The Contest between the Ipiutak, Old Bering Sea, and Birnirk Polities and the Origin of Whaling during the First Millennium A.D. along Bering Strait

Mason, Owen K.

doi:10.1006/jaar.1998.0324

Cited by 82 publications

(94 citation statements)

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“…4D). During the subsequent 1000 years of continued population growth we observe the emergence of the Northern Maritime tradition, the colonization of Bering Sea islands, the establishment of territorial boundaries, and the development of organized whale hunting (Dumond, 1987b;Mason, 1998). Meanwhile, the tundra ecoregions fail to recover during the renewed pan-Alaska population increase to pre-crash populations sizes (Fig.…”

Section: Population Fluctuation Through Timementioning

confidence: 99%

Large mammal biomass predicts the changing distribution of hunter-gatherer settlements in mid-late Holocene Alaska

Tremayne

Winterhalder

2017

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

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a b s t r a c tThis study provides an ecological explanation for the distribution of Arctic Small Tool tradition (ASTt) settlements in Alaska and the origin of their arctic maritime adaptation. Theoretically grounded in the ideal free distribution (IFD) model, which predicts that higher ranked habitats will be occupied first and most continuously, we contend that the location of large mammals was a major factor influencing human dispersal and settlement decisions in the arctic and subarctic ecosystems of Alaska. We rank habitat suitability based on historic mammal population densities from wildlife ecology reports across predefined ecological zones in Alaska; we multiply densities by average animal weights per species to determine suitability rankings. Coastal habitats in Alaska are higher ranked than adjacent tundra habitats, but the interior boreal forest may have been the highest ranked, considering technological constraints of hunting aquatic species. The ASTt migration into Alaska created population pressure that promoted the colonization of the unoccupied Arctic coast and development of the dual, terrestrial-maritime economy. When pan-Alaska human populations declined around 3200-2500 years ago low ranked tundra ecoregions were abandoned. As human populations recovered Alaska coasts became the most densely populated habitats. The adaptive logic entailed in the IFD provides a consistent evolutionary interpretation for settlement patterns documented in this region.Published by Elsevier Inc.

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Section: Population Fluctuation Through Timementioning

confidence: 99%

Large mammal biomass predicts the changing distribution of hunter-gatherer settlements in mid-late Holocene Alaska

Tremayne

Winterhalder

2017

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

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Section: Thule Origins Ice-edge Hunting and Whalingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…References Larsen and Rainey 1948;Giddings 1960;Mason 1998;Dumond 2000). While it has been assumed the technical skills, social structure and material culture necessary for Arctic whaling must have ancient roots on the Siberian shores of Chukotka (Figure 1), in part because it is adjacent to the route taken by virtually all whales on their spring migration through the Bering Strait, there are very few archaeological sites in that region older than 2300 years BP and none of those contain convincing evidence of subsistence whaling (e.g.…”

Section: Terra Australis 29mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Eastern Aleutian and Bering Strait sites versus early Thule site comparion (see Figure 1 for locations). Rainey 1941;Larsen and Rainey 1948;Giddings 1960;Schledermann 1976Schledermann , 1979Møhl 1979;Staab 1979;Schledermann and McCullough 1980;Mason 1998;Woollett et al 2000;Davis 2001;Knecht et al 2001Knecht et al , 2004Crockford et al 2004;McGhee 2005. * these early Thule cultural components are a composite of several.Archaeozoological evidence for mid-Holocene climate change in the Bering Sea and implications for the origins of Arctic Thule 125 terra australis 29 some walrus and polar bear), although these may only have been available in years of particularly severe ice cover. At the height of the Neoglacial -with sea ice pressing down from the north virtually every spring -very large numbers of ringed seal were available for hunting at the edge of the ice, as were bearded seals and the occasional walrus (as reflected by the faunal component at Amaknak Bridge in Table 1).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…New elements that appear on St Lawrence Island and elsewhere in the Bering Strait region about 1300 BP are indicative of an active Siberian trade network with Korea and China (Mason 1998). These Siberian elements include: 1. dogs and the technology for dog traction, such as harness buckles and line toggles (Morey and Aaris-Sørensen 2002); 2. smelted iron for arming lances, harpoon heads, arrows and carving tools (Mason 1998;McGhee 2005); 3. clay and associated skills for making fired pottery.This integration of Siberian culture items is part of what made Thule so unique and successful: they were not only proficient at living in their sea-ice-edge habitat, they were also uniquely mobile. From early spring through mid-summer, dog-drawn sleds could have hauled Archaeozoological evidence for mid-Holocene climate change in the Bering Sea and implications for the origins of Arctic Thule 127 terra australis 29 boats and gear across expanses of moving or stationary sea ice (not just snow-covered land), while boats could have transported dogs, sleds and people between ice flows -a habitat where food was plentiful and easily available.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Islands of Inquiry: Colonisation, seafaring and the archaeology of maritime landscapes (TA29) : Colonisation, seafaring and the archaeology of maritime landscapes

Clark¹,

Leach²,

O’Connor³

2008

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terra australis 29Terra Australis reports the results of archaeological and related research within the south and east of Asia, though mainly Australia, New Guinea and island Melanesia -lands that remained terra australis incognita to generations of prehistorians. Its subject is the settlement of the diverse environments in this isolated quarter of the globe by peoples who have maintained their discrete and traditional ways of life into the recent recorded or remembered past and at times into the observable present.Since the beginning of the series, the basic colour on the spine and cover has distinguished the regional distribution of topics as follows: ochre for Australia, green for New Guinea, red for South-East Asia and blue for the Pacific Islands. From 2001, issues with a gold spine will include conference proceedings, edited papers and monographs which in topic or desired format do not fit easily within the original arrangements. All volumes are numbered within the same series. List of volumes in Terra AustralisVolume 1: Burrill Lake and Currarong: Coastal Sites in Southern New South Wales. R.J. Lampert (1971) Volume 2: Ol Tumbuna: Archaeological Excavations in the Eastern Central Highlands, Papua New Guinea. J.P. White (1972) Volume 3 Copyright of the text remains with the contributors/authors, 2008. This book is copyright in all countries subscribing to the Berne convention. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Inquiries should be made to the publisher. ISLANDS OF INQUIRY Papers in honour of Atholl Anderson'Aye,' said the Captain, reverentially; 'it's a almighty element. There's wonders in the deep, my pretty. Think on it when the winds is roaring and the waves is rowling. Think on it when the stormy nights is so pitch dark,' said the Captain, solemnly holding up his hook, 'as you can't see your hand afore you, excepting when the wiwid lightning reweals the same; and when you drive, drive, drive through the storm and dark, as if you was a driving, head on, to the world without end,'Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son (1848:252). Philadelphia: Lea and Blanchard terra australis 29 terra australis 29 PrefaceThe impetus for this volume is the pending retirement of Professor Atholl Anderson from the Department of Archaeology and Natural History in the Australian National University in June 2008, after a distinguished and brilliant career in academic archaeology. In geographic range, Atholl's field research has extended over large swathes of the Pacific Ocean, from the west coast of South America to Western Micronesia, to Island Southeast Asia, and west to the Indian Ocean. Few prehistorians of Oceania have seen as much of their subject matter at such close quarters. The variety and span of his study areas are matched, and quite possibly exceeded, by the prodigious variety of subjects he has tackled in numerous scientific publications, which are ...

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Adapting in the Arctic: Habitual activity and landscape interaction in Late Holocene hunter‐gatherers from Alaska

Temple

Rosa

Hunt

et al. 2021

American J Phys Anthropol

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Objectives This study compares lower limb diaphyseal robusticity between Native Alaskan hunter‐gatherers to reconstruct patterns of mobility and engagement with terrain. Materials and methods Ancestral remains included in this study date between 600 and 1800 C.E. and were divided into three regions: Coastal Bay, Far North Coastal, and Inland/Riverine. Cross‐sectional properties were determined at femoral and tibial midshafts and standardized by powers of body mass and bone length. Results Consistently elaevated areas and second moments of area were found in ancestral remains from the Far North Coastal, while the Coastal Bay remains had reduced diaphyseal robusticity. Individuals from the Inland/Riverine region were intermediate in robusticity for male femora, but similar to the Coastal Bay group for females. Sexual dimorphism was greatest in the Inland/Riverine ancestral remains and comparable between Coastal Bay and Far North Coastal regions. Conclusions Ancestral remains from the Far North Coastal region have the greatest diaphyseal robusticity in response to intensive hunting and travel over rugged terrain. Reduced sexual dimorphism in the Far North Coastal region suggest female participation in hunting activities. Intermediate diaphyseal robusticity among Inland/Riverine males and increased sexual dimorphism reflects diverse patterns of mobility in relation to the hunting cycle between males and females. Reduced diaphyseal robusticity and sexual dimorphism among the Coastal Bay group is associated with sedentary villages established around net fishing in regions with low relief. Such findings argue against technocentric views of sedentism in hunter‐gatherer lifeways and generally reflect diverse adaptive strategies and interaction with local terrain among Indigenous Late Holocene hunter‐gatherers of Alaska.

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The Contest between the Ipiutak, Old Bering Sea, and Birnirk Polities and the Origin of Whaling during the First Millennium A.D. along Bering Strait

Cited by 82 publications

References 51 publications

Large mammal biomass predicts the changing distribution of hunter-gatherer settlements in mid-late Holocene Alaska

Large mammal biomass predicts the changing distribution of hunter-gatherer settlements in mid-late Holocene Alaska

Islands of Inquiry: Colonisation, seafaring and the archaeology of maritime landscapes (TA29) : Colonisation, seafaring and the archaeology of maritime landscapes

Adapting in the Arctic: Habitual activity and landscape interaction in Late Holocene hunter‐gatherers from Alaska

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