Section 4: Non-Technical Project Proposal Description Project Title: Chert Sourcing and Palaeo-Eskimo Stone Tool Technology Researcher’s Name and Affiliation: Dr. S. Brooke Milne, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Manitoba Project Location: Interior of southern Baffin Island near Mingo and Amadjuak Lakes, Mingo River, Hone and Nuvungmiut Rivers Time Frame: July 29 – August 4, 2012 Project Description: Archaeologists refer to the original inhabitants of the Arctic as Palaeo-Eskimos, and chert or ammaaq was the most common type of stone they used to make their stone tools. However, we know very little about how these people acQuired this stone, when, and from where exactly. In the interior of Baffin Island, oral histories have long attested to the presence of chert in the region. Amadjuak Lake or AmmaaQ Lake, is an important place to find chert and our previous research in the area has identified widespread surface scatters of this stone thereby confirming its presence in the area. If we can locate the precise geological sources of the ammaaq in the interior region, it will help us reconstruct how people were moving across the landscape throughout the entire southern Baffin region. The premise behind this is that stone is fixed geologically on the ground and is only available in certain places. Because people need to move to hunt, visit, etc. they must get the stone they need and then carry it with them as the do these other activities. Stone is a reductive medium so as tools are made, used, maintained, etc. pieces of the stone are removed and left at various places on the landscape. If we can geochemically fingerprint the sources of the stone and then trace where people were carrying them throughout the region, it enables us to use the stone as a proxy for human behaviour to interpret settlement, mobility, trade, and change over time. As such, our goal for 2012 is to conduct a seven-day geological survey in the interior of southern Baffin Island near Mingo and Amadjuak Lakes, and the Mingo, Hone, and Nuvungmiut Rivers in order to locate chert source areas and sample them. Daily transportation to and from the field will be via helicopter and supported through the Polar Continental Shelf Project (Project # 61712). No structures will be established for this project since we will not be camping on the land. Our survey will also include an archaeological component. We will attempt to locate new archaeological sites in proximity to the identified chert source areas. These sites will be tested using minimally invasive test pitting strategies. Before a test is excavated, the surface will be recorded via GPS, mapped in detail using a 3D laser topographic scanner, and photographed. The size of the pits will range from 25 x 25 cm to 50 x 50 cm. The precise locational information for each artifact identified in the tests will be mapped and recorded. Upon completion of the tests, the areas will be returned as close as possible to their original state in compliance with Nunavut Archaeological Permitting reQuirements. We will collect samples of debitage (i.e. stone waste flakes) from these sites to include in our study. The local geology will be mapped using the same scanning technology so as to improve the present understanding of what kinds of rock formations exist in the region. We will collect samples of ammaaQ found on the surface in the above noted regions. We will also sample bedrock outcrops in the area to determine if the surface scatters of chert derive from them. Standard geological tools like rock hammers and chisels will be used to acquire the bedrock samples. The surface of the bedrock will be scanned before and after sample acQuisition. All of the chert samples will be examined using macroscopic visual techniQues to record their colour, texture, quality, etc. Next, they will be examined petrographically where small thin sections of the stone are made and subjected to high-power microscopic analysis. This permits the stone to be mapped more precisely in terms of its mineral and fossil composition. Thereafter, the precise geochemical signature of each sample will be acQuired using secondary ion mass spectrometry. This techniQue is ideal for this project since it is non-destructive and requires very small samples of rocks and debitage to determine precise their geochemistry. Once the geochemical signatures of the chert and debitage are obtained, we can compare them to understand how the inland ammaaQ sources were being used by the Palaeo-Eskimos for their tool-using needs. The main reason I am interested in going to the interior of Baffin Island is because of the stories about the chert or ammaaQ that is there. We are especially interested in locating a place known as “chert island.” This island is reported to be located along the southwest shore of Amadjuak Lake. The results of this work will provide important information on land use, geological diversity, and stone tool technology on southern Baffin Island. The data acQuired through this research will be used to reconstruct Palaeo-Eskimo life in greater detail using chert as a proxy. We will use these data to develop a database of chert distribution both from archaeological sites and from identified source areas, and make it digitally available for consultation by the public. This will enable other researchers to identify chert from the interior region in their sites, which will enhance our attempts to reconstruct how this stone was being used by the Palaeo-Eskimos in other regions of Nunavut. The data acQuired from scanning the sites and geological source areas will be used to create detailed digital maps including 360-degree full dome scans and 3D fly-through movies. As such, we will be able to show local stakeholders the sites we've investigated in an unprecedented capacity such that individuals will be able to visit the sites "virtually." We will make our research accessible to the public through an interactive website. The results of the research will be communicated directly to communities and organizations through presentations, radio interviews, and the website (once it is up and running). We will also present our results at conferences and in peer-reviewed publications. I, along with my co-investigators, Drs. Douglas Stenton (CLEY), Robert Park (University of Waterloo), and Mostafa Fayek (University of Manitoba), will be the principle users of the data acQuired through this research. We will recruit at least two graduate students to base their theses on these data. Other users will be members of the general public, most notably local communities, government agencies, and other academic researchers. The data will be accessible via the interactive website. .