Analysis of the Atigun site based on work conducted in 1973 and 1974 on the North Slope of the Central Brooks Range, Alaska. The Atigun site is marginal to both Native and Inuit territory, thus the primary concern of this analysis is the cultural affiliation of its occupants. Conclusions point to late summer occupation of the site by Athapaskans between A.D. 1400 and A.D. 1800. This period is defined as the Kavik phase.
This thesis discusses the results of excavation and analysis of the Rat Creek site (MjVg-1), a late prehistoric-historic stratified site located on the Porcupine River, northern Yukon Territory. The major objectives were to attempt to refine the existing late prehistoric sequence for the interior Northern Yukon and to resolve some of the more specific issues regarding technology and typology that were raised by previous research in this region.
The results of investigations of copper technology and sources of copper of the prehistoric inhabitants of the North American Arctic and Subarctic are described. A total of 342 artifacts were examined from Arctic Small Tool tradition, Thule, Historic Eskimo, Chipewyan, Kutchin, and Ahtna contexts. Part 1 contains an analysis of copper composition, primarily by the neutron activation method, and a description of prehistoric manufacturing techniques. Part II is an annotated bibliography of metal occurrences in the north.
Written in an easy-to-read, narrative format, this volume provides the most comprehensive coverage of North American Indians from earliest evidence through 1990. It shows Indians as "a people with history" and not as primitives, covering current ideological issues and political situations including treaty rights, sovereignty, and repatriation. A must-read for anyone interested in North American Indian history. This is a comprehensive and thought-provoking approach to the history of the native peoples of North America (including Mexico and Canada) and their civilizations.For Native American courses taught in anthropology, history and Native American Studies.
Migration as an instrument of cultural change is an undeniable feature of the archaeological record. Yet reliable methods of identifying migration are not always accessible. In Athapaskan Migrations, authors R. G. Matson and Martin P. R. Magne use a variety of methods to identify and describe the arrival of the Athapaskan-speaking Chilcotin Indians in west central British Columbia. By contrasting two similar geographic areas—using the parallel direct historical approach—the authors define this aspect of Athapaskan culture. They present a sophisticated model of Northern Athapaskan migrations based on extensive archaeological, ethnographic, and dendrochronological research. A synthesis of 25 years of work, Athapaskan Migrations includes detailed accounts of field research in which the authors emphasize ethnic group identification, settlement patterns, lithic analysis, dendrochronology, and radiocarbon dating. Their theoretical approach will provide a blueprint for others wishing to establish the ethnic identity of archaeological materials. Chapter topics include basic methodology and project history; settlement patterns and investigation of both the Plateau Pithouse and British Columbia Athapaskan Traditions; regional surveys and settlement patterns; excavated Plateau Pithouse Tradition and Athapaskan sites and their dating; ethnic identification of recovered material; the Chilcotin migration in the context of the greater Pacific Athapaskan, Navajo, and Apache migrations; and summaries and results of the excavations. The text is abundantly illustrated with more than 70 figures and includes access to convenient online appendixes. This substantial work will be of special importance to archaeologists, anthropologists, linguists, and scholars in Athapaskan studies and Canadian First Nation studies.
This book is a comprehensive guide to the natural history of the North Slope, the only arctic tundra in the United States. The first section provides detailed information on climate, geology, landforms, and ecology. The second provides a guide to the identification and natural history of the common animals and plants and a primer on the human prehistory of the region from the Pleistocene through the mid-twentieth century. The appendix provides the framework for a tour of the natural history features along the Dalton Highway, a road connecting the crest of the Brooks Range with Prudhoe Bay and the Arctic Ocean, and includes mile markers where travelers may safely pull off to view geologic formations, plants, birds, mammals, and fish. Featuring hundreds of illustrations that support the clear, authoritative text, Land of Extremes reveals the arctic tundra as an ecosystem teeming with life.
