A detailed survey of the archaeology of southwest Yukon Territory, based upon excavations in 1966 and 1968 as well as laboratory analysis of all sizeable collections obtained earlier. Archaeological, ethnographic and paleoenvironmental data are integrated into a synthetic view of prehistory in northwestern North America.
First published in 1998. Did prehistoric humans walk to North America from Siberia? Who were the inhabitants of the spectacular Anasazi cliff dwellings in the Southwest and why did they disappear? Native Americans used acorns as a major food source, but how did they get rid of the tannic acid which is toxic to humans? How does radiocarbon dating work and how accurate is it? Written for the informed lay person, college-level student, and professional, Archaeology of Prehistoric Native America: An Encyclopedia is an important resource for the study of the earliest North Americans; including facts, theories, descriptions, and speculations on the ancient nomads and hunter-gathers that populated continental North America.
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.
A reconstruction of Apachean history and culture that sheds much light on the origins, dispersions, and relationships of Apache groups. Mention “Apaches,” and many Anglo-Americans picture the “marauding savages” of western movies or impoverished reservations beset by a host of social problems. But, like most stereotypes, these images distort the complex history and rich cultural heritage of the Apachean peoples, who include the Navajo, as well as the Western, Chiricahua, Mescalero, Jicarilla, Lipan, and Kiowa Apaches. In this pioneering study, Richard Perry synthesizes the findings of anthropology, ethnology, linguistics, archaeology, and ethnohistory to reconstruct the Apachean past and offer a fuller understanding of the forces that have shaped modern Apache culture. While scholars generally agree that the Apacheans are part of a larger group of Athapaskan-speaking peoples who originated in the western Subarctic, there are few archaeological remains to prove when, where, and why those northern cold dwellers migrated to the hot deserts of the American Southwest. Using an innovative method of ethnographic reconstruction, however, Perry hypothesizes that these nomadic hunters were highly adaptable and used to exploiting the resources of a wide range of mountainous habitats. When changes in their surroundings forced the ancient Apacheans to expand their food quest, it was natural for them to migrate down the “mountain corridor” formed by the Rocky Mountain chain. Perry is the first researcher to attempt such an extensive reconstruction, and his study is the first to deal with the full range of Athapaskan-speaking peoples. His method will be instructive to students of other cultures who face a similar lack of historical and archaeological data.
Research at Point Pelee in extreme southern Ontario revealed a unique sequence of prehistoric occupation at three major multi-component sites. This sequence has been divided into four periods commencing in the 6th century A.D. and terminating about the fifteenth century A.D.
Despite its extreme climate, the North American Arctic holds a complex archaeological record of global significance. In this volume, leading researchers provide comprehensive coverage of the region's cultural history, addressing issues as diverse as climate change impacts on human societies, European colonial expansion, and hunter-gatherer adaptations and social organization.
This is a preliminary study of temporal and spatial relationships between Canadian Plains peoples, climates and bison populations over the past 10,000 years. Discreteness of two bison populations, hunting and band movements and communication are discussed together with the probable role of grassland faciation as a control on bison migration.
Contains seven papers dealing with the physical anthropology of earlier Canadian Native populations or with subject materials relevant to the interpretation of their skeletal remains. Included are two site reports on prehistoric burials from British Columbia, a detailed investigation of mandibular torus, a skeletal trait commonly reported in Arctic populations and problems in paleopathology.
