Analysis of Copper-Based Metals from three Mi'kmaq Sites in Nova Scotia

Abstract

Instrumental neutron activation of sixty-one copper-based metal samples from Mi'kmaq First Nations archaeological sites at Northport, Pictou, and Avonport in Nova Scotia shows that all samples are of European origin. There are two brass and one gun metal samples; all are of different trace element chemistries. The remaining fifty-eight pieces of European copper displayed from six to thirteen different trace element chemistries, implying that a minimum of this number of cooking pots was associated with the assemblage. Six of the seven Northport copper samples match with different Pictou copper chemistries, linking the sites. Since two Northport samples were from essentially whole pots, and since they match trace element groupings 1 and 2i, at least two pots of each of these chemistries must have arrived at Northport and Pictou. On the other hand, the two copper samples from Avonport are chemically unique in this small collection, matching nothing from Northport or Pictou.

Archaeometry at Slowpoke‐toronto

“…Ten years later, a series of papers was published on archaeological and geological copper‐based metal analyses, beginning with the separation of European trade copper from native copper (Hancock et al 1991a,b). This was followed by a paper on radiocarbon dating of organic materials that had been preserved by the copper artefacts with which they were closely associated (Beukens et al 1992); by papers on the analyses of copper‐based metals from archaeological sites in Ontario (Hancock et al 1993a, 1995a–c, 1999b; Fox et al 1995; Pavlish et al 1996, 1998; Anselmi et al 1997; Walker et al 1999), in Quebec (Moreau et al 1994, 1997; Moreau and Hancock 1995, 1996a,b, 1999a,b) and in Nova Scotia (Whitehead et al 1999), in northeastern Canada.…”