A Thousand Years of Lost Hunting Arrows: Wood Analysis of Ice Patch Remains in Northwestern Canada

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Discussions of the development of past hunting equipment generally focus on lithic and bone projectile points and foreshafts, as these are often the only elements remaining in archaeological sites. In the last 15 years, the archaeology of alpine ice patches has provided a unique opportunity to analyze hunting equipment over time and gain knowledge of the wooden elements on which the points are hafted. This paper describes the wood and morphometrical analysis of a collection of 27 arrow shafts from two ice patch regions of the western Canadian Subarctic. In both regions, two main categories of arrow shafts show the selection of specific pieces of wood, spruce (Picea sp.) on the one hand and birch (Betula sp.) on the other, with associated morphometrical characteristics. These shafts also share some characteristics that are distinct from those of Arctic and coastal arrow shafts. Shafts of pine (Pinus sp. sec. ponderosa) and hemlock (Tsuga sp.) were also identified in the southwestern Yukon Territory. The absence of correlation between the arrow shaft types and 14 C dating raises the question of the significance of the arrow types and the potential for function, trade, or travel to explain the variation.Key words: archery, arrow shafts, ice patch archaeology, wood analysis, xylology, Subarctic, Arctic, Southwest Yukon, Northwest Territories RÉSUMÉ. Les discussions sur le développement des armes de chasse se concentrent généralement sur les pointes de projectile et les préhampes en matières lithiques et osseuses car ce sont ces éléments qui sont les plus souvent retrouvés dans les sites archéologiques. Ces quinze dernières années, l'archéologie des névés alpins nous donne l'opportunité unique d'analyser des équipements de chasse sur le long terme et de documenter les éléments en bois au bout desquels les pointes sont emmanchées. Dans cet article, nous décrivons l'analyse d'une collection de vingt-sept hampes de flèche en bois végétal provenant de deux régions de névés du Subarctique canadien. Dans les deux régions, on définit deux catégories principales de hampes de flèche qui montrent une sélection spécifique de pièces de bois d'épicéa (Picea sp.) et de bouleau (Betula sp.) auxquelles correspondent des caractéristiques morphométriques propres. Ces hampes partagent aussi des caractéristiques qui les distinguent de celles plus nordiques des côtes de l'Arctique. Des hampes faites en bois de pin (Pinus sp. sec. ponderosa) et de pruche (Tsuga sp.) ont également été identifiées dans le Sud-ouest du Territoire du Yukon. L'absence de corrélation entre les types de hampe de flèche et les dates radiocarbone soulève la question du sens à donner à ces types de flèche. Des facteurs tels que la fonction, les échanges ou des déplacements de personne sont envisagés.

Archaeological Investigations of Alpine Ice Patches in the Selwyn Mountains, Northwest Territories, Canada

“…Recent work to compile comparative data for all of the arrows in the Yukon and Northwest Territories ice patch assemblages indicates that the observed technological and morphological differences between the spruce and birch arrows noted above are part of a larger regional pattern. Alix et al (2012) develop a typology of arrows (n = 27) collected from ice patches in the Northwest Territories and Yukon, which identifies relatively long birch arrows with small stone projectile points and relatively short spruce arrows with antler projectile points as distinct types that appear to overlap in time and space in this region. In fact, when the Yukon and Northwest Territories collections are considered together, Alix et al (2012) are able to find very little chronological patterning in the distribution of these two distinct arrow types over the past 1000 years.…”

“…Alix et al (2012) develop a typology of arrows (n = 27) collected from ice patches in the Northwest Territories and Yukon, which identifies relatively long birch arrows with small stone projectile points and relatively short spruce arrows with antler projectile points as distinct types that appear to overlap in time and space in this region. In fact, when the Yukon and Northwest Territories collections are considered together, Alix et al (2012) are able to find very little chronological patterning in the distribution of these two distinct arrow types over the past 1000 years. Possible interpretations of the stable co-occurrence of these two types are discussed by Alix et al (2012).…”

Alpine Ice Patches and Shúhtagot’ine Land Use in the Mackenzie and Selwyn Mountains, Northwest Territories, Canada

“…Sinew ( ' ) was used to tie the flights to the shaft, and often arrows were rubbed with red ochre (tsi). Interestingly, we have yet to find evidence of the use of red ochre on the arrow fragments recovered from NWT ice patches, while several arrows from the Yukon show extensive use of ochre (Alix et al, 2012).…”

“…for manufacturing arrows is widespread; this wood was used by Northern Athapaskans (Williamson, 1955), as well as by groups on the Northwest Coast (Turner and Bell, 1971), on the Plains (Wissler, 1910;Mandelbaum, 1940;Johnston, 1970), and in the Great Basin and California (Elsasser, 1981;Sut-ton, 1989), among others (cf. Alix et al, 2012). Despite this widespread use, the recovery of the Saskatoon berry foreshaft marks the first time this wood has been recovered from an archaeological context in the Northwest Territories.…”

An archaeological reconstruction of Saqqaq bows, darts, harpoons, and lances

“…Arrows from the Thule culture and historic Inuit have a flat notch end and most often a relatively deep V-shaped notch (Gulløv 1997: 140;Mason 1894: Plate LIII), while the Saqqaq arrow is oval to round in cross section at this position and shows a very shallow U-shaped notch. The two models seem to have had different release techniques (Alix et al 2012) and perhaps different bowstrings. …”