Shelby L. Anderson

A High-Resolution Chronology for the Cape Krusenstern Site Complex, Northwest Alaska

Environmental change is considered a key factor in late Holocene cultural evolution across the Arctic. This argument rests primarily on temporal correlations between paleoenvironmental shifts and cultural changes. Yet these regional chronologies are based on relatively few dates from only a few archaeological sites. Many dates are from nonspecific contexts and were obtained on unidentified materials. To address these issues, recent research at the Cape Krusenstern site complex was directed at refining the existing archaeological chronology. We obtained 151 new radiocarbon dates from known and newly identified sites. Results indicate many sites were occupied for longer periods of time than previously thought. Settlement of the entire site complex was nearly continuous over the last 4200 years despite local and regional environmental change. Regional coastal settlement models should be reevaluated in light of this revised chronology.

A Clay source provenance survey in Northwest Alaska: Late Holocene ceramic production in the Arctic

Ceramic compositional analysis can contribute to the study of late Holocene Arctic hunter-gatherer social interaction through reconstruction of past ceramic distribution patterns. The results of an ethnographically informed clay source survey in Northwest Alaska are presented here. The survey provided contextual data on clay depositional environments, clay variability, and local environmental factors that influenced pre-contact clay availability. Geochemical analysis of clays and tempers clarified the location of ceramic production zones. Concurrence between survey results and ethnographic data highlights the persistence of clay knowledge despite post-contact absence of pottery making. This research demonstrates that ethnographically informed source survey can aid in interpreting ceramic geochemical data and yield important insights into pre-contact ceramic production processes.

High Latitude Coastal Settlement Patterns: Cape Krusenstern, Alaska

ABSTRACT Why, when, and how people developed highly specialized marine economies remains the focus of considerable anthropological research. Study of maritime adaptations at high latitudes has potential to contribute to this debate because low biodiversity and increased resource seasonality at high latitudes made reliance on marine resources particularly risky. New research at the Cape Krusenstern site complex, located in northwest Alaska, offers a rare opportunity to study the evolution of maritime adaptations across the environmentally dynamic mid-to-late Holocene Arctic. Large-scale and systematic survey of this important site complex was undertaken to address questions about the timing and character of early Arctic coastal lifeways. Our research yielded direct dates of 4,200 years ago for the oldest occupation of the site complex and identified several new sites dating to between 4,200 and 2,000 years ago. Results support the existing settlement model, pointing to increased sedentism and local population only after 2,000 years ago. New data, however, indicate local population was much higher than previously established and that coastal occupation was sustained over long periods of time despite considerable mid-to-late Holocene paleoenvironmental variability. Together, these findings raise new questions about the evolution of maritime adaptations at high latitudes.

Aquatic Adaptations and the Adoption of Arctic Pottery Technology: Results of Residue Analysis

The late adoption of pottery technology in the North American Arctic between 2,500 and 2,800 years ago coincides with the development of a specialized maritime economy. Arctic pottery technologies present an excellent case study for examining possible correlations between hunter-gatherer pottery and aquatic resource use. Review of the timing and distribution of early pottery in Alaska shows that early pottery is rare and dates at the earliest to 2,500 years ago; the earliest pottery is found in small numbers and primarily in coastal areas. Despite expectations that pottery use would be strongly linked to marine lipids, biomarkers and compound-specific δ13C values of 20 sherds from the Cape Krusenstern site complex, dating from 2700 to 200 cal B.P. years ago, are most consistent with freshwater aquatic resources; mixtures of freshwater aquatic, marine aquatic, and terrestrial resources are also possible. While additional analysis of a larger sample and zooarchaeological reference specimens is necessary, our study suggests that the development of pottery production by Arctic peoples is more complex than previously appreciated. This research is the first synthesis in over 30 years of early pottery in Alaska and is the first to include residue analysis of a small sample of pre-1500 B.P. pottery. La adopción tardía de la cerámica en el Ártico norteamericano entre 2500 y 2800 a.P. coincide con el desarrollo de una economía marítima especializada. Las tecnologías cerámicas del Ártico presentan un excelente estudio de caso para examinar las posibles correlaciones entre la adopción de la cerámica entre los cazadores-recolectores y el uso de recursos acuáticos. Una revisión de la temporalidad y distribución de la cerámica temprana en Alaska demuestra que ésta es poco común y apareció después de 2500 a.P.; la cerámica más antigua se encuentra en pequeñas cantidades y principalmente en las zonas costeras. A pesar de la expectativa que el uso de cerámica estaría fuertemente ligado a los lípidos marinos, los biomarcadores y los valores de δ13C de compuestos específicos en 20 tiestos fechados entre 2700 y 200 años cal a.P. y procedentes del complejo del sitio de Cape Krusenstern son más consistentes con el uso de recursos de agua dulce. También es posible que reflejen una mezcla de recursos de agua dulce, marinos y terrestres. Aunque son necesarios análisis adicionales de muestras más grandes y de especímenes de referencia zooarqueológica, nuestro estudio sugiere que el desarrollo de la producción de la cerámica por los pueblos árticos es más complejo de lo que se pensaba. Esta investigación es la primera síntesis en más de 30 años de la cerámica temprana en Alaska y también es la primera en incluir el análisis de residuos de una pequeña muestra de cerámica anterior a 1500 a.P.

A Review of “The Archaeology of North Pacific Fisheries”

The Archaeology of North Pacific Fisheries is a collection of papers written by zooarchaeologists about the relationship between fishes and people of the North Pacific. Edited by Madonna Moss and Aubrey Cannon, this volume covers a diversity of topics, locations, and time periods in an exploration of past fishing practices from a historical ecology perspective. The goals of the volume include expanding knowledge of past North Pacific fisheries, particularly for lesser known but important species (i.e., Pacific cod and herring), and considering how these data can inform modern fisheries management. Many of the papers draw on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) to contextualize archaeological data and as another line of evidence in hypothesis testing. Taken together, these studies yield a rich picture of the region’s fisheries that reflect the complex and interwoven relationship between North Pacific people and fishes.