NATIONAL MUSEUM MUSÉE NATIONAL OF MAN DE L’HOMME MERCURY SERIES COLLECTION MERCURE CANADIAN ETHNOLOGY SERVICE LE SERVICE CANADIEN D’ETHNOLOGIE PAPER No.27 DOSSIER No. 27 PROCEEDINGS: NORTHERN ATHAPASKAN CONFERENCE, 1971 VOLUME ONE EDITED BY A.McFADYEN CLARK NATIONAL MUSEUMS OF CANADA MUSÉES NATIONAUX DU CANADA O T T A W A 1975 BOARD OF TRUSTEES MUSEES NATIONAUX DU CANADA NATIONAL MUSEUMS OF CANADA CONSEIL D'ADMINISTRATION Mr. George Ignatieff Chairman M. André Bachand Vice-Président Dr. W.E. Beckel Member M. Jean des Gagniers Membre Mr. William Dodge Member M. André Fortier Membre Mr. R.H. Kroft Member Mme Marie-Paule LaBrêque Membre Mr. J.R. Longstaffe Member Dr. B. Margaret Meagher Member Dr. William Schneider Member M. Léon Simard Membre Mme Marie Tellier Membre Dr. Sally Weaver Member SECRETARY GENERAL SECRETAIRE GENERAL Mr. Bernard Ostry DIRECTOR DIRECTEUR NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MAN MUSEE NATIONAL DE L'HOMME Dr. William E. Taylor, Jr. CHIEF CHEF CANADIAN ETHNOLOGY SERVICE SERVICE CANADIEN D'ETHNOLOGIE Dr. Barrie Reynolds Crown Copyright Reserved © Droits réservés au nom de la Couronne NATIONAL MUSEUM MUSÉE NATIONAL OF MAN DE L’HOMME MERCURY SERIES COLLECTION MERCURE ISSN 0316-1854 CANADIAN ETHNOLOGY SERVICE LE SERVICE CANADIEN D'ETHNOLOGIE PAPER NO.27 DOSSIER NO. 27 ISSN 0316-1862 PROCEEDINGS: NORTHERN ATHAPASKAN CONFERENCE, 1971 VOLUME ONE EDITED BY A. McFADYEN CLARK Cover Illustration: Contact traditional Kutchin camp based on a drawing from: "Journal du Yukon 1847-48" by Alexander Hunter Murray, Ottawa 1910, p. 86. NATIONAL MUSEUMS OF CANADA MUSÉES NATIONAUX DU CANADA OTTAWA 1975 OBJECT OF THE MERCURY SERIES The Mercury Series is a publication of the National Museum of Man, National Museums of Canada, designed to permit the rapid dissemination of information pertaining to those disciplines for which the National Museum of Man is responsible. In the interests of making information available quickly, normal production procedures have been abbre­ viated. As a result, editorial errors may occur. Should that be the case, your indulgence is requested, bearing in mind the object of the Series. BUT DE LA COLLECTION MERCURE La collection Mercure, publiée par le Musée national de l'Homme, Musées nationaux du Canada, a pour but de diffuser rapidement le résultat de travaux qui ont rapport aux disciplines pour lesquelles le Musée national de l'Homme est responsable. Pour assurer la prompte distribution des exemplaires imprimés, on a abrégé les étapes de l'édition. En con­ séquence, certaines erreurs de rédaction peuvent subsister dans les exemplaires imprimés. Si cela se présentait dans les pages qui suivent, les éditeurs réclament votre indulgence étant donné les objectifs de la collection. a. ABSTRACT The seventeen papers on Northern Athapaskan research in ethnology, linguistics, and archaeology published in these two volumes were presented at the National Museum of Man Northern Athapaskan Conference in March 1971. The papers are prefaced by a short introduction which outlines the rationale and accomplishments of the Conference. RESUME Les dix-sept communications réunies dans ces deux volumes furent présentées à la conférence sur les Athapascans du Nord organisée par le Musée National de l'Homme en mars 1971. Ces textes portent sur l'ethnologie, la linguistique et l'archéologie des Athapascans du Nord. Une brève introduction précède les articles et souligne les buts et les réalisations de la conférence. il Frontispiece Distribution of Northern Athapaskans TABLES OF CONTENTS Volume 1 Introduction (English) A. McFadyen Clark................................................... 1 Introduction (Français).................................................. 6 Athapaskan? Cornelius Osgood.................................................... 16 Matrilineal Kin Groups in Northwestern North America Frederica de Laguna................................................. 17 Upper Koyukuk River Koyukon Athapaskan Social Culture: An Overview A. McFadyen Clark................................................... 146 Feuding and Warfare Among Northwestern Athapaskans Catharine McClellan................................................. 181 Without Fire: A Kutchin Tale of Warfare, Survival, and Vengeance Richard Slobodin.................................................... 259 The Contact^History of the Subarctic Athapaskans: An Overview June Helm, Terry Alliband, Terry Birk, Virginia Lawson, Suzanne Reisner, Craig Sturtevant, Stanley Witkowski........................... 302 Volume 2 Territorial Expansion of the Chipewyan in the 18th Century Beryl C. Gillespie.................................................. 350 The Ecological Basis of Chipewyan Socio-Territorial Organization J.G.E. Smith........................................................ 389 The Dog and The Hare: Canine Culture in an Athapaskan Band Joel S. Savishinsky................................................. 462 An Ethnographical Map of Great Bear Lake Cornelius Osgood.................................................... 516 Psychological Traits in Northern Athapaskan Culture John J. Honigmann............................. 545 IV Some Isoglosses in Mackenzie-Drainage Athapaskan: First Steps Toward a Subgrouping Robert Howren....................................................... 577 Some Notes on Plateau Athapaskans Clark Davis......................................................... 619 The Place of Ipiutak-Related Assemblages From Interior Alaska in Western Athapaskan and Western Eskimo Prehistory Donald W. Clark..................................................... 630 Kutchin Prehistory, as Seen From the Middle Porcupine Drainage, Northern Yukon Territory Richard E. Morlan................................................. 669 Applications of the Direct Historic Approach in Central District of Mackenzie, N.W.T. William C. Noble.................................................... 759 Northern Athapaskan Research: Some Comments Richard Slobodin.................................................... 786 v PROCEEDINGS: NORTHERN ATHAPASKAN CONFERENCE, 1971 National Museum of Man INTRODUCTION The first Northern Athapaskan Conference, sponsored by the National Museum of Man, National Museums of Canada, in Ottawa, March 18-20, 1971, was the fifth major Ethnology Division Conference. The first was concerned with ethnology in museums, the second with Algonkian linguistics, the third with band societies, and the fourth with cultural ecology. This, the fifth in the series, provided an opportunity for seventeen scholars to meet, discuss current research and make future plans for investi­ gation among the Northern Athapaskan tribes of Alaska and Canada. Specialists from four of the major anthropological disciplines— i.e., ethnology, archaeology, ethnohistory and linguistics participated. Unfortunately there were no human biologists or ethnomusicologists present, thus these two areas of research represented our major lacunae. Those in attendance were: A. McFadyen Clark, National Museum of Man Dr. Donald W. Clark, National Museum of Man Mr. Clark A. Davis, formerly National Museum of Man Ms. Beryl C. Gillespie, University of Iowa Dr. Frederica de Laguna, Bryn Mawr College Dr. June Helm, University of Iowa Dr. John Honigmann, University of North Carolina Dr. Robert Howren, University of Iowa 2 Dr. Michael Krauss, University of Alaska Dr. Catharine McClellan, University of Wisconsin Dr. Robert McKennan, Dartmouth College Dr. Richard Morlan, National Museum of Man Dr. William Noble, McMaster University Dr. Cornelius Osgood, Yale University Dr. Joel Savishinsky, Adelphi University Dr. Richard Slobodin, McMaster University Mr. J.G.E. Smith, University of Waterloo Each provided a paper and all are presented in this two-volume Mercury, with the exception of those of Dr. Krauss and Dr. McKennan. The conference represented the culmination of several years of discussion and planning between National Museum Staff Ethnologists and other Anthro­ pologists who had become increasingly aware of the need to reassess the present status of Northern Athapaskan studies and to establish guide lines for future research. A preliminary planning session was held during the joint American Ethnological-Northeastern Anthropological Association meeting at Carleton University, Ottawa, in May 1970. At that meeting general plans for the Athapaskan Conference were established, participants were tentatively selected and special topics for discussion were outlined. Prior to the conference copies of the papers of each participant were distributed for perusal by the others, thus with the exception of Cornelius Osgood's initial paper, "Athapaskan?", no papers were formally read at the meeting. Instead, short summaries were given, then each paper was opened to general discussion. While discussions were of great value, it was decided that the results should be embodied in the revised editions of the papers, rather than being published separately as comments. 3 The presence of Cornelius Osgood, internationally known scholar from the Peabody Museum, Yale University, who is the recognized "Father of Northern Athapaskan Ethnographic Studies," offered a unique opportunity for other scholars to discuss individual areal problems with him. Having him in attendance also provided a rare opportunity for all to evaluate changes in method and approach, as well as changes in Athapaskan culture, which have taken place during the past forty-seven years since he began his initial work among the Northern Athapaskans. Our initial intent was to dedicate both the Conference