An Early Arctic Small Tool tradition structure from interior Northwestern Alaska

Abstract

Il y a plus de quarante ans, William Irving proposa l'expression “Tradition microlithique de l'Arctique”, pour désigner l'unité taxonomique et les liens historiques partagés par plusieurs cultures du milieu de l'Holocène récemment identifiées en Alaska (complexe Denbigh), au Canada (Prédorsetien), et au Groenland (Indépendancien I et Saqqaquien). Depuis, les recherches menées au Canada et au Groenland ont affiné notre compréhension des relations culturelles entretenues par les membres orientaux de cette tradition, de leur économie, de leurs techniques et de leurs histoires démographiques. Par comparaison, la recherche sur le complexe Denbigh, membre alaskien de la tradition, est restée à la traîne. Peu de travaux de terrain ont été menés depuis le milieu des années 1970 et peu d'attention a été portée aux questions évoquées ci-dessus ou aux relations historiques existant entre les Denbighiens et leurs voisins orientaux. Cet article présente un site de la Tradition microlithique de l'Arctique ancienne localisé dans la chaîne des Brooks occidentale et discute de son importance dans le cadre du contexte de cette tradition à travers l'Arctique nord-américain. La structure mise au jour sur le site présente de grandes similitudes avec les habitations du Prédorsétien, de l'Indépendancien I et du Saqqaquien trouvées dans l'Arctique canadien et au Groenland. Elle apporte une nouvelle dimension à notre compréhension des relations entre les divers complexes techniques qui composent la Tradition microlithique de l'Arctique ancienne.Over forty years ago, William Irving proposed the Arctic Small Tool tradition (ASTt) to indicate taxonomic unity and historical relatedness among several recently identified mid-Holocene cultures in Alaska (Denbigh Flint complex), Canada (Pre-Dorset), and Greenland (Independence I and Saqqaq). Since then, research in Canada and Greenland has helped refine our understanding of cultural relationships between the eastern members of this tradition, their economies, technologies, and demographic histories. By comparison, research on the Denbigh Flint complex, the Alaskan member of the tradition, has lagged behind. Little fieldwork has been conducted since the mid-1970s, and little attention paid to Denbigh subsistence and settlement systems or to the historical relationship between Denbigh and its neighbors to the east. This paper reports on an Early ASTt site in the western Brooks Range, northwestern Alaska, and discusses its significance within the context of the Early ASTt across the North American Arctic. The structure from the site bears strong similarities to Pre-Dorset, Independence I, and Saqqaq houses from the Canadian Arctic and Greenland, and adds an additional dimension to our understanding of the relationships between the various techno-complexes that compose the Early Arctic Small Tool tradition

High Latitude Coastal Settlement Patterns: Cape Krusenstern, Alaska

“…tent frame floor areas, were identified by prior researchers at the site complex before 2000 BP. Based on the identification of several earlier occupation structures that includes semi-subterranean houses on the Choris Peninsula (Giddings 1957;Giddings and Anderson 1986), several pre-2000 BP house structures at Onion Portage (Anderson 1988), and a structure at the Hicks site in the Brooks Range (Odess 2003), we thought it possible for our more intensive and systematic survey to identify additional early longer term occupations at the site complex, perhaps contemporaneous with the Old Whaling site. While we did not identify any clear semi-subterranean structures or structures similar to those at the Hicks site, several activity areas (OS-81610,81749, 81621, 81682, and 81685), and a probable house feature (OS-81753) were dated to before 2000 cal BP.…”

Neolithic of the Northeast Asia and the Arctic Small Tool Tradition of the North America

“…Regarding the Western ASTt materials (i. e. Alaska), it is important to note that some researchers follow the ASTt concept suggested by Giddings and Anderson, in which they changed William Irving's original definition of ASTt (1957), by including in it not only the DFC, but also cultures which followed: Choris, Norton and Ipiutak (3000-950 years old) 94 . This scheme did not gain traction with Alaskan archaeologists 95 . Without taking this peculiarity into account, blind comparisons of stone tool complexes with the ASTt definition of Giddings and Anderson leads some researchers 96 to erroneous constructions and conclusions 97 .…”

“…A home area encompassing various landscape zones guaranteed greater stability of their subsistence during the lean years. Faunal remains from interior and coastal ASTt sites are very rare and come only from a few ASTt sites, making it difficult to reconstruct their subsistence in detail 135 . Considering the environmental conditions of the ASTt site locations and the few faunal remains of animals and fish found there, researchers conclude that the ASTt inhabitants survived on both continental and maritime (coastal) resources, hunting seasonal terrestrial and maritime animals and fishing based on the regional and local ecological opportunities, using spears, bow and arrows, harpoon, terrestrial traps, and fish traps in streams and lakes 136 .…”

GIS Spatial Analysis of Arctic Settlement Patterns: A Case Study in Northwest Alaska

“…These indicators are causally linked to broader changes in social organization and the 3 development of complex hunter-gatherers worldwide (Binford 2001;Fitzhugh and Habu 2002;Rowley-Conwy 2001). In northwest Alaska (Figure 1) prior research indicates that most people living in this region prior to 2500 years before present (BP) were highly mobile and did not construct permanent dwellings (Anderson 1984;Giddings 1957;Giddings and Anderson 1986;Odess 2003). After 2500 BP, people's mobility likely shifted and permanent dwellings began to appear in coastal areas (Anderson 1984;Giddings and Anderson 1986).…”