Archaeological Investigations at the Atigun Site, Central Brooks Range, Alaska
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ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT THE ATIGUN SITE, CENTRAL BROOKS RANGE, ALASKA IAN ROBERT WILSON B.A. University of British Columbia 1968 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Archaeology @ IAN ROBERT WILSON, 1977 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY April, 1977 All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL Name: Ian Robert Wilson Degree: Master of Arts (Archaeology) Title of Thesis: Archaeological Investigations at the Atigun Site, Central Brooks Range, Alaska. Examining Committee Chairman: Philip M. Hobler Herbert L. Alexander, Jr. Senior Supervisor Knut R. Fladmark '~enryS. Sharp Assistant Professor External Examiner Department of Sociology and Anthropology Simon Fraser University Date Approved April 12, 1977 PARTIAL COPY RIGHT LICENSE I hereby grant to Simon Fraser University the right to lend my thesis or dissertation (the title of which is shown below) to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or sing1 e copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. I further agree that permission for mu1 tiple copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by me or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed wi thout my wri tten permi ssi on, Title of Thesis/Dissertation : Archaeological Investigations at the Atigun Site, Central Brooks Range, Alaska. Author : (signature) Ian Robert Wilson (name) April 12, 1977 (date) ABSTRACT This thesis is an archaeological analysis of the Atigun site and is based on work conducted in 1973 and 1974 on the North Slope of the Central Brooks Range, Alaska. The excava- tions add significant information concerning the later pre- history and subsistence activities of the area. The site consisted of a series of discrete occupation levels containing faunal and lithic debris scattered around a hearth. The primary concern of analysis is the cultural af- filiation of the occupations, and to this end, artifacts, chipping debris and faunal remains are examined. Site activ- ities are discussed in detail using the results of this analysis. Because the site is historically and archaeolog- ically marginal to both Indian and Eskimo territory, ethno- graphic accounts of both groups are given to aid in the identification of its prehistoric inhabitants. Archaeolog- ical comparisons are made with sites in Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and B.C. A re-evaluation of the prehistory of the Central Brooks Range is outlined, based on recent archaeological work and the results of the new data reported in this thesis. Conclusions point to a late summer occupation of the site by Athapascans probably seeking ground squirrel hides. The site was occupied seasonally between A.D. 1400-1800, and iii / represents a major late-prehistoric Indian incursion through- out the Brooks Range. This period is defined as the Kavik Phase. Finally, it is suggested that boundaries between Indians and Eskimos in the Central Brooks Range have period- ically shifted through time, largely due to environmental factors. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people contributed in significant ways to the com- pletion of this thesis. I would first like to thank both the Arctic Institute of North America and the Society of Sigma Xi for providing funds for the fieldwork. Dr. John Cook, Mike Kunz and Dale Slaughter all helped with logistic support, as did the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. My thanks to Jean Williams for her help with my more difficult faunal identifications. Thanks also to Brian Seymour for his excellent artifact drawings. Dr. H. L. Alexander introduced me to the joys of Arctic fieldwork and goaded me through analysis while serving as my senior supervisor. Dr. Alexander generously granted his per- mission to excavate the Atigun site and allowed me free access to his collections. I would also like to express my apprecia- tion to Dr. K. R. Fladmark for his many insightful suggestions in the preparation of this manuscript. In particular, Dr. Fladmark was very helpful in the editing of this thesis. My appreciation also goes to Dr. R. Casteel who read my chapter on faunal remains and provided critical comments. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to Jane Warner for her considerable input to this thesis. Jane expertly drafted the illustrations, cut through many knots in my tangled prose and continually forced me to refine my ideas. She sup- plied the encouragement and confidence that allowed the comple- tion of this thesis. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page THE CONTEXT OF RESEARCH .......................... Introduction................................... Physiography and Climate ....................... Palaeoenvironment.............................. Flora and Fauna ................................ History of the Area ............................ Ethnography .................................... 1 . Nunamiut ................................. 2 . Kutchin .................................. 3 . Nunamiut-Athapascan Relationships........ Summary of Archaeological Investigations....... The Archaeological Sequence .................... THE SITE ......................................... Location ....................................... ~escription.................................... Previous Archaeological Research ............... Research Aims .................................. Sampling and Excavation Procedure .............. Recording of Cultural Material ................. 3 . EXCAVATION ....................................... Location of Excavation Units ................... Stratigraphy ................................... Soils .......................................... 1 . Physical Tests ........................... 2 . Chemical Tests ........................... Features ....................................... 1 . Frost cracks ............................. 2 . Hearths .................................. 4 . FAUNAL REMAINS ................................... 66 Techniques of Recovery and Analysis ............ 66 1 . Recovery ................................. 66 2 . The Sample ............................... 67 vi Chapter Page 3 . Techniques of Analysis. .................... 67 4 . Aims of Analysis ........................... 69 2' Number of Individuals............................ 70'- Seasonality...................................... 76k Length of Occupation ............................. 79 Bone ~istributions............................... 83 Butchering Patterns.............................. 91 Conclusions ......................................103 5 . CHIPPING DEBRIS ....................................108 /'/ ' Types ............................................ 109" Methodology ......................................111 Results and Discussion........................... 113 1 . Raw Material ...............................113 2 . Unmodified Debitage ........................114" / 3 . Modified Debitage ..........................120 5.- Distributions.................................... 127 Sumary.......................................... 128 6 . TOOLS AND MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS ......................130 Lithic Tools ..................................... 130 A . Formed Unifaces ............................131 k' B . Bifaces .................................... 133 1 . Rough Bifaces ........................ 133 2 . Biface Fragments .....................134 3 . Finished Bifaces .....................139, Bone Tools .......................................14 3 A . Piercing Implements........................ 146 1 . Unbarbed Points ...................... 146 2 . Awls .................................152 3 . Needles ..............................154 B . Miscellaneous Bone Implements.............. 154 1 . Antler Rectangles ....................154 2 . Other ................................155 Miscellaneous Items .............................. 158 . Distribution of Tools ............................158 vii Chapter Page 7 . DISCUSSION ...................................... 163 Nature of the Site ............................ 163 1 . Type of Site ............................ 163+-.v' 2 . Dating the Atigun Locality .............. 166 3 . Similarities Among Occupations .......... 168 Archaeological Comparisons .................... 178t[r'l' 1 . Alaska .................................. 178 2 . Yukon Territory ......................... 182 3 . Northwest Territories ................... 185 4 . British Columbia ........................ 186 5 . Summary ................................. 186 Definition of Kavik ........................... 187 1 . Artifacts.. ............................. 187 2 . Activities .............................. 189 3 . Dating .................................. 190 4 . Cultural Affiliations ................... 192 5 . Conclusions ............................. 194 8 . CONCLUSIONS ..................................... 200 The Archaeological Sequence Re.examined ..... 200 Environmental Effects on Culture ............ 205 Problems for Future Research ................ 208 REFERENCES CITED ........................................ viii LIST OF TABLES Table Page Location of soil samples ......................... 51 Mean. sorting co.efficient. skewness and kurtosis of soil samples ....................... 53 Soil samples : sphericity measures ..............