ARCHAEOLOGY OF THe NORTH

Slide Title:

Arctic and Subarctic archaeological traditions :

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Cultural Geography:

Physical Geography:

• lots of mountains in west- and very flat in the east
• different coast lines
• very large region

Environment of the Arctic:

• inhabited by inuit and eskimo groups
• very little grows in the arctic
• very dry "inland desert"
• boggy (poorly drained) > what produces tundras
• sea ice- is now rapidly and drasticaly melting- making it very difficult for people to live as they did
• animals: musk ox, seals, polar bears (don't typically kills polar bears), anadramous fish (fish that bread up stream but live in the ocean- ex. salmon), fox, hare, caribou (seasonal)

Environment of the Subarctic:

• tree line- more plants and animals available
• more diverse animals: caribou, moose, other large and small mammals, grouse, goose, duck, salmon

Early Culture:

• fluted points all over alaska- but are not necessarily associated with sites- do not know very much information about what they are related to
• mesa complex
• old crow basin and blue fish caves- reported to be pre clovis sites- not sure

Nenana Complex:

• a sort of paleoIndian like adaptation
• occurred during paleoindian times
• seems to be more similar to paleo indians in the south
• do not know very much
• chindadn points

Blades versus Microblades:

• blades: fairly common tool found in most hunter gatherer stone tools- flake that is twice as long as it is wide
• microblades: highly efficient, very tiny blades, very specialized- developed around the world and for specific reasons, happen elsewhere in n america (late in california)
• develop in louisiana and the old world for specific reasons
• put into composite tools
• seems to come out of siberia- do not seem to have developed in alaska or the subarctic
• very recognizable
• intentionally made
• southern tradition

Paleoarctic and Denali Traditions:

• microblades
• denali part of larger paleo arctic tradition

Inland Archaic: Northern Archaic

• no microblades
• ancestors of na dene and athabaskan
• came out of plains? rockies?

Inland Archaic: Shield Archaic

• further east
• group coming out of plains
• no micro blades
• very little subsistence data
• many sites located at potential caribou crossings
• highly mobile
• algonquin ancestors
• developed separate from microblade tradition

Coastal Archaic: Ocean Bay Tradition

• microblade baring groups
• 1st use of marine resources in arctic/ subarctic- becomes basis of subsistence
• starts on kodiak island (south of gulf of alaska)
• one main tradition
• spans alaskan coast and over into siberia
• very distinctive artifacts- ground slate tools (as opposed to chipped- very unique), bone harpoon heads- specifically intended for marine animals
• sea otter, seals, sea lion, porpoise, whale (see whale bone- not necessarily from hunting- possible they were hunting whales at point), and salmon runs?- where salmon migrate up stream- use nets- would find et weights but have not seen those yet- but salmon bones are found

Coastal Archaic: Kodiak Tradition

• developed from ocean bay
• oil lamps- oil rendered from fat of sea mammals- could be used in igloo (low flame)
• ulu blades- very specific type of ground slate blade- women's knife- used to process hides and other activities associated with women- division of labor between genders?
• tools get more refines and complex
• harpoon heads, toggling harpoons
• hunted land mammals and fishing
• houses begin to appear

Coastal Archaic: Aleutian Tradition

• develops from ocean bay
• string of islands south west of alaska- reach almost to siberia
• oil lamps
• bone tools
• not ground slate tools
• sea mammals, shell fish, sea fish- broader base of near shore resources in addition to sea mammals
• large middens (any human create deposit- people stay around longer- suggests a good subsistence base)
• more temperate environment (still arctic- but on southern end)

Coastal Archaic: Maritime Archaic

• eastern end
• develops up and down north east coast
• northern extension makes it into the arctic area
• slate points- clearly wide spread artifact- not necessarily associated with a single culture but a single environment (the arctic)
• lots of ritual objects
• adopting same technology that developed in west

Archaic Small Tool Tradition:

• generally considered not to be archaic
• microblade assemblages
• lots of composite tools
• side/ end blades (larger blades worked to a very fine edge and stuck into a different material - bone or antler)
• development or adoption of bow and arrow (appears all over around the same time)
• very well defined houses- pit houses- dug half meter into ground. sloping tunnel entrance
• seems to develop out of siberia- communication with siberia?

*Independence Phase

• eastern high arctic and greenland
• serrated edges
• stone tools
• good preservation of materials
• bone arrowheads
• appears to be focused on inland resources
• greenland: focused on musk ox
• pit house with division down center laid out in stone with fire place int he center

*Pre-Dorset Phase and Sarqaq Culture

• north of hudson bay
• preserved perishable materials
• not much stone raw material
• bone, antler, ivory
• hint at whale hunting
• dogs!
• open socket harpoon- particular way they made harpoons
• soapstone for lamps
• slightly larger tools that contemporaries elsewhere

Dorset Tradition:

• more highly specialized arctic traditions- heavily resemble what we see today (dorset, norton and thule)
• bow and arrow- land animals- birds
• dogs become more common
• seals, caribou, other marine animals
• round houses to elliptical to LONG HOUSES- do not appear to have had roofs
• appear to have been occupied by kin who came together and set up tents within the long houses- way of identification
• matrilineal kinship system
• begin to see art - human masks (typically miniature), bears and other animals depicted- indicate ritual significance
• bears associated with burials and ritual context in general
• possibly some of the earliest ice block houses
• different types of stone raw materials are associated with different types of tools
• seems to be a systematic and widespread trade organization
• end of dorset tradition matches up well with medieval warming period (some how disrupted way of life of dorset tradition)
• Tunit of Inuit legend- possibly the dorset tradition?- tunit- people who prepared earth for humans- also describe tunit culture as being aggressive
• shamanism? - portable art associated with shamanism

Norton Tradition: Choris Culture

• west
• begin to see ceramics (signifies post archaic)
• looks like it is coming from asia
• pit houses

Norton Tradition: Norton Culture

• ceramics
• net fishing
• square pit houses

Norton Tradition: Ipiutak Culture

• no lamps or pottery
• out on aleutian islands

Thule Tradition

• today - the modern eskimo/ inuit groups

Thule Tradition: Old Bering Sea/ Okvik Culture

• slide

Thule Tradition: Birnik Culture

• developing along side old bering sea- similar material culture
• dog harnesses
• whale bone houses- still a pit house- at least partially subterranean

Thule Tradition: Thule Culture

• groups that begin to move east rapidly
• develop incredibly elaborate ritual and decorative technology
• similar to north west coast art style
• replaces dorset- come through with incredibly specialized whale hunting adaptation
• coastly signaling: men do things to gain prestige- though it does not actually have anything to do with subsistence- was high risk
• winter villages with pit house structure in a smaller space
• medieval warm period seems to have helped thule culture- sea ice was melted in strategic areas- whales traveled east- so people travel easted
• umiaks helped them move very rapidly
• took only a few centuries to start out in alaska and become main groups in eastern canada
• snow shows, dogsleds, corporate groups ( groups organized at larger scale- can be equated to tribe- above band organization- more complex social organization) and gender division of labor
• sicco-type harpoon head- hinge that makes it a very efficient harpoon
• houses get larger and more complex-- adopted ice block houses from dorset tradition > whale bone super structure sometimes covered with hide or used ice blocks- sometimes used both
• started around 800 years ago- expanded southward- into subarctic- very easily out compete groups in that area- at this point they o longer hunt whales- move onto caribou and other animals (interesting because they did not have the technology and were still out competing those living there- probably because of corporate groups- social structure allowed them to better exploit the resources)
• still exist and are still rather unchanged

Historic Period: Vikings in North America

• Norse v. Vikings: referred to as norse is greenland and north america
• kensington stone- found in upper midwest- has 10th century viking rooms > is a forgery
• newport tower- rhode island- became known for no reason as a viking structure- longfellow wrote a poem about a burial under the newport tower- the fall river skeleton (which is actually in mass.)- tower is actuall from 18th century and skeleton is not a viking
• actually come to north america: GREENLAND
• erik the red- made it to greenland about 1000 years ago- established western and eastern settlements, stuck around for many centuries- were often in conflict with inuit people - though there was lots of trade
• first europeans to make it to north america- did not stay very long or make it very far
• L'anse aux meadows- only known settlement
• viking artifacts found scattered as far down as maine

Historic Period: European Colonization

• interest in economically profitable lands- so arctic groups were generally left alone- some never encountered a european well into the 19th century
• groups became dependent on fur trade- easier than what they were used to before
• whaling and fishing became an important economic activity for euro-americans - whales are not heavily abundant- whale resources dwindled
• OIL and MINING- impact of oil exploration and development on natural subsistence resources

Historic Period: indigenous Adaption and Persistence

• impressive amount of resistance- more so than any other group in the world in the face of european colonialism
• groups have adapted as well as anyone could adapt to the environment