have simple burials with no trappings.
Slaves or captives are buried without boxes or are mutilated. Although rapid build-up of village debris, particularly shellfish remains, was most rapid from this period, the number of house sites appears to have been fixed by tradition. Lineages, or house units, held their individual house sites along with a variety of seasonal resource areas, such as fishing, hunting and collecting grounds, to balance their annual cycle. During a period of 50 years following the time Europeans first visited the Prince Rupert area in the 1780s, the Tsimshian had sporadic contacts with explorers and fur traders. Trade goods were introduced from these sources, but they had little effect on the overall prehistoric pattern, and the Tsimshian way of life remained relatively unchanged.