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Bulletin 200 The Cultural Affinities of the Newfoundland
Dorset Eskimo
By Elmer Harp, Jr.
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THE CULTURAL AFFINITIES
OF THE NEWFOUNDLAND DORSET ESKIMO
National Museum of Canada Bulletin No. 200 Anthropological Series No. 67
Issued under the authority of The Honourable Maurice Lamontagne, P.C., M.P. Department of the Secretary of State
THE CULTURAL AFFINITIES OF THE NEWFOUNDLAND DORSET ESKIMO
by Elmer Harp, Jr. V
Ottawa, 1964
10428-8—11
© Crown Copyright reserved
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Price subject to change without notice
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Contents
PAGE FOREWORD л МЕ Se LN RINT. E NOME сег hn UR ent n d vii Part I: INTRODUCTION
EESUNIEA Uo еее 2 АСЕМЧО УМ AIDIC MEIN ois аа O адна Нана аа ана датнай 3 Chapter one Orientation and пебо............................................ы 5
Chapter two The Cape Dorset Eskimo problem: historical perspective from 1925 Тати i ESS E З MEAS Ка ы паа аа а a ОССЕ НУ АГ as 7
Part П: FIELD DATA FROM NEWFOUNDLAND: 1949 and 1950. Chapter three The geographical setting. .................................... FN а Cs ДЕДИР SES 15 Chapter four" The West Coast 81668. 5127 ана e атаў 18 Chapter five Description cf the cultural materials........... ............................................- 35 Chippéd'stone artifacts. ана Ia MPO аа цана 36 Chipped and ground stone агіЙасі5..................................-..........--. 59 Ground and polished stone artifacts...................... E ater NER 62 Rough stone artifacts..... ............ ара pee ise teo ар EE coni 66 Steatite lamps and cooking рон нан си 68 Bone агнасан шепнен» ЛИЛИ СЕКЕ 72 Miscellaneous cultural materials....................... 5 eere rece ea repart 79 Part III: INTERPRETATIONS
Chapter six The cultural unity of the Newfoundland Dorset sites.............................. 85 Similarities In the Sitesini аса ананасы 85 Comparison of the soll profiles: аа ана Я ананас 87 Comparison of the cultural remains.................. erre 89 Summary of Cultural Unity аны телән ае аан АЫК 91
Chapter seven An analysis of the total Dorset Culture Complex, exclusive of the Newfoundland Aspect... else а a RR dora ee teen idu eie 93 Roster of Dorset Sites асы аса ы 93 General nature of Dorset Eskimo з5і(е5...........................................-- 113 Content of Dorset material сІЦійсе.....................н аны 115 SUDIDUBU is SESS о ба В РЫУ, С Ао ЗАВАА COE CIEN RE lis 128 Chapter eight An equation of Newfoundland Dorset with the Parent Complex........ 130 Primary traits................. CS Un «ta fitt MA Bi aeg tn gp КАР Ae ONE 130 Secondary characteristics, с. i dup cilia bane di ciet eU 136 Chapter nine The non-Dorset archaeology of МеўіочтмІапа........................................ 140 Evidence from several non-Dorset sites in Newfoundland.............. 141 The Indian occupations of Newfoundland....................................... 151 Chapter ten Other affinities of Newfoundland Dorset Culture........................ s 157 New world origins of Dorset Culture......................... esee 157 Dorset-Indian contact and тгІабопэРВір.............................................. 163 NOTES AND REFERENCES.......... Te aedi Hear АЗГЫ. аст асе TCR E E e А 173 BIBLIOGRAPHY SSS еен ў, tan vista: MAC A Meee салі ЕСЕР 181
у
List of Plates
DORSET TYPES FROM NEWFOUNDLAND
I Chipped stone projectile points
П Chipped stone projectile points ПІ Chipped stone projectile points IV Chipped stone knives V Chipped stone knives VI Chipped stone knives VII Chipped stone knives VIII Chipped stone knives IX Chipped stone knives X Chipped stone knives
eee ee eee заараў re Terre "I Ra tit eee PSP ае анаа TTT Terie TT err eee ree eee ieee аттат тав ваза вааз eer аа recy 99e 99449 ^AERRRSTAARAATATATATATATÉTTTT"RSFARATSESESTSSASBERASRARSSSRASASASSPSS*99B995995292595 NEZZLILLLLILIILLLIIIIITDIIDIDIDITDUUIITITTITTITITITITITITTITITTTITITTITTTITITITTITTIY) тана тацтва ава KS REECE Se ee meee e ee ева зава тет БААДА E EER TE TEESE SSH Sree Hee renseeeeeennSeeeteEeseeertesetessseseseuee hii he tee ee eee Pee eT ева err rrr y Tere re ee TT Tare Te eee PPPOE RO ROT EROS ESHEETS EE RESETS RRO TET EEE SESE SESE EHEOTE EES EEE O CERES hac E erre ete eer ee eee rr errr er Terr rrrrrrrrrr rT TT Te цверда dee TTT e Tee TTT TEST ELT Te Tier TT Tere TTT аа ата тата тана датава атава аецца eee er eee errr тзт» rrr errr Ter errr re Se eee et eee ә APP eee re Teer ea Pere rer rr errr rr eT eT Terr errr ea» Pres
А TTT ET EST ETE Teer ЕТЕГГТГГГТГГТГГУТТЕГТГТГТГТТТГГГГТҮТГГҮГ
XVI Chipped and ground knives and адгез...................................................... XVII Ground and polished points and Кпіхез............................................ XVIII Ground and polished chisels and gravers XIX Rough stone maul and hammerstones... ................................................. XX Rough stone abraders and limonite nodule XXI Steatite lamps and pots XXII Steatite lamps and pots XXIII Steatite lamp NOSSA Medic Capea PO ана. Ян SINE an a ананас SO SEL OL STENTS а Ў uS ur i ыллыы мы аа XXVI Unidentified bone fragments
тае eee eee eee errr ere cere rrr rrr rere rr reer)
Pee eee eee eT eee eee r eT ee rere reece rr errr ааваа е Pee rere Tere rer TT ete ere ЛЛК eee eee ee eee ere eer rer ree rr ree errr eT rT Terre er TT Tere eee ee
ананан TERT CREO EEE EEE REET EEE EE EET завет еб тетте тетет» тт CREE RO HEE SESS ESTEE SHOE ERE E OBE EES
ee eee ee а eee eee ere ere ee ee eee eee ee eee eee)
NON-DORSET TYPES FROM NEWFOUNDLAND
бе аре сете stone KOlVes аа а ОАЕ аа XXVIII Port au Choix cache blades NIA Duran Cono» cache hilares а ee or инеден; XXX Chipped stone projectile points а То т МЕС ана л а Ана шеди ЖОЛДА “тобі amd polisbed gOUges... а аа ыа XXXIII Adzes (mostly non-Dorset) XXXIV Bone artifacts
Cee eee eee eee eee eee re re eee eee rere reer eT eee ee re reer)
Oe Peer КЛ eee ee reer errr rrr rere er ree ree eee ee ee ee eee КЕ
"жетата ee eee eee eee ee eee eee eevee наанаа навана авая тевер err eee)
eee eee ee eee eT ee ee eer ere eer ee eee eee ee eee eee ee ee ee ee eee
List of Figures
Sites of the Cape Dorset Eskimo СциІішге.................................................. Norümestern Newfoundland, Маа анат Ne ААА Б TACTO IDEE dose, а а скан Site Port au Choix—2
Features of Site Port au Choix—2 Site Port au Choix—3
eee ee eee eee ee ee ee eae arrr,
„келжке ee ee ee eee eee ee eee Peer eee eee eee eee eee
Cape Rich and Hawke Bay Area Norris Point Sites, Bonne Bay Comparative site elevations Comparative soil profiles
eee ee ee ee eee ee eee eee eee ee eee ee eee етаж ж
Т Pee Pe eee eee eee re ee eee eee eee ee reer rere rrr аа Tere ee errr rr errr es
N Ime دیا лл JI» ل QD оо س
PTT eT PE адда аа ere ri eri tee два ева
ОАО Е er ee Peer eee errr eer ee rr Perec ee ere eer ЛП
Chart
1 Distribution of artifact types in the Newfoundland Dorset sites..........
vi
Foreword
Except for some editorial changes, the following is the study that Dr. Elmer Harp, Jr. submitted to Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., in 1952, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. It also comprises his report of field-work conducted with support from the Arctic Institute of North America in 1949 and 1950. The National Museum of Canada expresses its gratitude to Dr. Harp and to the officers of the Arctic Institute of North America and Harvard University for permission to publish this study.
No attempt has been made to revise the author’s text in the light of the many major developments since 1952 in the study of Dorset culture, despite the significance of such developments to the question of Dorset cultural affini- ties. The data presented here remain crucial to any understanding of Dorset relations, and their author’s evaluation constitutes a major development in thinking about Dorset origins. In 1961 Dr. Harp began another major programme in Newfoundland, and publications on it will incorporate the pertinent data and thought of the intervening decade.
It is especially fitting that the National Museum of Canada publish this work, for it is the first major study of the prehistory of the Island of New- foundland.
William E. Taylor, Jr., Archaeology Section, National Museum of Canada
vii
BAFFIN
of вн ae
Р «^ “
FIGURE 1—Sites of the Cape Dorset Eskimo Culture.
viii
PART I:
INTRODUCTION
10428-8—2
Résumé
Dans cette étude, l'auteur décrit la présence de la culture Dorset esqui- maude sur le littoral occidental de Terre-Neuve, ой des données fonda- mentales ont été recueillies sur place lors de reconnaissances effectuées au cours des étés de 1949 et de 1950. Huit sites Dorset disséminés sur le cap Riche ont donné un nombre global de 781 objets ouvrés.
Une analyse de la culture Dorset, d'aprés les données connues et publiées à l'heure actuelle, révéle que cette culture se compose de quarante- cinq particularités persistantes et primaires et de six caractéristiques secondaires, dont quarante-neuf sont jugées valables à des fins de com- paraison. La phase terre-neuvienne de la culture Dorset, comparée à ces diverses caractéristiques, affiche un haut degré de corrélation. Cette phase permet également d'ajouter plusieurs nouveaux types à l'inventaire général de la culture Dorset.
Un petit nombre de vestiges sans relation avec la culture Dorset, trouvés dans sept autres sites à Terre-Neuve, sont attribués provisoire- ment à la race indienne disparue des Beothuks. L'auteur étudie la simi- litude de ces objets et de ceux de la phase laurentienne de la période archaique dans le nord-est de l'Amérique du Nord et il note que les Beothuks formaient peut-étre un poste avancé et isolé de cette tradition préhistorique.
L'auteur étudie ensuite en détail les ressemblances entre la culture Dorset et certaines cultures particuliéres de l'Alaska, et il livre ici des traits nouveaux qui semblent les rattacher de prés au complexe d'outils en pierre de Denbigh.
Finalement, il traite du probléme des contacts entre Indiens et Esqui- maux de la culture Dorset dans la région de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador, puis il analyse certaines données qui pourraient constituer des indices de diffusion de cette culture. Cependant, il conclut que les Esquimaux de culture Dorset et les Beothuks constituent des reliquats géographiques de deux courants culturels qui peuvent remonter en définitive à des ancétres communs de l'Ancien Monde.
Acknowledgments
No project of this nature, regardless of its scope, can be accomplished by a single person unaided, and I am greatly indebted to many for help that has been proffered me. It was Frederick Johnson who stimulated my research interest in the North, and the broader concepts of this investigation arose during my association with him in 1947 and 1948. I also look upon him as my chief mentor in the techniques of field-work: he was a patient and thor- ough teacher. At the same time, however, I must note that I am solely responsible for any errors of omission or commission that may have occurred in this study.
My field-work during two seasons was generously supported by the Arctic Institute of North America, with funds provided by the United States Govern- ment, and I am grateful that institutions such as these are willing to back pure research in a time which is so intensely devoted to the interests of applied science and technology. The National Museum of Canada, through the office of Dr. F. J. Alcock, was most gracious in granting permission for this work and in allowing me to remove pertinent collections to this country for purposes of study.
In the area during 1949 I was ably helped by Stearns A. Morse, Dart- mouth '52, and during 1950 by my wife, Elaine, and our elder son, Jack. The first year we were enjoyably transported to and from the Strait of Belle Isle by the Arctic research schooner “Blue Dolphin," through the kindness of its owner and master, Commander David C. Nutt. Also, after camping near and living with various families along the coast we shall always remember the boundless and sincere hospitality of the Newfoundlanders, who go to almost any length to ensure the aid and comfort of a friendly visitor. Chief among these, perhaps, are Dr. and Mrs. Noel F. Murphy of Norris Point, Bonne Bay; Dr. Charles Curtis and his staff members of the Grenfell Mission in St. Anthony and outlying stations; and Mr. A. S. Darby and all the numerous Billards of Port au Choix. There are many others, of course, whose kind- ness is no less appreciated, but whose names I have not mentioned because of insufficient space. In appropriate places throughout the text I have however tried to thank those people who generously gave me artifacts they found.
As for this final synthesis, I am most grateful to Doctors J. O. Brew and Gordon R. Willey for their counsel and guidance, and the mechanical prep- aration of it was inestimably lightened by the willing labours of my good wife and her sister, Elizabeth Groves.
10428-8—21
CHAPTER ONE
Orientation and Method*
This thesis deals, in a broad sense, with the extinct Cape Dorset Eskimo culture of the North American Arctic. More specifically, it is concerned with the particular aspect of that culture which once existed in Newfoundland. It brings to an end the initial phase of what I planned as a long-term project of archaeological research in the northeastern sector of the continent.
The concept of the investigation grew originally from my post-war association with Frederick Johnson, and, as I have already mentioned, I am greatly indebted to him for guidance in this and other matters. My first considered aim in the area was an attack on problems surrounding the defunct Beothuk Indians of Newfoundland, but now, after two summers in the field I clearly have very little evidence that concerns them directly. A great deal of further work will be necessary, especially in the primary matter of locating new Beothuk sites, before anything definitive can be drawn up regarding these people.
On the other hand, the field-work has been very productive in certain different respects. Considerable data have been obtained in a hitherto not well known section of southern Labrador(1), and sizable collections made in a total of thirteen sites in northwestern Newfoundland. Several of these latter sites had been visited twenty years before by W. J. Wintemberg, of the National Museum of Canada, who characterized his findings as related to the Cape Dorset Eskimo culture(2). My own collections from Newfound- land, which are the nuclear data of this thesis, will be examined in the light of Wintemberg’s hypothesis.
Since my field-work to date has been chiefly a reconnaissance, I feel it should be emphasized, although perhaps obviously, that investigation in this area is by no means finished. I believe, however, that a solid beginning has been made and that the results are most encouraging. Also, it appears to me there is now a sufficient corpus of data to warrant a fresh analysis and reappraisal of the Dorset problem. As one’s knowledge of this extinct culture expands with each new find, it is a good idea occasionally to reconsider and rearrange these data with a view to opening up new avenues of approach. That is my over-all purpose at this time. Specifically, the objectives of this thesis may be listed briefly as follows:
1-4о describe as completely as possible the Newfoundland aspect of the
Cape Dorset Eskimo culture;
2—to orient this aspect within the total Dorset culture context;
3—to re-examine the New World relationships of Dorset.
My theoretical approach to these objectives may be classified as mainly historical. Since not all facets of the problem are known, and at best it is
*References and notes will be found on page 173.
possible to abstract only portions of Dorset culture, it does not seem wise at this time to attempt more than I have outlined. Naturally, I shall be interested in examining those functional and developmental aspects of Dorset culture which may be inherent in the data, but in so far as they may relate to that higher concept, the nature of culture, I prefer to wait until there is more information to depend on. It may be, as Taylor says(3), that “the primary concern of the archaeologist should be directed toward a depiction of the culture of a human group represented at a single site or fraction thereof, not toward placement a certain cultural manifestations in a broad panorama of archaeological sites.” Certainly, however, at this stage of the game, it seems equally necessary, important, and interesting for us to attempt just such a placement of Dorset in the broad panorama of Eskimo culture. Dorset can neither be understood nor appreciated without such reference to an exterior whole, and, as far as I am concerned, a complete inferential construct of Dorset culture, in any or all of its sites, would be valueless without it.
The method of the study will involve ordering and analysing all known Dorset cultural remains with the purpose of establishing their significant types and variants of types. Next, after matching the Newfoundland collections against these types, they will be examined from the standpoint of their ultimate New World distribution, and in that manner it may be expected that certain relationships of Dorset with other cultures can be delineated. This will require the use of typology, and it follows that classificatory systems must come into play. I do not, however, intend to adhere rigorously to the tenets of any particular one of these, but I shall try to make evident and clear whatever standards I may be using at a given moment.
As for the techniques I utilized in accumulating field data, they are of a reconnaissance nature, as I have already mentioned. Once a site had been located, it was thoroughly surface-hunted, photographed, and sketch- mapped. Test pits, or trenches, were then excavated to increase the inventory of specimens, to acquire related cultural data of any sort, and to establish the stratigraphic position of the culture-bearing horizon within the soil pro- file. Wherever significant features such as house pits were noted, they too were excavated. In every case, inasmuch as the total soil layers were usually quite thin, all excavation was conducted with a hand trowel, once the sod had been stripped back with a shovel. All but one of the sites investigated were coastal in location and were also situated on one or another of the old raised strandlines which characterize western Newfoundland. This injected an arresting possibility of relative chronology into the problem, and levelling traverses were run with an Abney level from each site down to the high tide mark.
The scheme of presentation from this point on is probably self-explana- tory. The next section offers a historical review of the entire Dorset question in order that this thesis may assume its proper place in the total perspective. The succeeding chapters are devoted to field data, interpretations, and con- clusions. I have chosen to make the field data as simple as possible, and they will be given virtually in outline form. This reduces them to reference status which, I think, is all that is necessary.
6
CHAPTER TWO
The Cape Dorset Eskimo Problem: Historical Perspective from 1925 to 1951*
Ideas of the Cape Dorset Eskimo culture date back only to 1925 when Diamond Jenness recognized several distinctive artifact types and hypo- thetically identified them as part of a hitherto unknown cultural entity in the eastern Arctic(1). The frame of reference that he established stimulated scholars to reorient and refine their investigations into the prehistory of the Eskimo, and the subsequent years have brought considerable elaboration of our theories on that subject. We are not yet, however, in possession of the complete story of the Cape Dorset Eskimo, and so this study will attempt to appraise and integrate their culture complex in terms of one of its sepa- rate manifestations, that which is found in Newfoundland.
The basis of Jenness’s 1925 report was a collection of Eskimo artifacts that came to the National Museum of Canada from Coats Island, in north- ern Hudson Bay, and from a site on Cape Dorset in southwestern Baffin Island. Since there had been no scientific controls on the provenience of these specimens, it was possible only to analyse them typologically, and when this had been done several implement types emerged that were new in the realm of Eskimo archaeology. As set forth by Jenness, these included triangular chipped stone arrow or lance points with concave bases, chipped stone knives with asymmetrically curved edges, and blocks of ground and polished quartz that were probably abrading stones. Among the objects of bone and ivory were a number of strange harpoon heads; although these could be subdivided into several subtypes, all were linked by the common attributes of small size, line holes that had been made by gouging instead of drilling, bi- lateral basal spurs, and shaft sockets that were narrow and rectangular.
Most of the artifacts from the Cape Dorset collection were identified by Jenness as belonging to the Thule culture, the ancient whale-hunting com- plex which had been recently distinguished by Therkel Mathiassen(2). Yet there remained a peculiar grouping of implements representing new and strange forms. None of these contained any drilled holes, and those made of bone and ivory were more darkly patinated and had a greater appearance of antiquity than the ones of the Thule culture. These major criteria led Jenness to postulate the former existence of a separate and older culture which he believed had occupied the area of northern Hudson Bay and south- ern Baffin Island prior to the influx of the Thule culture from the west. He named this complex the Cape Dorset Eskimo culture.
Two years later Mathiassen published complete reports of the work he had done as archaeologist of the Fifth Thule Expedition, 1921-1923, and in these he developed fully his concept of the ancient Thule
*References and notes will be found on page 173.
culture(3). Certain of his finds, particularly those from the sites оп the northern end of Southampton Island and Button Point on Bylot Island, were exactly like those of the Dorset, but for various reasons he preferred to think of these as variants of Thule. For instance, he claimed that the rectangular-socketed harpoon head was an old Thule type which, possibly, was traceable from Siberia to Greenland(4). The triangular arrow points with concave bases, he believed, were a special form of the old Central Eskimo and were also connected with the Thule; however, he concurred with Jenness in allowing that this particular form was a possible indicator of early influence received from the Indians of the boreal forest zone. (At this point he did not mention any specific Indian culture or tribal group.) Inasmuch as several of the bone harpoon heads under consideration had drilled perforations, Mathiassen was of the opinion that the so-called Dorset people had actually possessed knowledge of the drill, although, for some admittedly unaccountable reason, they had made only limited use of it. As for Jenness’s estimate of greater age for Dorset bone artifacts, on the basis of their deeper and heavier patination, Mathiassen could not agree to this. It was then his final opinion that the Dorset culture was a "peculiar, very locally-stamped phase of Thule . . ."(5).
When, in 1928, Mathiassen reported on certain finds that had been made by Lauge Koch in 1922 in Hall Land, on the north coast of Greenland, he once more mentioned a close connection between his material and that of the Dorset culture, as it had been characterized by Jenness. His former view of Dorset, however, remained unchanged, although at this time he admitted that "the ages of the types" were not clearly comparable with the Thule culture(6).
In the meantime, Jenness had done field-work in the Newfoundland area during the summer of 1927, the results of which he summarized in brief reports in 1928 and 1929. Once more he had come upon the peculiar fea- tures of the Cape Dorset culture, but this time he assigned them to a Beothuk Indian context. (It is not quite clear to me how Jenness knew that this material was Beothuk instead of Dorset, but that is a matter I shall deal with in a later section.) What slight knowledge we have concerning the extinct Beothuk indicates that they were basically Algonkian in culture, but here was evidence that seemed to show Dorset influence upon their culture. Jenness stated that the Beothuk hunted seals in the open sea with retrieving harpoons of Dorset type(7), and other Dorset traits which he noted in Beothuk specimens included triangular arrow points of flint, quartz, and basalt, curved-edge knives of flint and quartz, and a variety of simple, linear engraving. Aside from thus strengthening the position of his original Dorset hypothesis, Jenness's new data suggested contact and acculturation between early Eskimo and early Indian, and so exposed a different and highly important aspect of the problem.
The next published work which had a significant bearing on the Dorset hypothesis appeared in 1930, namely a report of W. D. Strong's archaeolo- gical investigations in northeastern Labrador. One of Strong's interests lay in the explanation of certain common factors which characterize the oldest culture horizons in the northeast. In early levels there are many trait
8
correspondences between Eskimo and Indian cultures, and Strong postulated that his finds of an Old Stone complex in Labrador might represent a basic horizon which contained all the essential elements for the later development of both cultures, at least in the northeast(8). If this were true, it would then follow that Dorset might not have been Eskimo at all, and so might be disconnected from the classic stream of Eskimo development that has been charted from Alaska eastward to Greenland. Indeed, other scholars have briefly held a similar view, as we shall see.
Jenness again entered the tourney in 1933 when he marshalled all the then known facts and strongly reaffirmed his opinion of the Dorset as a sepa- rate and independent culture which was clearly distinct from Thule. At this time he also suggested the possibility that the Dorset might have derived from the Caribou Eskimo, on the grounds that the Dorset culture, since it "depended more on fish and land animals than on sea-mammals," seemed to occupy an intermediate position between the predominantly inland Caribou Eskimo and the maritime Thule(9). This hypothesis offered incidental support to Birket-Smith's theory concerning an inland origin for all Eskimo culture( 10).
Included in this last paper of Jenness's was the information that W. J. Wintemberg had conducted a reconnaissance in western Newfoundland during 1929 and had discovered sites there which apparently contained pure Dorset material. Although Wintemberg did not publish on these finds until 1939(11), the mere announcement of them by Jenness was sufficiently important to cause a radical change in current thought on the Dorset problem. It is for this reason that his results had best be mentioned at this stage of our historical narrative. Wintemberg's finds included some of the diagnostic traits which had already been described for Dorset, but the Dorset complex was not particularly clarified by his collections: there were anomalous elements present, among them gouges and plummets which strongly smacked of Indian culture. Nevertheless, Newfoundland was thus more definitely than ever placed within the realm of former Dorset occupation, and a slightly clearer focus was obtained on an area of probable acculturation between early Indian and Eskimo.
One of the most important results of this last research in Newfoundland was a complete vindication of the Dorset position as an autonomous culture. Mathiassen revised his former opinion and agreed that Dorset was too different from Thule to have arisen from it(12). At the same time he found himself unable to concur with Jenness's suggestion that Dorset might have derived from the Caribou Eskimo: he could not see enough cultural simi- larity beyond the supposition that both were inland cultures which had apparently been based more on hunting and fishing than on sealing and whaling(13).
As an alternative hypothesis Mathiassen then stated that perhaps the Dorset culture was not Eskimo but rather Indian, and that it had later come in contact with the Thule Eskimo in the region of Hudson Bay(14). Collins, for a time, considered this a reasonable position, and he emphasized the affinities that seemed to exist between Dorset, on the one hand, and the Beothuk and prehistoric ‘Red Paint’ cultures, on the other(15). Several
9
years later, however, in his classic review of Eskimo prehistory, he dropped this tentative opinion because the ever-expanding Dorset culture context pos- sessed too many basic Eskimo elements, and on that basis it seemed un- likely to have been of Indian origin(16). Collins further pointed out resem- blances in stone techniques and art styles which tend to link Dorset with the earliest known Alaskan Eskimo cultures, although he continued to stress the fact that Dorset probably could not be interpreted completely without due consideration for the Indian cultures adjacent to it in the northeast.
The next excavation of a major Dorset site was conducted by Graham Rowley in Foxe Basin during 1939. Here, on Abverdjar Island, off the Mel- ville peninsula, a sizable inventory of specimens was obtained, and condi- tions indicated that the site was probably pure Dorset. Both the types and techniques of Thule and modern Eskimo cultures were missing(17). This material further confirmed Jenness’s original analysis, and it also added other new types to the Dorset context. Among the most important of these was a series of bone carvings, on the basis of which Rowley stated that he could not support Collins’s view that Dorset art was similar to that of Old Bering Sea — 1(18). The absence, however, of so many typical Eskimo traits from the Abverdjar site indicated to Rowley an early date for the culture, and he suggested that the Eskimo remains seen by Eric the Red in 985 may have been those of the Dorset.
In the same year, 1940, Quimby reported on a collection that he had obtained from the Belcher Islands in southern Hudson Bay. The founda- tion of this culture, which he named ‘Manitunik,’ appeared to be a mixture of both Thule and Dorset elements. This is one of the few known cases in which, at a reputedly early time level, one finds an authentic union be- tween the two cultures. In other places where both Thule and Dorset remains have occurred together, it has been difficult, if not impossible, to de- cide whether this communion had arisen from acculturation or out of strati- fied deposits. At any rate, in the Manitunik culture only a minority of traits could be attributed to Dorset influence. On this basis, Quimby postulated that Thule, after migrating into the eastern Arctic, had mixed slightly with Dorset, and then had gradually moved southward along the east coast of Hudson Bay, developing new traits and adopting others from the Indians of ancestral Algonkian stock(19). Another collection from the Belcher Islands, described by Jenness in 1941, also combined Dorset and Thule traits, but in this case no definitive statements could be made because the proveni- ence had lacked scientific direction.
A new major synthesis of the problem was given by Jenness in 1940, in which he reiterated his conviction that the Dorset had been genuine Eskimo, and that they had derived from the same parent trunk as the ancient Eskimo cultures of Alaska. In this connection he cited the various similarities which tend to link Dorset with Old Bering Sea-I, and also with Kachemak Bay in southern Alaska, the latter case evidenced by de Laguna’s finds there(20). It seemed to him then that Dorset had separated from this parent stock some time prior to the development of Old Bering Sea-I and had moved east- ward into Canada not later than ‘the first millenium B.C.'(21). From this point on, he suggested, the Athapascan migrations became a major factor in the spread of the Dorset toward the east, and the Dorset had, as a result
10
of such pressure, left a position of contact with the Caribou Eskimo and developed their coastal culture which later stretched from Newfoundland to northern Greenland.
In 1943 Leechman published a report on two Dorset sites which he had excavated during the middle '30's. These were located in the general area of Hudson Strait. They produced considerable material that served to but- tress the established Dorset types and also indicated stratigraphically that Dorset was earlier than Thule.
During the same period a survey in the Thule District of northwestern Greenland was conducted by Holtved, the results of which were published in 1944, He suggested that Dorset had also been the earliest Eskimo culture in Greenland, and he assumed that it had reached there before A.D. 1000. It was then followed by an early phase of Thule, which Holtved held remark- able in that it showed more characteristics of an inland culture than did the later Thule phases. He asserted, however, that Thule and Dorset were basi- cally alike in their ice-hunting techniques and other general elements, and from this likeness he inferred that they represented parallel developments from a common proto-Eskimo culture which was assumed to have had some knowledge of a coastal existence. Although Old Bering Sea shared in this common ancestral foundation, the latter, according to Holtved, was more nearly like Thule than the other offspring(22).
Junius Bird(23) who conducted field-work in the Hopedale area of Labra- dor, found that Eskimo remains there could not be traced culturally with any certainty, although he did mark the presence of both Thule and Dorset traits. He also had more to say on the subject of Strong’s Old Stone Culture and claimed that it should be attributed to the Dorset Eskimo, in spite of the anomalous Indian traits to be found within it.
To date, there have been no other extensive published works dealing with archaeology in the realm of Dorset culture. In the summer of 1948 H. B. Collins excavated a stratified site in Frobisher Bay, southeastern Baffin Island, which contained two distinct occupation levels, Dorset and Thule, but no information beyond a preliminary report is yet available(24). The present writer, during 1949 and 1950, conducted intensive reconnaissance in the Newfoundland area, first opened up by Wintemberg, and it is mainly his experience there which constitutes the basis of this thesis(25).
As for synthesis, however, other scholars have continued to deal in some measure with the Dorset problem because of its importance as a factor in the general pre-history of the North American Arctic. Among these have been de Laguna (1946 and 1947), Larsen and Rainey (1948), and Gjessing (1948). De Laguna stressed once more the acculturation that must have occurred between eastern Eskimo and Indian cultures during the Archaic period and suggested that contact between Dorset and Beothuk may have afforded the medium out of which arose the inland and coastal Lau- rentian aspect circa A.D. 1000(26). As for origins, she theorized that Dorset had ultimately derived from the ancient North Pacific continuum and indi- cated that it was linked by an important series of traits to Kachemak Вау-І in southern Alaska. Gjessing similarly regarded a generalized circumpolar complex as one of the key factors in the elucidation of both Indian and
11
Eskimo cultures, although he believed that many of the so-called Eskimo elements that occur in northeastern Indian cultures are not Eskimo at all, but rather are Old World components which were supplied to the Indians by the circumpolar complex(27). Larsen and Rainey expressed the view that Dorset was the eastern parallel of their Ipiutak culture because of basic similarities in economic orientation, various implement types, and also certain negative parallels, such as absence of the bow drill, whale hunting, and traces of the dog sled(28).
One last note of interest in our historical narrative comes from J. L. Giddings’ work in early flint horizons on the north Bering Sea coast in Alaska. His preliminary report of 1949 shows that stratified sites there indicate a shift in Eskimo culture through a long time span, and his finds in the earliest stratum demonstrate a positive similarity to Dorset, at least in the matter of lamellar flaking. This, and other matters that have been only briefly
touched upon in the introduction, will all be considered in greater detail in the ensuing chapters of this study.
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FIELD DATA FROM NEWFOUNDLAND 1949 AND 1950
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CHAPTER THREE
The Geographical Setting*
Most of the archaeological data related to the Cape Dorset Eskimo culture in Newfoundland were obtained from two major centres on the west coast of the island, Cape Rich and Bonne Bay (Figure 2, p. 16). They will be presented in detail in this section of the thesis. Other sites, which indicate a non-Dorset cul- ture complex, will be considered as comparative material in later chapters.
During both summers of field-work considerable working time was lost be- cause of storms, for the generally unpredictable weather along the west coast often makes travel by small boat hazardous, if not impossible. Beyond walking, there is no means of transportation overland during this season, and frequently one has no alternative but to sit and wait out a blow. For that reason 1 still have not visited all the locations that were included in my original plans. A rather com- plete itinerary of my movements in 1949 will be found published in a preliminary report of that season; in 1950, in addition to further reconnaissance in interior portions of the island, I revisited both the Cape Rich and Bonne Bay areas and conducted more work there.
The physical aspect of the west coast of Newfoundland between Cape Rich and Bonne Bay is one of ruggedness and grandeur. It is a section which is often referred to as ‘the 80 miles of coastline without a harbour.’ Fronting the sea is a low, featureless coastal plain which is heavily covered with coniferous forest and dissected by the broad shallow valleys of numerous streams. Many of these streams widen into lakes that stretch across the plain from the very sea back into the glaciated canyons of the Long Range Mountains. Scattered across the surface of the plain are deposits of glacial till, and beneath are sandstones, limestones, and shales.
The most striking feature of the coast is the escarpment of the Long Range Mountains which rises abrupt and sheer behind the narrow plain. The summits of these mountains are plateau-like and barren, and their elevations run from 1,656 feet in the Highlands of St. John, which lie just north of Cape Rich, to the 2,651-foot height of Gros Morne, the highest mountain in Newfoundland, which overlooks Bonne Bay at the southern end of the range. This scarp is the result of major faulting which occurred in Appalachian times when the metamorphic rocks of the mountains were thrust westward over the younger Palaeozoic rocks which underlie the coastal plain(1).
The surface and drainage patterns of the island were considerably altered during the Pleistocene, and the effects of ice-action are particularly apparent along the west coast where the major valleys which penetrate the scarp are deep, U-shaped troughs. Bonne Bay itself is a beautiful example of a drowned, glaciated valley, or fjord. A series of raised, ancient beaches are clearly evident at many points along the coast, and the elevations of these run from fifteen to at least one hundred feet above present sea-level.
*References and notes will be found on page 173.
15
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FIGURE 2—Northwestern Newfoundland.
ATLANTIC OCEAN
Although the general climate of Newfoundland is marine in character, that of its west coast is somewhat less than equable. The icy Labrador Current which swoops through the Strait of Belle Isle chills the air and creates a bar- rier against the penetration of warmer air masses from the south. Added to this factor is the island’s location directly in the track of the cyclonic storms which trend out of the Gulf of St. Lawrence toward the Atlantic. Winds are highly variable, changing direction rapidly, and storms are frequent and intense. The winters, which are long and cold throughout the island, tend to be more severe on the west coast, and the short summers there are similarly cooler. Rainfall is everywhere abundant, averaging more than thirty inches for most of the island, and winter snow attains a maximum depth of 120 inches in the northern portions.
Especially characteristic of the west coast are the heavy fogs which are generated when warm southwest winds pour out of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and over the Labrador Current. These are more prevalent during the sum- mer, when, for instance, the Strait of Belle Isle has an average of seventeen foggy days in the month of July.
Ice conditions are another important factor in the general ecology, for during the winter months practically all but the southern < »astline is sealed in. Field ice begins to form in the early fall, and by December it is being augmented by arctic ice carried down on the Labrador Current. In the same month the Strait of Belle Isle is choked off, and by the end of January the pack has usually reached south to the Nova Scotian coast. Though the break-up begins in April, it may be as late as June before the Strait is clear. Icebergs continue to be a hazard to navigation during the remaining sum- mer months.
Present-day human subsistence patterns on the west coast are oriented mainly around the fisheries, and this is a condition which may have pre- vailed in unbroken sequence since prehistoric times. The tiny ‘outport’ settle- ments, which vary in size from one or two families to several hundred people, exist in a high degree of isolation. The mainstay of their economy is the inshore fishing operation in which cod, salmon, and lobster are paramount. Sealing becomes an important occupation during six to eight weeks of the spring when the seals are hunted on the offshore ice. Indeed, Cape Rich is still a favorite sealing ground, and the modern hunters make their kill on the same rocky headlands where once, in times past, the Cape Dorset Eskimo stalked a similar prey. For a subsidiary income, many of the modern fisher- men take to the woods in winter-time and cut timber for the pulp mills at Corner Brook in the Bay of Islands.
17
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CHAPTER FOUR
The West Coast Sites*
The most important group of west coast sites which I investigated occurs on Cape Rich, a rocky, barren headland some forty miles south of the en- trance to the Strait of Belle Isle. The Cape itself is a complex of two penin- sulas which is connected to the main body of the island by an isthmus. The general plan of this can best be ascertained from the map in Figure 3, p. 19. On the north side of the isthmus is a sheltered harbour named Port au Choix, one of the best on the coast, and I have used the name of the settlement there as the prime designator for my series of sites on the Cape. The numeri- cal sequence I use is based solely on the chronological order in which I investigated or discovered these sites.
Site: PORT AU CHOIX—1
Location—(See Figure 3, page 19). Situated on the north shore of Cape Rich peninsula at the base of Calvary Point. It stands approximately a hundred yards back from the beach at an elevation of 31 feet above sea-level.
Description—tThis section of the shoreline is open and covered only with low-growing heath vegetation. The turf has been cut here and there by a net- work of cow and horse trails, and in places these have been blown out into larger exposures. The site occurs in one of these, amidst a scattering of weathered fragments of limestone. The amount of cultural debris found here on the surface was small and was limited to a circular area about eight feet in diameter. This was probably a briefly-used camp-site, although there is a possibility that it may have been a peripheral manifestation of the larger site of Port au Choix-2, which lies less than 200 yards away in a westerly direction.
Profile—(See comparative sketches, Figure 11, p. 88).
1) Present surface turf, 1 to 2 inches thick.
2) Reddish brown peaty earth, 4 to 6 inches thick. This denotes the former presence of coniferous scrub or forest in this particular sec- tion. The culture occurred at the base of this stratum and on top of the underlying beach formation. Thus, presumably, the site was occupied prior to the growth of forest.
3) Limestone bedrock and water-worn fragments of same.
Cultural Remains—Exploratory trowelling located traces of a hearth area on top of the rock stratum: these included fine fragments of charcoal, several pieces of burned and heat-cracked rock, and a few bits of burned bone. Numerous chips of flint and chert, many of them tiny pressure flakes, and a total of ten artifacts were also collected from this site. This material,
*References and notes will be found on page 173.
18
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FIGURE 3—Cape Rich area, Newfoundland.
19
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with the exception of опе small corner-notched point of translucent grey quartzite, is typically Dorset, as will be shown in a later section.
Site: PORT AU CHOIX—2
Location—(See Figure 3, p. 19). Situated on the north shore of Cape Rich peninsula, roughly midway between Calvary Point and Blanche Point. This is the site, known locally as ‘Phillip’s Garden,’ which Wintemberg visited briefly in 1929 and test-pitted on the 'north end'(1).
Description—(See Figure 4, p. 21). The site lies within an open, grassed- over area which is semicircular in shape and measures approximately 220 yards across the beach front by 140 yards deep. This meadow is heavily turfed over and carpeted with a profusion of wild iris. Surrounding it on the landward side is an almost unbroken ring of stunted scrub firs. At preseat it is used as a pasture for the few head of cattle and horses which are kept on the peninsula.
Traversing the site in an east-west direction are three raised terraces which stand 6, 14, and 31 feet above sea-level. The uppermost two of these benches contain cultural remains in the form of refuse middens, house pits, and asso- ciated artifacts. А majority of the house pits occur on the middle bench, together with most of the remains. The lowest bench apparently was not occupied in the prehistoric period, and the highest one contains only a rela- tively small concentration of cultural debris in its easterly half. As a whole, this is the most extensive and important of the Dorset sites that I have so far encountered in the area.
Profile—(See comparative sketches in Figure 11, p. 88).
1) Present surface turf, 1 to 2 inches thick.
2) Dense, hard-packed, black soil, shot through with grass roots, 2 to 6 inches thick. The cultural materials occur throughout this zone, but there is no discernible internal stratigraphy. The absence of red peat suggests that the site has never been forested and that the surrounding scrub fir is only now encroaching upon the meadow.
3) Coarse, brownish beach sand and weathered limestone rocks of slablike shape.
Although this place is called ‘Phillip’s Garden,’ there is no indication what- soever that it has ever been used for gardening purposes. In the memory of the eldest members of the nearby communities there are no folk tales of gardens. Furthermore, there are no disturbances in the soil profile: the masses of food-bone debris contained in the middens are uniformly well-preserved and patinated (which would not be the case had they ever been spaded over); and the surface of the meadow does not have the furrowed topography that results from local gardening practices, which endures for many years in the form of parallel ridges running up the slope.
Cultural Remains—A total of 551 artifacts are at hand from this site, and yet it can be said without exaggeration that I have done little more than scratch the total area involved. In 1949, test trenches were trowelled in House-1, on Bench-3, and through a short section of the middens on Bench-2 (Figure 4). In 1950, a trench of approximately sixty feet in
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length and two feet in width was excavated across the front of Bench-2 and within House-3, toward the western end of the site. Another simi- lar trench, 50 feet in length, was dug up on Bench-3 at the eastern end (Figure 4). This more or less equal sampling of both levels was intended to discern any possible cultural differences that might exist between the two, and the results of this work will be discussed in the later comparative sections.
The most interesting feature of this site is the series of house pits which mark both the middle and upper terraces. These are not at once apparent, but upon close observation they show up as shallow, saucer-shaped depres- sions. Most of them are further delineated by an unusually lush growth of meadow grass and wild iris in their interiors. I counted a total of sixteen of these house pits, of which fourteen are situated on Bench-2 and two on Bench-3. There may be several others, particularly two more on Bench-3, but I could not be certain of their authenticity, and there was no time to prove it by excavation. The sketch map in Figure 4 shows the general dis- tribution of the pits and the system of numbers which I have applied to them.
These depressions may be either round or rectangular. Each is surrounded by a grass-covered ridge of earth which rises from 12 to 18 inches above the exterior surface of the meadow (Figure 5-A and -B, p. 23). The ridges themselves are gently sloping, and at the base level of the meadow they may measure anywhere from 3 to 8 feet in thickness. I suspect that this great variation in width may be due to the possibility that portions of some of the ridges may be refuse middens. Most of the house-pit interiors are sunken 6 to 12 inches beneath the general surface of the terrace on which they are situated. The over-all size of the pits is also somewhat variable: the largest that I measured is 15 feet square, and from this apparent upper limit they graduate downward to several round depressions which have a diameter of 10 feet.
Few of the house pits offer any indication of former entryways, but in some cases there seems to be a slight break in the surrounding ridge on the seaward, or north side. In no instance is this well defined. Evidence ob- tained from the test trenches, however, showed rather more conclusively that the dwellings were indeed oriented toward the beach, and the presence of hearth areas on their northerly sides probably can be equated with entrances that faced in the same direction (Figure 5-C, p. 23).
Excavations were made in Houses No. 1 and No. 3 in order to determine any structural aspects of the pits and their enclosing ridges. These disclosed that a more or less normal soil profile exists in all portions of a given house area (Figure 5-B, p. 23). There are no purposeful walls of stonework be- neath the ridges, nor are there floorings of stone or other material within the pits. On the other hand, there seemed to be a few more of the flat lime- stone beach rocks concentrated within the ridges than were normally found at other places in the meadow, and this fact suggests that the house pits are the remains of locations where skin tents were held down by rings of stone.
The trenches across the fronts of Bench-2 and Bench-3 uncovered a cer- tain pattern of human occupation around each of the house pits (Figure 5-C).
22
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23
In front of Houses No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 there were strong concen- trations of hearth signs, including fragments of charcoal, bits of burned and calcined bone, heat-cracked rock, and sherds of carbon-encrusted soapstone cooking vessels. Mixed with these were occasional scrap chips of flint and chert and a few stone implements. Beyond the periphery of the hearth, in each case, there commenced a midden of food bone debris which also tended to be a manifestation of the individual household. As the trench extended across the front of the bench between house pits, this concentration of bone lessened, faded out, and then increased again as the next hearth was ap- proached. Presumably this pattern may hold for the other house pits in the site.
The distribution of artifacts here closely followed that of the bone mid- dens. Most of the specimens and scrap chips were intermixed haphazardly with the bone debris, and these deposits always coincided with the stratum of dense, black soil which lies beneath the surface sod and on top of the old beach sand and gravel. There was no discernible stratigraphy within this cul- ture zone. One remarkable fact was the excellent state of preservation that characterized most of the bony material in the site, whether artifacts or food debris. This seems to indicate that the relatively small percentage of bone artifacts represents a fairly true sample of this category, and that not too many have been lost through disintegration.
Site: PORT AU CHOIX—3
Location—(See Figure 3, p. 19). Situated on the adjoining properties of Ernest Billard, Pius Billard, A. S. Darby, and Walter Billard in the settle- ment at Port au Choix, or, as it is locally known, the Back Arm. Mate- rial was obtained here from two raised beach levels, at elevations of 17 and 29 feet above sea-level.
Description—(See Figure 6, p. 26). This site was also first mentioned by Wintemberg(2) who obtained several specimens found there by Mr. A. S. Darby. During my two summers at this outport I was able to acquire con- siderably more material and data from the site, both through gifts and excavation. These do not fall within the Cape Dorset Eskimo complex, but I shall include a discussion of the site here because it^best fits the sequence of investigation. The artifacts will be considered in a later section.
My collections from this site were found by myself and others within a semicircular area, about 200 yards in diameter, which centres on Mr. Darby's wharf. Because of this fairly large spread and the fact that the specimens came from two separate raised benches, it is quite possible that there is more than one site here. However, since the finds are generally different from those in other west coast sites, it is probably legitimate to consider them as part of a single manifestation, at least until more thorough investigation has been conducted in this locality.
The area is largely open now on the two lower levels, but when Mr. Darby came there as one of the first settlers in about 1910, the land was heavily bushed in down to the water's edge. Portions of the second terrace, and almost all of the third, the elevation of which I did not check, are still
24
thickly covered with scrub fir. A small stream flows down through the site from an interior, spring-fed pond, and, judged from the contours of the ter- races, this stream has been in existence for a very long period. Perhaps it was also a major attraction for human occupation even in prehistoric times.
Profile—(See Figure 6, p. 26, and the comparative sketches in Figure 11, p. 88).
1) Present turf and topsoil, 6 inches thick.
2) Dark, black soil, 6 to 12 inches thick. Chips and artifacts occur throughout this layer.
3) White, calcareous band, one inch thick.
4) Coarse brown sand mixed with water-worn pebbles and miscellaneous beach rock, to undetermined depth. The uppermost 4 to 8 inches of this zone are discoloured, probably because of leaching from the strata above.
The above description characterizes the soil profile as it occurs on the lowermost terrace, 17 feet above sea-level. Here, as indicated in Figure 6, I excavated a trench along the back side of Walter Billard’s garden. The dark loam seems to have formed on top of a highly irregular duned sand surface, and the junction between the two is marked by the hard calcareous layer. Probably this developed as a result of leaching of the acid topsoil and sub- sequent reaction with the limestone rocks and other basic constituents of the beach sand. Elsewhere on the site I made other test excavations, but in each case the profile was completely individualized as the result of man-made disturbances.
Cultural Remains—I have a total of 36 specimens obtained from different parts of this site. Perhaps the most remarkable of these is part of a large cache of quartzite chopping tools, knives, and scrapers which Walter Billard unearthed in his garden in 1946. The nearby trench which I put in added a few specimens to this inventory and was instrumental in properly locating these remains in the soil profile.
I am also in possession of parts of two skeletons which were discovered about ten years ago along the side of Mr. A. S. Darby’s barn. These com- prise what is left of one large adult and a child, but unfortunately the skulls are missing, and most of the bones are in bad shape after being haphazardly stored in a wooden box. The stories concerning the recovery of the skeletons are conflicting, but apparently they were laid out together in prone burial. Among these remains I found portions of six large bone needles, which at least establishes a strong probability that the skeletons are aboriginal.
The other specimens from this site came from the 29-foot terrace, and they were found in years past by Pius and Ernest Billard. They are polished stone implements, adzes and gouges, and beyond the known pale of Cape Dorset Eskimo culture.
Although it seems certain that this site area contains far more extensive remains, further efforts on my part were not successful. Test-trenching near the burials, and also up on the 29-foot terrace, was unproductive, and in a large remaining portion of the site I could not dig because of the valuable pasture lands involved.
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Site: PORT AU CHOIX—4
Location—Near the northeastern end of Port au Choix peninsula, at the base of the first major bluff behind the beach. The location bears north- northwest from the light on Querre Island.
This site is included in my chronological sequence, although I paid it only a brief visit in order to check on its general situation. It was first mentioned by Howley(3), and it appears to have been a Beothuk Indian burial. At the same time, it seems likely that the implements found there may have been Dorset, or at least have been influenced by that culture, as Howley himself comments on their similarities to Eskimo types. My only find at the site was a child's femur.
Site: PORT AU CHOIX—5
Location—(See Figure 3, p. 19, and Figure 7, p. 29). Situated on the property of Mr. James Billard, on the north side of the isthmus which con- nects Cape Rich peninsula with Port au Choix peninsula. More exactly, the site occurs in Mr. Billard's garden, directly behind his house, at an elevation of 20 feet above sea-level.
Description—I continue to list this as a separate site because Wintemberg first mentioned it and obtained a few specimens therefrom(4). А new site which I discovered in 1949, Port au Choix—7 (q.v.), lies less than a hundred yards away, and the topography is such a limiting factor that I am inclined to believe that both these sites may well have been part of a single cultural manifestation on the upper levels of the isthmus.
At present the isthmus is bare of any tree type vegetation, and it has been turned into various gardens and pasture lands by the four families who dwell on the trail which runs across it. Indications in one of my trenches in Site No. 7, however, demonstrate at least a partial former cover of woods. The backbone of the isthmus is a ridge of fossiliferous limestone which bridges the two peninsulas and stands 35 feet above sea-level at its highest point.
In this particular site I did not conduct any excavations, and the nineteen specimens that I have from it were obtained solely by surface hunting in Mr. Billard's garden.
Site: PORT AU CHOIX—6
Location—(See Figure 3, p. 19). Situated on the property of Mr. Stanley Lavers athwart the isthmus which connects Cape Rich peninsula to the main body of Newfoundland. The site stands on a terrace 17 feet above sea-level and faces north toward Port au Choix, or the Back Arm.
Description—'This area too has been cleared for recent habitation, although the indications are that it was once wooded. It is difficult to judge the extent of the prehistoric occupation here, but my finds from surface hunting and excavation stretched across slightly more than a hundred feet of the terrace front. This isthmus is quite low-lying and the 17-foot terrace is virtually its uppermost level.
24
70428-8—31
Profile—(See comparative sketches in Figure 11, р. 88). 1) Present surface turf, 1 to 2 inches thick. 2) Reddish brown peaty earth, 6 to 8 inches thick, which indicates former growth of forest. 3) Dense, black soil, 1 to 2 inches thick. This is the culture horizon. 4) Coarse, brown water-laid sand and gravel to undetermined depth. Cultural Remains—This site was discovered when flint chips cropped up in the freshly-dug basement hole of a new house and were brought to my camp by some of the local boys. I was later permitted to excavate one test pit, four feet square, several feet away from the northwest corner of the basement. All the remains occurred in the buried horizon of black soil which lay beneath the red peaty earth. Many fragments of charcoal were intermixed with the soil here, and there were also many food refuse bones. A total of 36 specimens, all of Dorset type, together with numerous chips, came from this small pit.
Site: PORT AU CHOIX—7
Location—(See Figure 3, p. 19, and Figure 7, p. 29). Situated in a former potato garden on the rise of land behind the house of Mr. Harold Northicut, on the south side of the isthmus which connects the peninsulas of Port au Choix and Cape Rich. The elevation of this site is about 35 feet above sea-level.
Description—As I have already mentioned, I suspect that this site is only a portion of a larger prehistoric occupation which once covered most of the top levels of this isthmus. The land continues rising behind it in an easterly direction, to the barren hilltops of Port au Choix peninsula, but at the southern edge of the site there is a sharp 20-foot bluff which drops away to a broad swampy flat at the head of the Back Arm. The area of the site is roughly that of an equilateral triangle about 90 feet on a side. The side which extends along the edge of the bluff is still covered with scrub fir, but the inner portions of the triangle were cleared many years ago for a garden. The ridge and furrow topography of this garden still shows very plainly in the undulations of the sod. Mr. Ange Cadet told me that he had formerly found there “тапу arrow points and pieces of bone with holes drilled in them" [sic], but, unfortunately, these had long since disappeared.
Profile—(See comparative sketches in Figure 11, p. 88). I made two adjacent excavations in this site, and in each there was a different soil profile. Within the former garden area, of course, everything had been dis- turbed, and the profile was stratified as follows:
1) Present surface turf, one-half to one inch thick.
2) Dense, black soil, 2 to 4 inches thick. All the cultural remains occurred here.
3) Coarse sand and limestone gravel to undetermined depth.
Twenty feet south of the above excavation and beyond the apparent edge of the garden, I dug another pit. Here the section was undisturbed, except that the surface had at one time been cleared of its former cover of bush, as evidenced by a stratum of red peaty earth.
28
: О: «Э О с; ANGE CADET
ARTIFACTS ALSO «а рүү omaia РАУ SE REPORTED FROM ёў THESE AREAS
YARDS
H. NORTHICUT а
` APPROXIMATE
SITE NO. 7 TRENCHES
OLD PORT AU CHOIX OR THE BACK ARM
SITES PORT енор eS c 7 CAPE RICH (cr. FIGURE з)
SITE abr 7 SITE xí 5
PROFILE OF ISTHMUS THROUGH SITES
FIGURE 7—Sifes Port au Choix, 5 and 7.
29
1) Present surface turf, 1 to 2 inches thick.
2) Reddish brown peaty earth, 4 to 8 inches thick, with heavy humus content and shot through with sod roots.
3) Dense, black soil, 3 to 6 inches thick, also shot through with roots. A few scattered chips occurred within this layer, but the major culture horizon appeared to lie just on top of it, at the base of the red peat.
4) White, calcareous band, one inch thick.
5) Coarse sand and limestone gravel, as before.
Cultural Remains—This was the second most productive of the Dorset sites which I investigated. From approximately forty feet of test trenches, 36 inches wide, and from the small pit mentioned above, I obtained a total of 135 specimens of most types and categories that are represented in my entire collection. This was in spite of the fact that the bulk of my excava- tion took place in an area that had already been disturbed and culled for artifacts. I was somewhat surprised not to find any food-bone debris during this work, for it seemed that this had been quite an extensive occupation. It is possible, however, that repeated spading-over of the potato garden may have exposed the bony material, both debris and artifacts, to final disintegra- tion. No other features were noted at this site.
Site: PORT AU CHOIX—8
This was a minor occurrence of flint chips which I located in situ just east of site area No. 3. There was no time available for a careful investiga- tion, and no true specimens were found here, but I have included a sketch of the soil profile for comparative purposes (see Figure 11, p. 88).
Site: KEPPEL ISLAND, Hawke Bay
Location—(See Figure 8, p. 31). Situated on Codtail Point at the easterly end of Keppel Island. The island itself lies in the mouth of Hawke Bay and just off the entrance to the harbour of Port Saunders. The site is about six miles distant in a southerly direction from the lighthouse on Cape Rich.
Description— Although it has been known locally for some years, Wintem- berg was the first to publish on this site(5). He mentioned finding here low circular piles of rocks and round depressions which suggested house ruins, and another feature which he noted was a row of nangissat, or 'hopping stones.’ None of these was evident at the time of my visit, but the preceding twenty years may have seen considerable change in the topography of the point, exposed as it 15 to ice-action in the mouth of the bay.
Because of an approaching storm, I had very little time to spend here, and the total of 22 specimens which I collected is the result only of a surface hunt. The entire point appears to be built of gravel which has been pushed up into a series of ridges by ice action. The highest general surface is 15 feet above sea-level, and it is covered with a carpet of creeper and low- growing bush. Here and there patches of gravel are exposed, and it was in several of these that concentrations of chips and artifacts were spotted. There was no soil cover to speak of, and the cultural remains occurred in the
uppermost one inch of gravel. Ж ж ж
30
vay Коң гумоц рир wong гарэ-8 auns
GNV1SI 13dd3?5l
AVS XIOHIVNYOONI
(г aunoig 33)
VjuVv Avd 324 MVH ПЕД Sd wo
LJ О Zz ш сс > ч iJ E Ф TS о Lo EE E) v
31
IE
‚ The second focus of sites that I investigated centres in Bonne Bay, some eighty miles south of the Cape Rich-Hawke Bay area. However, I have material from only two sites there, and the data, being quantitatively small, do not have the significance that may be attached to the first group of sites already described,
Bonne Bay, one of the most beautiful and picturesque places in all New- foundland, is a great fjord which cuts back into the Long Range Mountains for a distance of more than twelve miles from the coast. Table-topped mountains rise sharply to heights of 2,000 feet and more on all sides, and only in several places do the rugged slopes taper down into terraced flats that are suitable for any extensive occupation. Such areas seem to have been used by prehistoric and modern folk alike. The natural shelter and deep water of the harbours are so excellent that in recent years the British Navy has used the bay as an operational base.
Site: NORRIS POINT—1
Location—(See Figure 9, p. 33). Situated on the very end of Norris Point, which projects southward from the settlement of the same name, on the north shore of Bonne Bay.
Description—Wintemberg was the first to publish on this site (6), but even at the time of his visit it had been known on the coast for many years. Indeed, when I arrived in 1949 to check further on its potentialities, it was immediately apparent that the site had been completely disturbed and rifled of its treasures. I was later informed that artifacts in untold quantities had been dug up here by the local boys and sold to travellers at the steamer dock, a mere two hundred yards away. Reports indicate that the point was at one time completely wooded, but it is now a broad expanse of pasture land, slightly more than one acre in extent, which stands approximately thirty feet above sea-level. It is made up of bedded limestones and shales, and, although Wintemberg mentioned a soil profile some 6 inches deep, in most places there is now barely more than a thin surface turf.
Cultural Remains—A careful surface hunt resulted only in several speci- mens being found. Fortunately, however, before I left the area, Mr. Bryant Harding of Norris Point very kindly presented to me the residue of his own once-extensive collection from the site. Therefore, I have at hand a total of 41 specimens from what is now a lost opportunity.
Site: NORRIS POINT—2
Location—(See Figure 9). Situated on Decker's Cove, at the base of Wild Cove Head, about one mile in a northwesterly direction from Norris Point-1.
Description—The site occurs on level ground about 60 feet above sea- level. Its seaward edge drops away in a sharp bluff which 15 undergoing severe erosion. The top level is under gardens and is fenced, and it was not possible for me to dig there. Of the total of 18 specimens which I collected, some were found їп situ in the face of the cut bank, and others Were retrieved from the loose talus below. It seems probable that a considerable portion of the site may have been lost to erosion in years past.
32
=
SITE NO.27 -
DECKER'S \
COVE (
=e > —~ E Sf
-.-
BONNE BAY
NORRIS POINT SITES BONNE BAY (cr. FIGURE г)
GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE
NORRIS POINT AREA BONNE BAY
SOUTH ARM
FIGURE 9—Norris Point Sites, Bonne Bay.
70428-8—4
uJ = « = х о сс а. а. <
33
E
Ls EE
L — ша. це
ле ве б аза de ns ы 4 # i б -i
—— араб іа А `
O аг. ДАР mu ee э) n
n „4 Ы рацца Тар i موف dpi Б ptam ingui ‘ Е
Profile—(See comparative sketches in Figure 11, р. 88). 1) Present sod and thin topsoil, 2 to 3 inches thick. 2) Brown, friable, peaty soil, 2 to 3 inches thick. This is the culture- bearing horizon. 3) Grey sand, merging into mixed sand and gravel. The above profile is that of an undisturbed section in the eroded face of the bluff.
CHAPTER FIVE
Description of the Cultural Materials*
The Cape Dorset Eskimo sites which have just been described yielded a grand total of 781 artifacts. (This figure does not include the finds made at site Port au Choix—3, which will be considered in a later chapter.) In this section I shall analyse that material typologically and present the data, in so far as possible, in outline form suitable for reference. The categories of analysis are as follows:
1) Material
2) Workmanship
3) Function
4) Form
Within the above framework, the primary breakdown of the artifacts is according to the variety of material of which they were made, i.e., stone or bone. It will be noted in the distribution chart (p. 80) that I have also listed a miscellaneous group which includes limonite nodules: this seems permissible inasmuch as the objects in question do not appear to be arti- facts, but rather associated cultural raw materials.
At the secondary level the artifacts are classified on the basis of certain techniques used in their manufacture. Such a criterion of workman- ship is, of course, most applicable to the stone artifacts, which may be spoken of as chipped, chipped and ground, ground and polished, and rough (hammerstones, etc.). Steatite cooking vessels and lamps might also be included in the grouping of ground stone artifacts, but I have elected to consider them separately, because their function differs so clearly from that of the other stone artifacts.
The third level of classification is based on the criterion of function. Here it should be noted that I have used my own interpretation of the function of a given implement, and that my conviction in this matter, together with that of other archaeologists, may not necessarily be in accord with the concepts of the aboriginal artisan. Discrepancies of this nature, however, should not be too important, for such subjective evaluations are concerned mainly with establishing workable generalizations in the realm of archaeolog- ical phenomena.
At the fourth level of classification, my use of the term ‘type’ will refer solely to the shape or form of an implement. I shall not attempt to read into this criterion any particular cultural significance, but it does furnish a practical basis for description and discussion. For example, to speak of ‘triangular, concave-based points’ is both logical and meaningful when this description very nicely fits 113 artifacts.
*References and notes will be found on page 173.
35
10128-8—41
SM IEE ei DD L Бадай
In the final analysis and description of each type, I shall ascend again to elements of technique and workmanship. This will be for the purpose of delineating any component features which may characterize certain types of’ artifacts. An analysis of attributes will serve both to fix the status of a type and to indicate the presence of lesser subdivisions which may or may not be of immediate importance.
On page 80 will be found a chart which shows the distribution of all artifacts in the various Dorset sites that were investigated. It is laid out according to the classificatory scheme discussed above, and for that reason the terminology of the scheme itself may be dispensed with from now on. The chart will be found to govern the sequence of descriptions which follows.
CHIPPED STONE ARTIFACTS A—PROJECTILE POINTS
Type 1-а: Triangular, with concave base (Plate I: 1-18, p. 37) Outline: Isosceles triangle. Lateral Edges: Straight to moderately convex. Base: Slightly to deeply concave. Too many of the specimens are
fragmentary to permit adequate analysis of this feature. Notches: None.
Length: 2.0—4.1 cm.
Width: Approximately 40—50 per cent of length. Usually maximum at base.
Thickness: 2.5—7.3 mm (maximum).
Cross-sections: Majority plano-convex or triangular; a few biconvex.
Quantity: 113 specimens from seven of eight sites.
Materials: Four specimens made of translucent grey quartzite; all others of flint or chert.
General: АП specimens characterized by extremely fine, shallow
pressure flaking. In 86 per cent of all cases this flaking has been done mainly on one face, although the edges and particularly the base of the other face may also show slight retouching. Only 16 specimens, or 14.2 per cent of the total, have complete bifacial flaking. The back (unflaked) face frequently has a median ridge (Plate I: 3, 4, 18), or it may in some cases be completely flat and featureless (Plate I: 5). In several specimens, longitudinal fluting up to 14.6 mm in length occurs as a result of the flaking of the basal concavity (Plate I: 9). This type is the most plentiful of all projectile points. Indeed, in the over-all inventory from these sites it is surpassed in quantity only by one other type of implement, the snub-nosed scraper, of which there are 125 specimens in all.
36
Type 1-b:
Outline:
Lateral Edges:
Base: Notches: Length: Width:
PLATE I
mx — 2-CM. m——— | - INCH
PROJECTILE POINTS (CHIPPED STONE) Type 1-a: Triangular, concave base 1. Port au Choix—2, Bench 3
2. Norris Point—2
3. Port au Choix—5
4. Port au Choix—7
5. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 6. Port au Choix—2, Bench 3 7. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 8. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 9. Port au Choix—7
10. Рогі au Choix —2, Bench 3 11-14. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 15. Port au Choix—7
16. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 17. Port au Choix—2, Bench 3 18. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
Triangular Projectile Points, straight base
(Plate II: 1—3, p. 39)
Isosceles triangle.
Straight.
Straight (slightly convex in one specimen). None.
1.9—4.4 cm.
From 30—50 per cent of length. Maximum at base.
37
Thickness: Cross-section: Quantity: Materials: General:
Type 2-а:
Outline:
Lateral Edges:
Base: Notches: Length: Width: Thickness: Cross-section: Quantity: Materials: General:
Type 2-b:
Outline:
Lateral Edges:
Base: Notches: Length: Width:
Thickness: Cross-section: Quantity: Materials:
38
2.6—4.1 mm (maximum).
Plano-convex or biconvex.
Six specimens from three of eight sites.
Chert and flint.
There is a question in my mind concerning this group of implements. They are undoubtedly inset end blades, but because of their thin and fragile appearance they may be knives. They have been thinned and flaked by fine pressure flaking. Two of the smallest are plano-convex in transverse cross-section, with all the flaking on the convex face; the others are bifacially worked. Three have the longitudinal curvature of the original flakes from which they were made.
Leaf-Shaped Projectile Points, ovate
(Plate II: 4—6, p. 39)
Leaf-shaped, with broad, rounded base.
Convex.
Rounded corners.
None.
2.5—3.1 cm.
Approximately 60 per cent of length.
2.5—3.7 mm (maximum).
Biconvex.
Five specimens from two of eight sites.
Chert and flint.
All specimens except one have been bifacially flaked. My impression is that one of them (Plate II: 4) might have been an arrow point; whereas the others could have been knife blades used in end slots or beds. One specimen shows several small, ground facets on each face, and because of the peculiar angle at which its base has been snapped off, its shape is somewhat suggestive of a curved knife (cf. Chipped Knives, Type 3-a).
Leaf-Shaped Projectile Points, lanceolate
(Plate II: 7, 8, p. 39)
Rounded isosceles triangle.
Mildly convex.
From slightly concave to slightly convex.
None.
6.4 cm in one whole specimen.
Approximately 30 per cent of length. In every case except two the maximum width occurs near the middle of the blade. 2.7—6.8 mm (maximum).
Biconvex.
Eight specimens from two of eight sites.
Chert and flint.
General: This type shows considerable latitude in two ways: size variation indicates possible use as arrow points, or lance or harpoon points; flaking runs from coarse and fairly crude to fine and symmetrical. All specimens except one have been bifacially worked, and six show the longitudinal curv- ature of the original flake.
Type 3-a: Stemmed Projectile Point, corner-removed (Plate II: 9, p. 39) Outline: Triangular.
PLATE II
га : М e наша з СМ. 10 il Р в mem -INCH
PROJECTILE POINTS (CHIPPED STONE)
Type 1-b: Triangular, straight base 1. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 2. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 3. Port au Choix—5 Type 2-a: Leaf-Shaped, ovate 4. Norris Point—1 5. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 6. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 Type 2-b: Leaf-Shaped, lanceolate 7. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 8. Port au Choix—5 Type 3-a: Stemmed, corner-removed 9. Port au Choix—1 Type 3-b: Stemmed, large 10. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 11. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
39
cal pan ee аа ъан
Lateral Edges: Base:
Notches: Length: Width: Thickness: Cross-section: Quantity: Material: General:
Type 3-b:
Outline: Lateral Edges: Base:
Notches:
Length:
Width: Thickness: Cross-section: Quantity: Material: General:
Type 4-a:
Outline: Lateral Edges: Base:
Notches: Length:
Width: Thickness: Cross-section: Quantity: Materials:
40
Straight.
Straight, with corners chipped away so as to form a short stem.
Basal corners removed.
3.3 cm.
2.4 cm.
5.8 mm (maximum).
Plano-convex.
One specimen.
Translucent grey quartzite.
A unique specimen from the sites investigated. Rudely flaked on one face only. The other face is smooth and unworked except for a shallow pressure retouch where the corners have been removed. The stem is rudimentary and blunt.
Stemmed Projectile Points, large
(Piste M10; 11, p. 39)
Essentially lanceolate.
Strongly convex.
Missing in both specimens.
None. Slight removal of corners suggested by one specimen.
Over-all length not obtainable. Blade length approximately 3.9-4.5 cm.
2.7-3.3 cm. Greatest in basal half of blade.
8.0-8.5 mm (maximum).
Biconvex.
Two specimens from one of eight sites.
Flint.
The large size and thickness of these specimens suggest that they may have been harpoon or lance points. Neither specimen is whole, but there are fragmentary indications of former stems. Both are bifacially worked and show moder- ate symmetry and fineness of technique.
Side-Notched Projectile Points, single notches (Plate III: 1-10, р. 41)
Variable: isosceles triangle to lanceolate. Straight to medium convex.
Straight to slightly concave.
Shallow to deep and carefully formed. Close to base. 1.6-6.4 cm. :
40-50 per cent of length.
1.9-5.7 mm (maximum).
Majority biconvex; several plano-convex.
27 specimens from four of eight sites.
Chert and flint.
General:
Type 4-b:
PLATE III
10
PROJECTILE POINTS (CHIPPED STONE) Type 4-a: Side-Notched, single 1—7. Norris Point—1 8. Port au Choix—1 9. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 10. Port au Choix—5
Type 4-b: Side-Notched, double 11. Port au Choix—7 12. Port au Choix—6
This type has been classified solely on the basis of its single side notches. It might perhaps be further subdivided on the basis of form, but the sample seems too small to merit this. It is possible that several of these specimens may have been knives, but their symmetry and straightness also would have made them suitable as projectile points, and I have classed them as such. In every instance except three, these points have been uniformly flaked on both faces with a pressure technique. Three of the smallest specimens show unifacial flaking only, and in two of these this flaking is confined to a shallow retouch around the edges (Plate III: 7). It is interesting to note that a majority of this type (15 out of 27) came from the site of Norris Point-1 and were part of a collection that was presented to me.
Side-Notched Projectile Points, double notches (Plate MECE 125 s AD)
41
Outline:
Lateral Edges:
Base: Notches:
Length: Width:
Thickness: Cross-section: Quantity: Materials: General:
Type 1:
Outline: Lateral Edges: Base: Notches: Length: Width: Thickness: Cross-section: Quantity: Materials: General:
Type 2:
Outline:
42
Triangular.
Straight.
Slightly concave.
Two on each lateral edge of the artifact. Located just above the base, and flaked from both faces. Shallow to medium depth.
4.7 cm in one whole specimen.
57 per cent of length in one whole specimen. Maximum at base.
4.5—5.9 (maximum).
Biconvex.
Two specimens from two of eight sites.
Chert and flint.
The sample is insufficient for any extensive analysis. Both specimens are bifacially pressure-flaked with considerable uniformity. The base of one has been reduced to a sharp edge by shallow pressure flaking (Plate III: 12), whereas the other has been blunted by a sharp, flaked bevel so that it remains essentially as thick as the main body of the point.
B—KNIVES (CHIPPED STONE) Triangular (Plate IV: 1-6, p. 43) Isosceles triangle. Straight to moderately convex. Slightly concave to slightly convex. None. 3.0—4.1 cm. 50—60 per cent of length. Maximum at base. 4.4—10.3 mm (maximum). Plano-convex to biconvex. 23 specimens from four of eight sites. Chert and flint. Aside from a rather close similarity in outline and size, there are certain variations within this type. Most of the specimens have been bifacially worked, but a few show flaking on one face only, and these have a strong curvature in longitudinal section. The bases of some have been thinned to a degree suitable for hafting (Plate IV: 4, 5), but the others have blunt bases and were probably hand-held. It is also quite possible that some of the thicker specimens may have been scrapers.
Leaf-Shaped Knives (Plate IV: 7—10, p. 43) Triangular to leaf-shaped.
General: This type is made up of twelve rather amorphous specimens (from three of eight sites) which look as if they were portions of leaf-shaped blades. All are rudely flaked on both faces (two fragments are flaked on one face only), and several have a finer retouch along one or both edges. It is possible that some of these blades, especially those with maximum thicknesses of 4.7—6.3 mm, were hafted, but others were probably used as hand-held implements, and these have greater thicknesses ranging up to 12.2 mm. Mem- bers of this group show none of the delicate workmanship which is so characteristic of other groups.
Type 3-a: Side-Notched Knives, curved (Plate V: 1-5, p. 44) Outline: Triangular to leaf-shaped.
PLATE IV
e o
meu з-см. 7 в шая |. INCH 9 10
KNIVES (CHIPPED STONE)
Туре 1: Triangular 1-6. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 Type 2: Leaf-Shaped 7. Keppel Island 8. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 9. Port au Choix—2, Bench 3 10. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
43
Lateral Edges:
Base: Notches: Length: Width:
Thickness: Cross-section: Quantity: Materials: General:
PLATE V
—M 5-СМ. 4 5 me | NCH
KNIVES (CHIPPED STONE) Type 3-a: Side-Notched, curved . Port au Choix—2, Bench 3 . Port au Choix—7 . Keppel Island . Port au Choix—2, Bench 3 . Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
VA JUS B2 سر
One edge generally extends straight out to the point, in line with the haft; the opposite edge is then slightly to strongly convex.
Straight to moderately concave.
Small, neat, shallow, and close to the base.
2.8—7.2 cm.
25—50 per cent of length. In most cases the maximum width is at the base.
3.3—8.2 mm (maximum).
Biconvex.
Eleven specimens from four of eight sites.
Chert and flint.
These knives conform to the curved blades which Jenness first described as a diagnostic Dorset type (1). Only four of the specimens are complete, but the others are basal frag-
Type 3-b:
Outline:
Lateral Edges:
Base: Notches:
Length: Width: Thickness:
ments with lateral edges which seem sufficiently asymmetrical for them to be included in this group (Plate V: 4). The possibility must be admitted that some of these specimens could have been utilized as projectile points on large harpoons. АП have been rather roughly flaked bifacially, with the cutting edges fined down by pressure retouching. The basal edges have been similarly thinned, as if for hafting.
Side-Notched Knives, serrated edges
(Plate VI: 1-8, p. 45)
Isosceles triangle.
Moderately convex and delicately serrated.
Straight to slightly concave.
Beautifully and symmetrically made and set into the sides at a distance of 6-9 mm from the base. A typical pair of notches measures 1.5 mm wide by 3.5 mm deep.
3.4—6.2 cm.
Approximately 25 per cent of length.
2.3—3.8 mm (maximum).
PLATE VI
em 3 cM, a р INCH
6
Т 8
KNIVES (CHIPPED STONE)
Type 3-b: Side-Notched, serrated 1-8. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
iene ma PILE Te
Cross-section: Quantity: Materials: General:
Type 3-c:
Outline:
Lateral Edges:
Base: Notches: Length: Width: Thickness:
Cross-section:
Quantity: Materials: General:
Plano-convex.
Ten specimens from one of eight sites. Chert and flint.
These delicate blades are the finest and most exquisitely- made implements of the entire collection. Their perfection of workmanship is approached, but hardly surpassed, in several of the inset side blades (cf. Chipped Knives, Type 4-a and 4-b). Since all ten specimens came from a relatively small area in site Port au Choix-2, it is quite possible that they were the output of a single artisan. Apparently they were fashioned from long thin blades, for each is plano-convex in transverse section and also is strongly arched along the longitudinal axis. They are completely flaked on both faces with a fine pressure technique: the flake beds are shallow, even, and in some cases continuous from one edge to the other. In one or two instances these continuous flake beds are slanted and completely reminiscent of Yuma technique (cf. Plate VI: 1). A final, almost mi- croscopic, retouch of the lateral edges is responsible for the serrations, which measure 10 to 12 teeth per centimetre. It is difficult to conceive of these artifacts as projectile points, and, for that matter, they seem almost too slender and delicate for any mundane task. They have almost the look of a surgical instrument, and I can only presume that they were hafted as knife blades for some extremely fine shearing job. Five of the specimens show traces of grinding in the presence of small, irregular facets on their underneath, or concave faces (Plates VI: 5).
Side-Notched Knives, concave (Plate VII: 1-3, p. 47)
Essentially triangular.
One extends vertically from the base, and the opposite edge . is strongly concave.
Straight to mildly convex.
Wide, shallow, and not symmetrical. Placed near the base. 2.7-3.3 cm (two whole specimens).
Approximately 50 per cent of length.
2.6—4.2 mm (maximum).
Biconvex.
Three specimens from two of eight sites. Chert and flint.
Two of these specimens might be reworked projectile points. The third has been included in the group as a likely mem- ber, although its base is missing and there is actually no sign of any notches (Plate VII: 2). In each case, both lateral edges, whether straight or concave, appear to be functional and could have been used for specialized cutting
„|ы .5- CM. ma mS |-INCH
Type 4-a:
Outline: Notches: Length: Width:
Thickness: Cross-section:
PLATE VII
@ 8 9
KNIVES (CHIPPED STONE)
Type 3-с: Side-Notched, concave 1. Norris Point—1 2. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 3. Norris Point—1
Туре 4-a: Inset Side Blades, plano-convex 4—6. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
Type 4-b: Inset Side Blades, biconvex 7. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 8. Port au Choix—2, Bench 3 9. Norris Point—1
or scraping. The points are haphazardly blunted. One speci- men (Plate VII: 3) is fashioned from a thin slab of red- dish chert that has also been ground smooth on both faces.
Inset Side Knives, plano-convex
(Plate VII: 4—6, p. 47)
Plano-convex.
None.
2.1-2.6 cm.
Approximately 25 per cent of length; maximum at mid-sec- tion of blade.
1.4-2.1 mm (maximum).
Biconvex.
47
Quantity:
Five specimens from one of eight sites.
Materials: Chert and flint.
General: I should call these true microliths, characterized by minute and exquisite pressure flaking on both faces. I have no posi- tive evidence that they are inset side blades, since none was found hafted, nor were any projectile heads or other bone hafts found with slots in them for such side blades. However, they appear to be closely identical with known side blades found elsewhere (2).
Type 4-b: Inset Side Knives, biconvex (Plate VII: 7-9, p. 47)
Outline: Biconvex.
Notches: None.
Length: 2.3-3.8 cm.
Width: Approximately 40 per cent of length; maximum at mid- section of blade.
Thickness: 2.3-3.3 mm (maximum).
Cross-section: Biconvex.
Quantity: Five specimens from two of eight sites.
Materials: Chert and flint.
General: These have essentially the same characteristics as Type 4-a, except for the differing outline and a slightly greater maximum size. It is possible that the two largest specimens of the group might have been hafted as inserted end blades (3). One specimen has a small ground or polished facet on one face ( Plate VII:8).
Type 5-a: Prismatic Blades, unworked
(Plate VIII: 1-8, p. 49)
Small prismatic blades occurred in seven of the eight sites, and it is my conviction that they would also have shown up in the other site if more work had been done there. I collected all such blades that were observed, whether in excavations or on the surface, for it was immediately apparent that some of them had been retouched along the edges, and a cursory examination in the field was not always sufficient to establish this. For descriptive purposes, the total of 128 prismatic blades that I found have been divided into four
` subtypes.
Type 5-a, as noted above, comprises simple, unretouched prismatic blades. These might also be considered as mere scrap, but I believe they merit classification as artifacts because, unquestionably, their manufacture involved advanced techniques of flint working. Type 5-a totalled 75, or 58.6 per cent of all prismatic blades found. These range from tiny blades of crystalline quartz, measuring 19.7 mm long by 3.2 mm wide, to larger ones of flint and chert, measuring 50.8 mm long by 12.0 mm wide. All of the smaller blades were made of crystalline quartz. Generally the blades are characterized by a smooth underside, longitudinally concave, and a ridged or faceted top side which is convex on both the transverse and longitudinal axes. The
48
underside usually is marked by a distinct bulb of percussion at one end, апа also by an occasional ripple line of force. The ridged or faceted top bears the scars of previously removed longitudinal flakes or blades. Often the top end of the blade is intact and indicates a prepared striking platform. A few specimens also show exceedingly minute fluting extending from the striking platform down the exterior face, as if a number of false starts had been made before the blade was successfully struck off the mother core. I was fortunate
PLATE VIII
Ls xua | cg me ay
mm^ з-см. aa o INCH
KNIVES (CHIPPED STONE) Type 5-a: Prismatic Blades, unworked 1. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 2. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 . Port au Choix—2, Bench 3 . Norris Point—1 . Port au Choix—1 . Port au Choix—7 . Port au Choix—7 . Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 Type 5-b: Prismatic Blades, utilized 9. Norris Point—2 10. Norris Point—1 11. Port au Choix—2, Bench 3 Type 5-c: Prismatic Blades, side-notched 12. Port au Choix—7 13. Port au Choix—7
ANA ط ہی о
49
Є
(qma de vtm o eat ў
in finding several prepared, polyhedral cores of flint and crystalline quartz in these sites, and they will be described later.
Type 5-b: Prismatic Blade Knives, utilized (Plate VIII: 9-11, p. 49)
These are essentially like the simple prismatic blades, Type 5-a, but each of them bears traces of utilization or positive retouching. The edges of some are minutely scarred, indicating that they were used as knives and that pressure against the virgin edge was responsible for the shearing off of a series of almost microscopic flakes. Other specimens of this group have portions of their edges retouched with a purposeful pressure technique, al- though they are otherwise without any specific form. A single specimen (Plate VIII: 9) has been shaped into a miniature triangular point which measures 3.2 cm long by .9 cm wide. The lateral edges of this artifact are parallel for most of their length but have been drawn off to a point by fine pressure-flaking; the base has been similarly made concave. Although the parallel portions of the lateral edges show the same shearing scars referred to above, the surfaces of this artifact have not been otherwise worked.
Type 5-c: Prismatic Blade Knives, side-notched (Plate VIII: 12, 13, p. 49)
Four blades of this variety, representing 3.1 per cent of all prismatic blades collected, were found in two of eight sites. All are made of crystalline quartz, and they differ from the majority of prismatic blades only in having shallow side notches near the end which has the bulb of percussion. Other- wise, these blades do not appear to have been utilized. If they actually did function once as knives or razors, such use must have been on soft materials.
Type 5-d: Prismatic Blade Knives, blunt-edged (Plate IX: 1-9, p. 51)
This is a peculiar type of reworked prismatic blade which appears to be akin to a backed blade. Thirty-two specimens, collected from five of eight sites, represent 25 per cent of all prismatic blades found. This type is characterized by a single worked edge which begins at the bulb-of-percussion end and extends down the length of the blade for 1 to 3 cm. This edge is flaked off at almost a right angle to the surface of the blade, which creates a wedge-shaped cross-section at that end. Further secondary retouching on the outer, or convex, surface has served to sharpen one side of this blunt edge. Apparently this reworking of the blade sets up a thicker and sturdier edge than would otherwise be present on a freshly-struck prismatic blade. There is no particular clue to the function of these blades, but they all appear to be fragments of what once were longer knives. I do not believe they could have been inset side blades, because of their strong longitudinal curvature, but they might have been inset end blades. I have the impression that if they are end blades, possibly used as gravers, the blunt edge near the tip was chipped off as a bearing surface for the tip of the index finger. The hafted implement might then have been held in the same manner in which we grasp a pencil. A
50
PLATE IX
1044
і 2 3 4 5 6
mu 5-СМ. ; ` o 1- INCH
$ 8 9
KNIVES (CHIPPED STONE) Type 5-d: Prismatic Blades, blunt-edged . Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 . Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 . Port au Choix—2, Bench 3 . Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 . Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 . Port au Choix—6 . Norris Point—2 . Norris Point—2 . Port au Choix—7
м бо ي ل ол Бом س
further possibility is that these little blades might have been held and manipulated only by the finger tips.
Type 6: Rough, Percussion-Flaked Knives (Plate A: 1, 2, p. 32)
This type, which differs radically from all chipped stone knives described above, is represented by three fragmentary specimens of pink quartzite which came from three of the eight sites. These are roughly diamond-shaped in cross-section, and their opposite lateral edges have been made sinuous by alternate percussion flaking on both faces. One specimen (Plate X: 2) is a narrow, tapering point, possibly a pick. А second (Plate X: 1) is some- what reminiscent of an acheulean hand axe. The third has edges which are more nearly parallel, and for this reason it might be the butt section of a larger tool. This latter specimen apparently also served in a dual role: it has
51
PLATE X
7 5 фе.
ная з-с, шана NCH
5 6
KNIVES (CHIPPED STONE) Type 6: Rough, Percussion-Flaked Knives 1. Norris Point—1 2. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
Type 7: Miscellaneous Knife-Scrapers 3. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 4. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 5. Port au Choix—5 6. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
one narrow, highly polished facet down its length, which suggests that it was used at some time as an abrading stone (cf. Plate XX: 2, p. 67).
Type 7: Miscellaneous Knife-Scrapers (Plate X: 3—6, p. 52)
These are mostly fragments of flint and chert which have one or more bifacially-prepared edges. Some are flakes that were undoubtedly prepared and used for some particular task and then later discarded. Others are frag- ments of more carefully shaped blades which cannot, however, be typed with certainty.
C—GRAVERS (CHIPPED STONE)
Type 1: Sickle-Shaped Gravers (Plate XI: 1—4, p. 53) Outline: Concavo-convex. Notches: None well marked; several possibly incipient.
52
Length: Width: Thickness: Cross-section: Quantity: Materials: General:
-~ -
2.8—5.5 cm.
1.1-1.4 cm. Maximum near mid-section of the blade. 3.8—4.1 mm (maximum).
Plano-convex.
Five specimens from three of eight sites.
Chert and flint.
These implements have apparently been fashioned from prismatic blades: they are plano-convex in transverse section and concavo-convex along the longitudinal axis. In each case they have been worked entirely on the convex surface with a fine pressure-flaking technique, and a subsequent minute retouch on the lateral edges. Their classification as gravers is admittedly questionable, and it is quite possible that they could also have been knives. However, each has one end definitely, if slightly, hooked and pointed; the opposite end is more rounded or blunt, with just a hint of being side-notched or drawn out to a tang. This suggests that the implements were hafted as inset end blades, or perhaps in beds.
PLATE XI
=
Se З.с, T аі = 1- INCH
GRAVERS (CHIPPED STONE) Type 1: Sickle-Shaped 1. Port au Choix—5 2—4. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
Type 2: Miscellaneous 5. Port au Choix—6 6. Norris Point—1 7. Port au Choix—6
53
кзы І
анты ee -- A аа цы аа Вась тату чө ч ў ат а уа” аа, wa. ^ . А
Туре 2: Gravers, Miscellaneous (Plate XI: 5-7, p. 53)
This group includes three individually-shaped implements collected from two of eight sites, and I believe that all three may have been used as gravers. One (Plate XI : 7) is a flat fragment of flint core which has at one end a strong pointed beak. One small vertical flake has been chipped off this beak in much the same fashion as on a Palaeolithic ‘burin.’
The second (Plate XI : 6) is a curved flake of flint which measures 3.9 cm long by 1.5 cm wide. The convex face, or back, shows traces of pressure flaking along one edge, and there are also small side notches worked from this face. These, together with the squared-off, relatively thin base, suggest an end-hafted implement. At the other end the blade comes to a beaked point which is strongly curved under, and this, I believe, could be a func- tional engraving point.
The third member of this miscellaneous group (Plate XI : 5) is a tongue- shaped implement of flint. It measures 3.6 cm long by .8 cm wide (near the mid-section of the tongue). The cross-section is wedge-shaped, and several fluting scars extend from the tip of the tongue downward along its length. This prepared point of the tongue would make a convenient hand-held graver, but, as in the case of the preceding two specimens, I can only sug- gest that as the true function.
D—SCRAPERS (CHIPPED STONE)
Type 1: Snub-Nosed End Scrapers (Plate XII: 1—8, p. 55)
This type of scraper was the most plentiful of all artifacts found: 125 were collected from seven of eight sites. It is the common form of steep-edged end scraper, fashioned usually on a triangular flake of chert, flint, or occasionally quartzite. The broad end of the flake is slightly rounded, and the finish flaking is almost always done only on the exterior, or convex, face. Probably some of these implements were also used as side scrapers, but it is the steeply-fiaked end which is typical of all. They were probably hafted in open beds, as well as in end sockets, for several specimens have shallow side notches just behind the flaked end, and on others the ends themselves flare widely (Plate XII: 5—8). Their size varies considerably from small specimens 1.4 cm long by 1.5 cm wide, to large ones measuring 5.0 cm long and 2.8 cm wide.
Type 2: Side Scrapers (Plate XII: 9-13, p. 55)
This group is made up of specimens that tend to be thick and pear- shaped. They are mostly plano-convex in cross-section, and many of them have a keeled appearance. The majority are flaked on the convex face only, but several have some additional retouching on the bottom or flat face. As usual, in this sort of subjective classification, it is quite possible that several of these specimens could have served as hand-held knives. I class them as side scrapers because most often it is their lateral edges which are best prepared, although in a few cases the broad ends have also been re-
54
тү
"ТҮП
PLATE ХП
SCRAPERS (CHIPPED STONE) Type 1: Snub-Nosed Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 . Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 . Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 Port au Choix —2, Bench 3 . Port au Choix—2, Bench 3 Port au Choix—2, Bench 3 . Norris Point—1 . Norris Point—1
Type 2: Side Scrapers 9. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 10. Port au Choix—7 11. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 12. Norris Point—2 13. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
touched. A total of 17 chert and flint specimens were collected from three of eight sites.
Type 3: Small Thumbnail Scrapers (Plate XIII: 1-4, p. 56)
This group includes a few specimens of flint and chert which are evidently scrapers but are not readily classifiable except on the basis of their small size. They are thin chips with variously rounded and retouched edges, and they possess no particular form. Several may be trimmed-down remnants of points or knives, and as such they were possibly hafted. A total of ten were collected from four of eight sites.
55
— AERO LLL LL 11 т g i E + - am oh uta а ей eti) аль. лай ار ы i аф а 4
PLATE XIII
*@
[4
pum OP СМ. ma P" INCH
SCRAPERS (CHIPPED STONE) Type 3: Thumbnail 1. Port au Choix—2, Bench 3 2. Port au Choix—6 3. Port au Choix—2, Bench 3 4. Port au Choix—6 Type 4: Concave 5. Port au Choix—5 6. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 7. Port au Choix—7 Type 5: Miscellaneous Flake Scrapers 8. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 9. Port au Choix—2, Bench 3 10. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
Type 4: Concave Scrapers (Plate XIII: 5—7, p. 56)
In this category five specimens were collected from four of eight sites. On two of them the concavity of edge looks fortuitous, but at the same time these concave portions appear to have been used, for they are edged with a series of minute sheared flake scars. Two other specimens have con- cave edges that have been carefully prepared by pressure flaking. One (not illustrated) may be a reworked Type-1 projectile point.
Type 5: Miscellaneous Flake Scrapers (Plate XIII: 8—10, p. 56)
This assortment of flakes has in it all sizes and shapes of chips which have been touched up along portions of their edges for probable use as scrapers. They do not appear to be classifiable on any other basis. A total of 20 flint and chert specimens of this character were collected from five of eight sites.
56
women °
E—CHIPPED FRAGMENTS OF UNCERTAIN TYPE (Plate XIV: 1-8, p. 57)
1—Tips of Points or Knives
Most of these specimens are bifacially worked with pressure flaking; only a few are flaked on a single face. Materials are the usual flint, chert, and translucent grey quartzite. I am impressed by the large size of some of these fragments (Plate XIV: 1-4): they appear to have come from points or blades that would be substantially larger and wider than any that I have hitherto described. They are evenly and symmetrically worked on both faces and are biconvex in cross-section. Although fragments of such nature are uncommon, still it is curious that no whole specimens of this type were en- countered. The closest comparable type seems to be the chipped curved knife.
PLATE XIV
шша c с шая NCH
UNCERTAIN CHIPPED FRAGMENTS Type 1: Tips of Points or Knives 1. Port au Choix—7 2. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 3. Keppel Island 4. Norris Point—1 Type 2: Median Sections of Points or Knives 5. Port au Choix —7 Type 3: Basal Sections of Points or Knives 6. Port au Choix—7 7. Port au Choix—7 8. Port au Choix—5 57
70428-8—5
2—Median Sections of Points or Knives
These are not closely identifiable. Only one specimen is interesting and somewhat extraordinary (Plate XIV: 5); this is a thin fragmentary blade of translucent grey quartzite which has both lateral edges bifacially re- touched.
3—Basal Fragments of Points or Knives
Most of these fragments are probably from Type-1 projectile points, although that identification cannot be positive. Three of the specimens are somewhat unusual in that they suggest types which are not otherwise present in these collections. One is the base of a large lanceolate point, and the other two appear to be tangs of large blades (Plate XIV: 6—8). One of the latter has had several longitudinal flakes removed from its pointed base which thus has a semblance of fluting.
F—UTILIZED CHIPS, UNCLASSIFIABLE
This grouping includes all those fragments of chipped implements which are not sufficiently large or distinctive to be identified, together with a series of flakes and core fragments which appear to have been utilized as tem- porary knives, scrapers, and so on. I have taken any strongly scarred edge as an indication of such use. Materials are the usual flint, chert, quartz, and quartzite.
G—UTILIZED QUARTZ CRYSTALS
As an interesting separate grouping of chipped stone artifacts there are seven natural quartz crystals which show signs of utilization or purposeful chipping. These were all found at site Port au Choix-2, either inside or in the near vicinity of House—3 on Bench-2. I suspect that five of these crystals have been used as gravers: on each of them the natural point of the crystal has been chipped, and in four cases long flake scars extend away from the point. Two other specimens have had their points chipped away so as to form end scrapers or chisels. On one side of this work the bevel has been made long and slanting, and on the opposite side a transverse series of short pressure flakes has been removed, apparently for the purpose of thickening and strengthening the working edge.
H—POLYHEDRAL CORES (Plate XV: 1—6, p. 59)
Of the six such specimens found in two of eight sites, four are flint or chert and two are crystalline quartz. One flint specimen, the largest of the group (Plate XV: 2), exemplifies almost perfectly the cores described by Nelson(4). Its over-all dimensions are as follows: 5.3 cm long by 4.9 cm wide by 2.1 cm thick. The top of this core is a flat surface, showing multiple flake scars, which has been prepared as a striking platform. The original patina of the core, if such existed, has been all chipped away, and several prismatic blades were subsequently removed. The result is a double-convex, celt-shaped core, as described by Nelson(5). Another specimen approaches more closely the spent, conical shape also mentioned by Nelson(6), although the remaining bulk in this case still appears sufficient for the removal of
58
PLATE XV
| Pe з С. Tw ша” 1 шына | - INCH
LESS < a?
POLYHEDRAL CORES 1. Port au Choix—7 2—6. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
other prismatic blades. The other two flint cores are quite small, but they exhibit essentially the same characteristics.
Smallest of this group are the two cores of crystalline quartz. They are shown to indicate relative size (Plate XV: 5,6), but, of course, this material is not easily photographed. In each case these show carefully prepared striking platforms and the scars of tiny, delicate prismatic blades that have already been removed.
CHIPPED AND GROUND STONE ARTIFACTS
The relatively few specimens in this technique grouping show signs of both chipping and grinding in almost equal proportions. It appears as if their primary form were obtained by chipping and as if the grinding process were secondary, although that process might just as easily have been reversed. The grinding seems to have served no other purpose than to reduce the artifact to a thin, uniform cross-section.
A—KNIVES (CHIPPED AND GROUND)
Type 1: Bevelled, side-notched (Plate XVI: 1-5, p. 60) Outline: Truncated isosceles triangle.
Lateral Edges: Straight to slightly convex. 59
10428-0—51
DEL: —————À— H— — — —————1— 22222222
=” wt my
Base: Notches:
Length: Width: Thickness:
Cross-section:
Quantity: Materials: General:
Straight to slightly concave.
"All set close to base, except іп one specimen where they
are near the mid-section of the blade (Plate XVI: 4). АП
notches measure approximately 2.5 mm deep and wide.
2.2-3.7 cm.
60—70 per cent of length. Maximum at notches.
2.6-5.1 mm (maximum).
Essentially rectangular.
Five specimens from one of eight sites.
Chert and silicified slate.
These little implements are end-hafted blades which appear to have been formed first by pressure flaking, and sub- sequently had their faces ground flat. These major ground faces extend to one lateral edge which is also ground with a bifacial bevel, whereas the opposite lateral edge is bifacially chipped. The terminal edge (opposite the base) is not quite parallel to the base and is bevel-ground in a fashion similar to that of the single ground lateral edge. One specimen differs from the other four (Plate XVI: 4): this has side
PLATE XVI
3 4
Pa э5-см. met uS |-INCH
CHIPPED AND GROUND TYPES Bevelled Knives, Type 1 1-5. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 Adz Blades 6. Port au Choix—5 7. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
notches which lie higher ир the blade, and it does not have a truncated end; the chipped lateral edge is strongly convex and meets the opposite bevel-ground edge at a point.
It seems to me that both edges of these tools, whether ground or chipped, might have been serviceable. The be- velled edges, when examined with a glass, are highly polished on the very apices of the edges themselves, an indication that the implements may be gravers. It is even possible that the bevelled edges might have resulted from chipped edges while the latter functioned as gravers. Since this is conjec- tural, I classify the artifacts as knives, which they might easily be.
Type 2: Knives, concave (Plate VII: 3, p. 47) (See Chipped Stone Knives, Type 3-c.) One speciment already described could, on the basis of its ground sur- faces, also be included in the type and technique grouping now being dis- cussed.
B—ADZ BLADES (CHIPPED AND GROUND) (Plate XVI: 6, 7, p. 60)
The two specimens in this group came from different sites. Although they are both made of the same reddish brown silicified slate, they might, in fact, be considered as separate types if only more representatives were available.
Since the larger blade (Plate XVI: 6) seems to be missing its original base, no true length measurement is possible. However, it is 2.4 cm wide at the cutting edge and has a maximum width of 2.8 cm and a maximum thickness of 8.9 mm. In transverse section the artifact is biconvex, with the upper surface the more strongly arched. This same upper surface is almost completely ground and polished, with just a bit of chipping showing along one lateral edge. The bottom surface, on the other hand, is virtually all chipped and has only one small ground facet. The cutting edge is steep and bears approximately 120 degrees from the upper surface; it is smoothly ground and moderately convex. I do not think it can be said with certainty whether this specimen was hafted in a socket or lashed to a bed.
The second adz blade (Plate XVI: 7) is made of a small thin flake which now measures 2.8 cm long and 2.2 cm wide. It has been ground flat on the upper surface and has a maximum thickness of 2.5 mm. The bottom surface is rough and concave, as if spalled, and chipping occurs on both faces along the lateral edges. The cutting edge is very steep, bearing 110 degrees from the upper surface, and it is slightly convex. This tool could have been either lashed or socketed, and it might conceivably also be clas- sified as an end scraper.
C—FRAGMENTS OF CHIPPED AND GROUND STONE Only two other specimens of this nature were found. In each, the tech- niques of chipping and grinding seem to be of about equal importance. Both
61
are fragments, however, and not identifiable beyond a probability of being portions of knives.
In this connection, I should perhaps mention once more those other chipped specimens which show at least a sign of rubbing or grinding. Each of these has already been described under its own proper heading, but they all have in common the presence of small, non-functional ground facet. A listing includes the following: one chipped stone, side-notched projectile point, Type 4-a; one chipped, biconvex, inset side blade, Type 4-b; one tip fragment of a chipped point or blade; five chipped side-notched knives with serrated edges, Type 3-b.
GROUND AND POLISHED STONE ARTIFACTS A—PROJECTILE POINTS
Type 1: Bevelled Points with Basal Notches (Plate XVII: 1, 2, page 63) Outline: Isosceles triangle. Lateral Edges: Straight. Base: Convex on one specimen; other is fragmented. Notches: Sawed into base from both faces.
Dimensions: (Plate XVII: 1): 5.6 cm long 1.9 cm maximum width 4.8 mm maximum thickness. (Plate XVII: 2): 5.9 cm long 2.3 cm maximum width 6.2 mm maximum thickness.
Quantity: Two specimens from two of eight sites. Materials: Silicified slate. General: These points show very fine workmanship. The lateral edges
are bevelled from both faces, and the meeting angles of all planes are clear and straight. On what may be called the upper surface of each, the blade is ground flat; a triangular facet extends from the base for about three-quarters of the blade length. The bases have been further thinned by grinding, probably for hafting in a slot. The notches are cut directly into the bases, on the longitudinal axis, and the saw cuts which form them have been made from both faces. The centre portions of the bases, between the notches, exist as a sort of stem, but it it not possible to tell if these stems were once longer. When hafted, the blade corners probably had the appearance and function of barbs.
Type 2: Small Triangular Points
I found only one specimen of this type (Plate XVII: 3), and it might be taken for a tip fragment, were it not for its purposefully thinned base. This bit of weathered, silicified slate is 1.9 cm long, 7.3 mm wide, and 2.6 mm thick. The edges are bevelled from both faces, and there is a basal triangular facet on one face. The specimen is probably an insert end point of uncertain function. •
62
PLATE ХУП
= ыы зс, = l- INCH
GROUND STONE TYPES Type 1: Projectile Points
1. Norris Point—1
2. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 Type 2: Projectile Points
3. Port au Choix—7
Bevelled Knives 4. Port au Choix—7 5. Port au Choix—7 6. Port au Choix—2, Bench 3 7-10. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
B—BEVELLED KNIVES (GROUND AND POLISHED) (Plate XVII, 4-10, p. 63)
Twenty fragmentary bevelled knives, all of silicified slate, were collected from three of eight sites. None is sufficiently large or whole to give an idea of total form, but several suggest a triangular shape. The pieces have been cut by the sawing of grooves into each face until the remaining midrib was thin enough to break off. The lateral edges have been bevelled sharp, sometimes from one face only, sometimes from both faces, and generally at an angle of 45 degrees from the faces. One specimen has been alternately bevelled on opposite faces, so that the blade’s transverse cross-section is that of a parallelogram. Two specimens have shallow central grooves (Plate XVII: 7,9): one of these may be a preliminary step in the dividing process, but the other may be a whetting groove. Perhaps in this same connection, it is interesting to note that, although all the specimens are scratched and
63
vv eA im hy ap “DA aah gm e HF She ey ee a Nae
b-a
marred, about half of them bear groupings of scratches which have a distinct longitudinal trend (Plate XVII: 10). These are not decorative, but they do seem to suggest function, although of just what nature I cannot say. One specimen might, by a slight stretch of the imagination, be called decorated: there are three evenly-spaced longitudinal scratches which are crossed at about 45 degrees by three other equidistant, parallel scratches; a small figure Y has also been marked on this same face.
Most of these specimens appear to be fragments of knives, and, indeed, the bevelled edges often show signs of such use. Several of the more tapering ones are also suggestive of chisels, because of the manner in which their tips have been snapped ой.
C—CHISELS (GROUND AND POLISHED)
Type 1: Flat-Bladed (Plate XVIII: 1-3, р. 65)
The five specimens in this group are tip fragments of silicified slate which were collected from two of eight sites. They are flat, tapering blades that have been ground on both faces to a uniform thickness. The lateral edges are bevelled from both faces, but they seem too blunt for any utilitarian purpose. The tapered end, however, is sharpened and appears to be the working portion of the blade. This edge may be straight or convex. The largest of these fragments (Plate XVIII: 2) measures 7.8 cm long and 5.2 mm thick; its width varies from a maximum of 1.7 cm at the broken end to 0.8 cm at the cutting edge. The other fragments are shorter, but their proportions of width and thickness are closely similar. My impression of these blades is that they were hand-held without being hafted.
Type 2: Transverse-Edged Chisels (Plate XVIII: 4, 5, p. 65)
Two specimens from one site comprise this group. They are tip fragments of uncertain function, although I believe they might have served as gravers or chisels. They are made of silicified slate, carefully ground flat and smooth on both faces: one is 2.9 mm thick, and the other is 1.9 mm thick. The thinner specimen (Plate ХУШ: 4) has one straight edge (or back) which is ground off dull and round; the opposite edge is convex and sweeps to meet the other in a sharp point, the very tip of which is now broken away. In the other specimen, a short transverse edge is ground across this tip end, and it is because of this that I have classified the implements as chisels. They appear to compare most closely with similar artifacts from the Ipiutak culture in Alaska (7).
D—GRAVERS (GROUND AND POLISHED) (Plate XVIII: 7—11, р. 65)
Nine specimens of this class were collected from a single site. They are made of nephrite, chert, and silicified slate. While most of them are obviously fragmentary, all are characterized by a single side notch, carefully polished faces on both sides, and edges that are smoothly bevelled sharp or blunt. Maximum thickness ranges from 1.9 to 3.0 mm.
64
Similar implements have been variously suggested to be boot-creasers (8), knives (9), and gravers (10). The single side notches lead one to believe that these tools were inset side blades, yet at least one specimen (Plate XVIII: 7) could have been an end blade. There is no complete uniformity among the specimens, aside from those features mentioned above, and it seems to me that the combination of sharply-bevelled edges and acute corner angles could have made them serviceable either as knives or gravers, or both.
E—FRAGMENTS (GROUND AND POLISHED) Seven other artifacts, from three different sites, are not readily classifiable because they are fragmentary. Several are probably portions of gravers and chisels. One, however, is somewhat different from anything hitherto described
PLATE XVIII
m—À з.см. ee . 8 9 10 {1 аа“ INCH
GROUND STONE TYPES Flat-Bladed Chisels
1. Port au Choix—7
2. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
3. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 Transverse-Bladed Chisels
4. Port au Choix—2, Bench 3
5. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 Unusual Fragment
6. Norris Point—2 Gravers
7-10. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
11. Port au Choix—2, Bench 3
65
70428-8—6
PLATE XIX
mun аш з са 1 eee NCH
ROUGH STONE TYPES
Maul
1. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
Hamnmerstones 2—3. Port au Choix —2, Bench 2
(Plate XVIII: 6). It appears to be a surface spall from a large bevelled blade with a median ridge; a triangular facet has been ground off at the base (?), apparently for hafting purposes.
ROUGH STONE ARTIFACTS
A—HAMMERSTONES (Plate XIX: 2, 3, p. 66)
This group includes three specimens from two of eight sites. One is a fragment of a rounded pebble of fine-grained pink quartzite with an average diameter of 4.5 cm. The end surface of this shows signs of pecking and the loss of a small chip, suggesting more or less haphazard use as a hammer.
The other two specimens indicate a higher degree of purpose and usage. Both are basically water-worn pebbles of a granitic stone. One (Plate XIX: 3) is roughly pear-shaped (9.8 cm long, 4.5 cm maximum width, and 3.0 cm maximum thickness) and shows alteration only at both ends where small, flat, pitted surfaces are due to pounding. The third specimen (Plate XIX: 2) shows the most use of all. It measures 11.6 cm long and has diameters ranging from 3.5 to 3.7 cm. Both ends are heavily marred, and there are four shallow
66
seten hubo.
pits pecked around the stone near its more bulbous end. These pits make perfect gripping spots for the thumb and fingers.
B—MAUL (ROUGH STONE) (Plate XIX: 1, p. 66)
The single specimen found is a long, ovoid water-worn pebble of granitic stone. Its surface shows no sign of any workmanship, but each end bears a small scarred facet such as might occur as a result of hammering. Presumably the implement was not hafted but was held in the hand. Possibly it was used to crush bones, although this would probably not have scarred its end surfaces. More likely it might have been used to split up large stone cores. The specimen measures 15.8 cm long and has a greater diameter of 7.4 cm and a lesser one of 4.6 cm.
C—ABRADING STONES (Plate XX: 1, 2, p. 67) Four specimens found in three different sites may be subdivided on the
basis of material. Two are amorphous pieces of slate, one of which still shows clearly rubbed edges, whereas the others are fragments of a fine-
PLATE XX
-È prm m— *-CM. A 1- INCH
ROUGH STONE TYPES MISCELLANEOUS TYPES
Abrading Stones 1. Norris Point—1 2. Port au Choix—5
Limonite Nodule 3. Port au Choix—6
67
10428-8—61
н E |
grained pink quartzite. One of these (Plate XX: 2) has already been de- scribed as a rough percussion-flaked knife, Type-6: this implement has on its back a long, narrow facet that is highly polished. The other specimen is larger and blockier (Plate XX: 1): it resembles the tapered poll of an axe or adz, but its opposite narrow faces are highly polished. These both have a uniform width of about 3.0 cm and a fragmentary length of 9.5 cm. One narrow face has a very shallow, longitudinal, V-shaped groove.
STEATITE LAMPS AND COOKING POTS (Plate XXI, XXII, and XXIII)
A total of 57 sherds of steatite were collected from five of eight sites. The majority of these (35) came from site Port au Choix—2. This class has not been included in the artifact count, since it is not known, of course, how many fragments might have come from a single vessel. Only presence or absence of this trait has been indicated for each site.
I have tried to choose a representative cross-section of these sherds for figuring and description, although it is not always easy to tell if a given fragment is part of a lamp or a cooking pot. Most of the sherds, however, do appear to have come from cooking pots which were rectangular in shape and had walls that flared outward оп all sides. Generally the walls are considerably thinner than the bottoms; some of them have incised holes with adjoining grooves, presumably to countersink lashings for patching together broken or fitted pieces. Several others have incised holes near the rims, and these were evidently suspension holes.
Most of the fragments demonstrate careful, painstaking workmanship. Thicknesses are uniform and surfaces smooth. Interior corner angles are straight and sharp; exterior angles are frequently bevelled. Some of the rim sherds are tapered or bevelled on one face, although it is not always clear whether this is on the interior or exterior of the rim. Similarly, it is not always possible to orient a given sherd as a specific portion of a vessel, because many of them are carbonized on both sides as a result of deposition in hearth areas. Decoration occurs on only three fragments, and in each case it is incised and linear. One fragment is coloured by a small patch of red ochre.
Plate X XI: 1, p. 69
End fragment of a rectangular cooking pot. Long side wall is 10.8 mm thick; short side wall 15.7 mm thick; bottom 14.5 mm thick. Rim consider- ably eroded. Short suspension hole near rim of long side; formed by in- cision from both faces. Bevelled exterior angles. Encrusted with carbon inside and out. Maximum height of side wall (exterior) is 8.3 cm, and maximum interior length from corner to break is 10.0 cm.
Plate ХХІ: 2
Corner fragment of rectangular cooking pot. Side walls are 18.4 and 13.4 mm thick; bottom 16.6 mm thick. Interior depth is 4.9 cm. Elongated suspension hole near rim of one side; formed by incision. Rims are square in cross-section. Exterior angles bevelled. Sherd is carbon-encrusted inside and out.
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PLATE XXI
STEATITE LAMPS AND POTS 1. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 2. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 3. Port au Choix—7 4. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
Plate XXI: 3
End fragment of rectangular cooking pot (?). This specimen is crude and rough, with walls deeply pitted and interior angles rounded. Maximum interior width (or length?) at top is 9.4 cm, at bottom 5.2 cm. End wall tapers in thickness from 8.4 mm at rim to 2.8 mm close to its junction with the bottom. Bottom thickness is 17.6 mm.
Plate X XI: 4
Rim sherd. А peculiar fragment, apparently cut off a larger one: the long edge shows a saw cut from both faces with the residual midrib cracked ой. The sherd is 14.3 mm thick at this sawed edge and tapers to 7.9 mm just below the rim. The rim itself is bevelled to a thin edge, probably on the exterior face. Just below the rim is an incised patching hole which has countersinking grooves on both faces, extending from the hole to the broken edge. Traces of red ochre on one face, just above the lashing hole. Plate XXII: 1, p. 70
Fragment with upturned edge. Essentially similar to the others, but it has one unusual feature. One edge, which is rough and seemingly broken,
appears to have undergone a purposeful thinning. On each of its faces there is a band about one centimetre wide which has been abraded: the bands
69
are marked by a series of parallel scratches which are about vertical to the edge. These scratches continue around the adjacent rounded corner on the exterior surface.
Plate XXII: 2
A corner fragment of a thin, finely-worked dish or lamp. Both side walls and the bottom are between 3.0 and 4.0 mm thick. The rim is bevelled on the exterior face to a thin, uniform edge. No other sherds of similar character were found.
Plate XXII: 3
A decorated sherd 14.2 mm thick. Marked by a single incised chevron. Plate XXII: 4
A decorated sherd 9.8 mm thick and broken on all sides. Crossed by three V-shaped grooves, roughly parallel with one another. Portions of a fourth parallel groove are noticeable on one of the broken edges.
Plate XXII; 5
Probable fragment of a lamp. Maximum thickness is 11.9 mm, tapering
to 7.9 mm at the front edge. Front edge is bevelled off on the under side.
PLATE XXII
STEATITE LAMPS AND POTS . Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 . Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 . Port au Choix—2, Bench 3 . Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 . Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
ма
Un A шә Ю
70
хортой"
PLATE XXIII
STEATITE LAMP Woody Point, Bonne Bay
Portion of one upturned side still remains: the exterior of this is bevelled on the corner angle, but the height of the wall cannot be determined. The over-all dimensions of the lamp are not obtainable either, but the fragment measures 20 cm along the front edge. Interior surface of the bottom has a uniformly thick carbon crust. No indication of a wick ledge or any other features.
Plate X XIII
On this page I have figured, as a most interesting example of a steatite lamp from western Newfoundland, a specimen which was given to me in 1949 by Mr. Alexander R. Roberts of Woody Point, Bonne Bay. Mr. Roberts dug this out of his garden on Lighthouse Point some thirty years ago, and in the same general location he also found a large chipped stone lance point. This latter specimen was graciously presented to me in 1950 by Mrs. Thomas Parsons, who possessed it at that time. I was unable to obtain any other material from this site. The lamp is undoubtedly of Dorset origin, but the lance point differs radically from anything heretofore described in this paper. The implications of that fact will be discussed in a later section.
The Roberts lamp from Woody Point is a crude, pear-shaped saucer with low side walls on three sides and only a slight lip on the fourth side. The workmanship is rough, and all surfaces are bumpy and pitted. The bottom has been scraped flat on the under side to create a solid foundation
71
for the lamp. On the long axis, diagonal to the open-lip side, there is a shallow (wick?) groove, 1.5 cm wide, which extends from about the centre of the interior to the highest portion of the wall, and up that wall to the rim. Although the specimen has been scraped clean at some time subsequent to its discovery by Mr. Roberts, patches of carbon encrustation still adhere to both the interior and exterior surfaces. Certain dimensions of this lamp follow: greatest over-all length is 18.4 cm; over-all width of the shorter cross axis is 15.7 cm; width of the straight front with the low lip is 12.5 cm. The bottom of the vessel is about 1.6 cm. thick, and the sloping walls taper from that figure to about 1.0 cm at the rim. The greatest interior height of the side walls is about 2.6 cm (11).
BONE ARTIFACTS
It should be noted that the bulk of all bone artifacts (34 of a total of 36) was collected at one site: Port au Choix-2. The most extensive in- vestigations were carried on there because of the natural, undisturbed con- ditions, and in view of the fact that a fairly large cross-section was obtained at the site, it seems probable to me that this sample may be accepted as a reasonably accurate statement of the proportion of bone to stone artifacts. This supposition is strengthened by the further fact that great quantities of food bone debris were also uncovered at Port au Choix-2, all in a good state of preservation, and it is thus probable that not very much of the bony material has been lost through disintegration. Of a grand total of 506 arti- facts from Port au Choix-2, 34 were bone. This amounts to 6.7 per cent of the total finds there and strongly emphasizes that the parent culture was predominantly a stone-using one.
A—PROJECTILE POINTS Type 1: Harpoon Heads (Plate X XIV: 1, 2, p. 73)
The two specimens found, while basically alike, differ importantly in one feature; they should therefore be described separately. Plate X XIV: 1
Length 4.7 cm; maximum width at base 1.9 cm; maximum thickness 9.0 mm.
-
Вазе: Deeply concave, with bilateral spurs 8.3 mm long. Socket: Rectangular:10.7 mm by 2.1 mm. Line Hole: Single. Gouged from both faces, in centre of head, with
axis at a 90-degree angle from the shaft socket. Hole is 2.7 cm distant from the tips of the basal spurs.
Tip: Blunted, with no sign of a blade slot. Slight taper on one face may be a vestigial bed for a blade. It is pos- sible that this head may originally have been self- pointed and later worn down.
Plate XXIV: 2
Length 5.8 cm; maximum width at base 2.1 cm; maximum thickness 9.0 mm.
72
Base: Deeply concave, with bilateral spurs 1.2 cm long.
Socket: Rectangular: 11.4 mm by 2.8 mm.
Line Hole: Single. Gouged out in centre of the head, with its axis at a 90-degree angle from the shaft socket. Hole is 2.3 cm distant from the tips of the basal spurs.
Tip: Squared off, with rounded corners. Blade slot, in same plane as the shaft socket, has a maximum depth of 9.7 mm.
Note: This head has been split longitudinally from the blade slot to the base, so that it is impossible to tell if the slot was of the spring-clip type. The other feature is a deliberate thinning of the basal half of the head: the remaining exterior face has been smoothly cut away, to an approximate depth of 1.5 mm, from the top of the line hole to the ends of the basal spurs(13).
Type 2: Lance Points (Bone) (Plate XXIV: 3-5, p. 73) Although I have called the following three specimens lance points, they
may possibly be otherwise. Mathiassen figures a similar specimen, and iden- tifies it as an ice pick(14).
PLATE XXIV
і.
раша з-см. аа“ LL INCH 5
BONE TYPES
Harpoon Heads
1. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
2. Port au Choix—2, Bench 3 Lance Points
3—5. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 Small Barbed Points
6. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
7. Port au Choix—6
73
SN. І. «Eo. ome m re ado у
а RSS a e ERP NOE 2 Pay
Plate XXIV: 5
A long, tanged point with two line holes. Length 18.9 cm, maximum width 2.8 cm, and maximum thickness 1.6 cm. The tang is notched in slightly from the lateral edges, has a total length of 3.7 cm, and tapers gradually to a rounded point. The line holes are gouged through from both faces and are placed one above the other in the basal half of the blade. One face of the blade is badly eroded, but the other has a distinct longitudinal groove down its centre, from the tip to the uppermost line hole. This long groove is crossed at right angles by five short parallel grooves which appear to be only decorative. The tip of the blade is worn away, but the general propor- tions and lines suggest an original self-point. Plate XXIV: 4
This appears to be the basal fragment of a bone lance point. Present over- all length 14.4 cm, maximum width 2.5 cm, and maximum thickness 1.8 cm. What seems to be the base is a rounded point, as if meant for hafting in a socket. Both faces have longitudinal grooves, and slightly above centre on one edge are vestiges of a line hole. The traces of this clearly show that cuts were made from both faces to produce an incised hole very close to the edge, but the original bridge over this is now gone. Plate XXIV: 3
Although this specimen is the most fragmentary of the group, it is fash- ioned along the same general lines as the other two points. The tip is miss- ing, but there is a medial groove on one face. The base shows traces of saw cuts from both faces, as if this section had been cut from a longer piece of bone.
Type 3: Small Barbed Points (Bone) (Plate XXIV: 6, 7, p. 73)
Of the four fragmentary specimens collected from two sites, only two are sufficiently whole to merit description.
Plate XXIV: 6
This is a portion of a bilaterally barbed bone point with an open shaft socket. The maximum width of the piece is 12.2 mm, and it is 7.9 mm thick. The remaining area of the socket is 17.7 mm long, and it tapers in width from 5.6 mm to 2.8 mm at its upper end; its maximum depth is 1.0 mm. On the face opposite the socket is a low median ridge which extends for the entire length of the fragment. The lateral edges of the imple- ment each bear vestiges of two barbs which are not perfectly paired but tend to alternate slightly. From the thickness of the specimen and the flaring of the edges near the broken tip, I judge that at least one other pair of barbs formerly existed below the point.
Plate XXIV: 7
This specimen is a fragment of a much smaller and thinner barbed bone point. It has a maximum width of 7.2 mm, and it is 3.6 mm thick. The lower portion is broken away, but from the residual notches it appears that there was originally a single line hole cut into the centre of the blade and a single lateral barb on one edge.
74
v sme |
PLATE XXV
Pee З.С, 2 3 4 mer ru INCH 7 в
ВОМЕ ТУРЕ5
Sledge Runners 1, 2. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
Awls or Bodkins 3, 4. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
Needles 5, 6. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
Unidentified Fragments 7, 8. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
B—SLEDGE RUNNERS (BONE) (Plate XXV: 1, 2, p. 75)
Six fragments of worked bone excavated from site Port au Choix-2 can tentatively be identified as sledge runners. Generally, they are long sections of whale bone which are slightly convex on their bottom surfaces and deeply grooved on their upper surfaces. A more careful description of the largest fragment can be accepted as representative of the other pieces.
Plate XXV: 1
Fragmentary length 34.1 cm; maximum width 2.3 cm; maximum thickness (or height) 2.2 cm. The groove has a quite uniform width of 14.2 mm at the broken end, increasing to 16.2 mm at the tip; its maximum depth is 5.6 mm. This particular specimen appears to be a bow section of runner: viewed later- ally, the bottom sweeps gently upward to the tip, or nose; viewed in vertical plan, the nose is rounded. Commencing 4.0 cm back of the nose are
75
і
^if doin SCA 44ф% eg д ор феа r phe! ted сце,
md
two elongated, side-by-side lashing holes which have been incised from both top and bottom surfaces. On the bottom, the connecting rib between these two holes is cut away so that a lashing would be countersunk beneath the running surface. А final significant characteristic of this and all other fragments in the group is the presence of deep, longitudinal scratches along the convex bottom surface. One would expect a bare sled runner to be scarred in just this manner, and the scratches suggest that the runners were used without the application of an artificial surface of sludge or ice.
For comparative purposes, certain dimensions of the smallest fragment of sledge runner should be noted.
Plate XXV: 2 Width 1.65 cm; thickness (or height) 1.35 cm; bottom width of groove 7.9 mm; depth of groove 5.4 mm.
C—AWLS AND BODKINS (BONE) (Plate XXV: 3, 4, p. 75) Two specimens from site Port au Choix-2 may be tentatively identified as awls or bodkins.
Plate XXV: 3
Length 11.1 cm; maximum width 1.6 cm; maximum thickness 9.0 mm. The basal portion is bevelled along the lateral edges, and the base itself is a natural, articular surface. Two short, parallel, incised lines extend upward from the base on one face. There is a line hole near the centre of the blade, and this has been incised from both faces. The tip end is considerably eroded, but it tapers as if to a former sharp point.
Plate XXV: 4
This specimen is probably also a tip fragment of an awl or bodkin. Its maximum width is 1.1 cm, and the maximum thickness is 5.0 mm. The lateral edges are bevelled, and the tip, although eroded now, was possibly more pointed originally.
D—NEEDLES (BONE) (Plate XXV: 5, 6, p. 75) Two fragmentary specimens were collected from site Port au Choix-2.
Plate XXV: 5
This head fragment has a broad, very shallow groove on one face. The eye is formed by joined incisions made from both faces, close to one edge. Maximum width is 11.3 mm and maximum thickness 4.6 mm. One surface is slightly convex, whereas the opposite face has the aforementioned groove which extends from the very top end to a point just below the eye. This groove may have been used to countersink a thong in the needle head in order to facilitate drawing it through a hole. Plate XXV: 6
This appears to be a median fragment of a needle shaft. Maximum width
is 6.3 mm, and maximum thickness 3.8 mm. The fragment has been scraped down to its present size, and it has a faceted cross-section with seven sides.
76
E—UNIDENTIFIABLE WORKED FRAGMENTS (BONE) (Plate XXV: 7, 8, p. 75; Plate XXVI: 1—5, p. 77)
Because of the relatively small number of bone specimens found in these sites, I think it is good to describe all of them briefly in order that other students may make their own appraisal of the evidence. Those fragments which are now to be listed all show clear signs of human workmanship, but I have been unable to identify them with certainty.
Plate XXV: 7
A squared piece of prepared bone which suggests an unfinished haft. Length 9.7 cm; width of side at the top 2.2 cm; width of side at bottom 1.1 cm. Evenly tapered on all sides and carefully smoothed. The small, bottom end is smooth and unmarred, but the larger end is furrowed. This might be an indirect-percussion cylinder.
Plate XXV: 8
A thin, platy piece of bone. Length 9.5 cm; maximum width 2.2 cm; maximum thickness 8.0 mm. This specimen is severely eroded, but its shape is clearly the result of human workmanship. At the centre of one end there are vestiges of a hole gouged through from both faces.
PLATE XXVI
UNIDENTIFIED BONE FRAGMENTS 1-11. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2 12. Port au Choix—2, Bench 3 13-15. Port au Choix—2, Bench 2
Plate XXVI: 1
A large piece of whale bone with one carefully scraped surface about 17.5 cm long and 1.2 cm wide. This surface creates a right-angle corner down the length of the bone. Plate XXVI: 2
Similar to the specimen just noted. Plate XXVI: 3
This specimen has three surfaces scraped at right angles to each other, and the resulting cross-section is roughly quadrangular. Plate XXVI: 4
A tip of ivory tusk, showing three distinct saw cuts around its base. Plate XXVI: 5
A short, quadrangular stub of bone which has been cut to a length of 7.7 cm. The top surface has been scraped off smooth, and angular side facets near one end form a sort of keel. Plate XXVI: 6
A small fragment with two smoothed surfaces at right angles to each other. Reminiscent of the sledge runners already described. Plate XXVI: 7
An acute-angled fragment cut from a large bone. Plate XXVI: 8
Closely similar to the specimen just noted, but also has a groove cut in one face. Plate XXVI: 9
A. small, carved, triangular fragment. Plate XXVI: 10
Possibly a fragment of a point: this specimen has one smoothed surface with an incised groove in it. Plate XXVI: 11
А fragment of burned ivory, quadrangular in cross-section. Width 9.8 mm; thickness 6.2 mm. The corners are bevelled, and there are longitudinal grooves on each face. This is possibly a fragment of a projectile point. Plate XXVI: 12
This fragment has been bevelled on all sides. The cross-section shows eight surfaces, and one of these bears a portion of a longitudinal groove. Plate XXVI: 13
A fragment which has the appearance of being a haft, or possibly the head end of an awl or bodkin. It is quadrangular in cross-section, and the two broad faces are slightly concave or grooved. Plate XXVI: 14
A small, rounded fragment which suggests the head end of an awl or bodkin. Plate XXVI: 15 i
This specimen is roughly quadrangular in cross-section, and it has been carefully scraped smooth on one edge and both faces. Width 1.0 cm; thickness 4.0 mm.
78
MISCELLANEOUS CULTURAL MATERIALS
A—LIMONITE NODULES (Plate XX: 3, p. 67)
It is interesting to note that three such specimens were recovered by excavation from three different sites. Two are badly eroded, but the third (Plate XX: 3) is a compact little nodule of high density, with a knob on one end which gives it the appearance of a pear-shaped net-sinker. It does not, however, show any signs of workmanship. The use of these nodules is unknown, but I presume their iron content might make them suitable for strike-a-light kits.
79
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PART III:
INTERPRETATIONS
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CHAPTER SIX
The Cultural Unity of the Newfoundland Dorset Sites*
As I worked in the Newfoundland sites during two field seasons, I was strongly impressed by a general observation that certain of them shared a basic, pervading unity which at once set them apart from other sites in the same area. Now, inasmuch as several of these sites have already been tentatively classified as Dorset (1), they should all be similarly identifiable. It becomes necessary, then, to delineate this implied kinship with greater care, and to integrate briefly certain aspects of the responsible culture with which we are dealing.
In quick review, the eight related sites in northwestern Newfoundland аге: Port au Choix—1, 2, 5, 6, 7; Keppel Island; and Norris Point-1 and 2. It may be remembered that, in addition to these, I also listed and described Port au Choix—3. This was done because the site fitted best in that sequence, although, in my opinion, it belongs to a non-Dorset cultural order, and will therefore be considered later in a different category.
SIMILARITIES IN THE SITES
The physical locations of the eight sites afford the first indication of a possible mutual relationship. All are situated close to present, or former, strandlines, and most of them appear to have been encampments upon the very beaches themselves. Exposure to wind and climate, which is an important consideration in northwestern Newfoundland, does not seem to have gov- erned their location. Some, like Port au Choix—1 and 2, are open to the north on barren portions of the coast, whereas others, like Norris Point—1 and 2, have southern exposures in relatively sheltered areas.
Differences in their proximity to the present shoreline are conditioned by the varying elevations of the sites and their situation on raised beaches. This matter of raised beaches introduces a problem which I can by no means solve at this time (2), but for comparative purposes it may be mentioned briefly. Figure 10 (p. 86) indicates the various levels at which the sites occur, from 15 to 50 or 60 feet above present sea-level. Presumably these raised beaches are the result of post-glacial upwarping of the land, and this uplift seems to be continuing at present, judging from the stories one hears on the coast about new rocks and shoals which are hazardous now but did not exist as dangers a generation ago. The formation of offshore gravel bars and tidal pools is particularly apparent at site Port au Choix-2 where such features are also inherent in the profile of the raised beaches (cf. Figure 4, p. 21).
For the most part, the raised beaches are shallow in depth, from their front lines to the raised contours of the next higher beach, a factor which appears to induce a linear pattern of settlement paralleling the shoreline.
“References and notes will be found on page 173.
85
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This is most clearly evident at site Port au Choix-2 (cf. Figure 4, p. 21). Where the raised bench has a relatively greater depth from front to back, the concentration of settlement is generally as close as possible to the former shoreline. Thus, the mere factor of the location of these sites suggests an ecology that was somehow intimately connected with the sea.
The type of settlement at each site, whether temporary camp or more permanent village, cannot be determined definitely on the basis of present evidence. It is probable that site Port au Choix—2, for instance, represents an extensive occupation, for it covers a sizable area; however, since there is no discernible stratigraphy, we lack a time perspective. Such a perspective might, on one hand, be considered as of Jong duration in terms of the differential of elevations in the raised beaches; otherwise, it could also be suggested that all the cultural remains on a given level at this site were laid down within a relatively short time. In addition to site Port au Choix-2, Keppel Island is the only site where superficial house remains have been reported (3). Such a feature, of course, might suggest a long-term or recurrent occupation, and by contrast the other sites without such remains might assume a more temporary aspect. I believe, however, that similar data probably existed once in these other sites, but that they have since been destroyed. So, for the time being, I should like to advance the un- supported opinion that these sites all represent a phase of seasonal occupa- tion, and that the largest among them may have been used in more than one annual cycle.
COMPARISON OF THE SOIL PROFILES (Figure 11, page 88)
In all these sites the soil profile is quite shallow in depth and relatively simple in its stratification. The formation of humus has probably been a slow process because of the brief growing seasons. The least complex profile occurs at site Port au Choix—2 where the raised benches are covered with no more than six inches of top soil; directly beneath this layer is the mixed waterlaid sand and gravel of the former strand.
The only other natural component of importance to this discussion is a zone of red peaty soil occurring in certain sites, which can be correlated with forest growth. The bush cover of stunted spruce and fir is scanty and sporadic along most portions of the northwest coast of Newfoundland: everywhere it is laced with patches of barrens and interrupted by outcrops and headlands of limestone bedrock. In the vicinity of the modern ‘outport’ settlements considerable clearing of the land has taken place; and the presence of the red peaty zone in the soil profile is now the only remain- ing vestige of formerly wooded areas.
In relation to the prehistoric occupation of these sites, the forest cover and subsequent red peaty zone appear to be later in time. The cultural remains occur either in a stratum of black earth just beneath the peaty zone, or else may lie within the base of the peaty zone itself. An exception to this might be site Norris Point-2 where cultural remains were noted throughout the entire peaty zone; however, because of the shallow depth of the peaty zone there (2—3 inches) and because no thorough excavations were conducted in the site, this may not be an important difference.
87
88
à sop (сито FOREST SOIL.
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f — MIXED SAND AND LIMESTONE GRAVEL
NORTHWESTERN NEWFOUNDLAND
NORRIS POINT-2
FIGURE 11—Comparative soil profiles.
In general, the deposition of cultural remains seems to equate with the formation of the initial layer of soil on the beach surfaces. It may be that the first human occupation occurred when there was no soil cover at all, but if that were so the occupation must also have continued, or recurred, through the period of time during which the soil layer was building. This might be an argument in favour of a lengthy occupation, particularly at a site like Port au Choix—2 where the remains are found throughout a 6-inch layer of black soil. On the other hand, it may be that during occupation the incipient surface soil of this site, and others, was of such an uncompacted nature that it easily became mixed with cultural debris, and that subse- quently the process of soil building continued and was accompanied by an ever-increasing compression and density of the stratum.
I have already noted that I could not detect any evidence of cultural stratigraphy in these sites, and that in an important site like Port au Choix— 2 there is no sign of any disturbance in the profile (cf. p. 20). There was, however, in the latter site, a very slight trend that seemed inherent in the deposition of the cultural materials. It will require more thorough and ex- tensive excavation to measure this impression, but it appeared as if the bulk of the cultural debris lay in the lowermost half of the black soil, and that this material gradually thinned out toward the upper levels, finally disap- pearing just beneath the surface sod. That observation suggests, at least in this particular case, that prehistoric occupation of a given bench occurred early in the period of soil building. From this it might be inferred that the benches were occupied when they were, relatively speaking, new, recently uplifted, and still close to the strandline. A roughly identical pattern seems to hold true for all the sites, regardless of their present elevation above sea-level.
COMPARISON OF THE CULTURAL REMAINS
On the basis of the material found, the first impression one gains in the eight sites is that of a strong cultural unity. Many of the artifact types occur repeatedly; they are strikingly uniform in their small size; they show strong similarities in workmanship and technique; and they are made of the same materials. This rough generalization is supported by a more careful analysis of the finds, although the quantitative spread of the artifacts is uneven from site to site.
Reference to the distribution chart on page 80 will supply additional background material for the statistics which follow. It will be noted that a grand total of 781 artifacts were collected from all the eight sites, but of this number, 506 artifacts, or 64.7 per cent of the grand total, came from one site, Port au Choix-2. One other site, Port au Choix-7, produced 128 artifacts, or 16.4 per cent of the total found. The remaining 18.9 per cent of all artifacts came from the other six sites.
My classification of the artifacts breaks down into 57 different classes, types, and subtypes. Of these, 23, or 40.3 per cent, are shared by the two sites Port au Choix-2 and 7. Beyond this point statistics are not too useful, but they give the following results:
89
70428-8—7
Number of classes, types, or subtypes shared by sites:
No. classes,
types, subtypes No. of sites
0 8
4 7
0 6
4 5
8 4
9 3
14 2 18 1 only
It will be realized, of course, that the sampling process was not an even one because of the exigencies of reconnaissance. It was impossible to excavate in some sites because they were located within garden areas (Port au Choix-5 and 6, Norris Point-2); elsewhere several sites had obviously been culled by local people (Port au Choix—5 and 7, Keppel Island, Norris Point-1); and in one case almost the entire representation of specimens from a site (Norris Point-1) was presented to me by an amateur collector.
The three most common types, which occurred in 7 of the 8 sites, belong to the chipped stone group which predominated everywhere. Of course, the most common form is the snub-nosed end scraper (Type 1) which numbers 125 specimens. Second-most-plentiful are the triangular projectile points with concave bases (Type 1-a), of which there are 113 specimens. The third widespread form is the simple, unretouched prismatic blade (Type 5-а Knife), represented by 75 specimens. The fourth group, which occurred in seven sites, is made up of relatively insignificant utilized chips. The other types are less in quantity, but in general they exhibit a fair spread through the sites. There is what might be called rather good visual evidence of correlation in the distribution chart, although it is a difficult property to measure in an over-all sense. In this connection, it is well to recall that in those sites which have been selectively culled by local inhabitants there has probably been a significant alteration of type occurrences. It is such things as arrow points, knives, and scrapers that are most readily identifiable by the uninitiated, and I think that may be the best explanation for the paucity of some types in certain sites.
I have not attempted to analyse the major group percentages for each site, for the lack of well-rounded evidence makes this infeasible. However, in addition to a breakdown of the entire collection, it does seem necessary to analyse the finds from site Port au Choix—2, for they constitute the majority of the grand total. Furthermore, to offer a specific example, virtually all specimens in the category of bone artifacts came from this site, and it would therefore not be offering a true picture to express this category per- centagewise in terms of the grand total.
All Sites PC-2 % 0%
Chipped Stone 86.1 83.8 Chipped and Ground Stone 1.3 1.4 Ground and Polished Stone 5.9 7.1 Rough Stone 1.1 0.6 Steatite 0.6 0.2 Bone 4.6 6.7 Miscellaneous 0.4 0.2
90
Some of the sites deviate from the above norms to a considerable degree, but I believe the deviation is completely attributable to the sampling process. Aside from the repetition of types, another important instance of relation- ship among all the sites is to be noted in the manufacturing techniques employed on the artifacts. This is particularly so with the chipped stone implements which constitute so great a portion of the total collection. The manufacture of such implements must have been a widespread occupation, for they are found everywhere in the sites, accompanied by myriad chips.
It is not possible to reconstruct positively the manufacturing processes used, because, for instance, no flint flakers were found. There is, however, a possibility that one specimen may have been used as an indirect-percussion cylinder (see Plate XXV: 7 and p. 75), and certainly the presence of two hammerstones indicates that percussion flaking of a direct sort was part of the job sequence. Clearly, too, the finishing process was a matter of pressure flaking, and it may be presumed that a customary form of pressure-flaker was utilized for this purpose. The practice of unifacial flaking is also present in all the sites, and in each case it was done with quite uniform excellence. The acme of skill, of course, appears in the side- notched, serrated knives (Type 3-b) from site Port au Choix—2, but I have already suggested that these were probably the output of a single artisan. As a general interpretation, I think one may assume that the techniques of manufacture were the same in all sites. Probably the core was first pre- pared by fashioning a striking platform by means of percussion; next, the patina, if any, might have been removed by the same means; then either small prismatic, or larger, forms of blades could be taken off and subse- quently finished with the aid of the flint flaker. Some cruder implements, such as a few knives and scrapers, were fashioned mostly by percussion method and show a minimum of pressure retouching.
In the use of materials for these implements there was a strong preference for flint: I estimate that about 95 per cent of all stone tools found in these sites are made of that material, most of them of a black variety, though some are several shades of blue, brown, and red. (I use the term ‘flint’ in its archaeological sense, since it is not otherwise definable to everyone’s satisfaction. It may be taken to include chert, jasper, chalcedony, and other kindred varieties of amorphous silica which are all characterized by conchoidal fracture.) A very few specimens are made of translucent grey quartzite, and some of the prismatic blades are crystalline quartz. The only other variety of stone used for the chipped implements is a fine-grained pink quartzite, of which three percussion-flaked knives (Type 6) were made. The rough stone artifacts are made of a granitic rock, while the ground and polished ones are fashioned from silicified slate, nephrite, and chert. Steatite appears to have been used only for lamps and cooking pots.
SUMMARY OF CULTURAL UNITY IN NORTHWESTERN NEWFOUNDLAND
It has been my intention in this section to integrate, in a brief manner, the data which were described in the preceding section. Since several of the sites under discussion have, on trial, already been equated with the Cape Dorset Eskimo culture, and since these are among the eight sites which I have
91
70428-8—74
فو ص ere
proposed as a related unit, it may be affirmed that the sites in question are all foci of a single cultural complex, possibly that of the Cape Dorset Eskimo. The locations, although at opposite ends of an eighty-mile stretch of New- foundland’s northwestern coast, are similarly littoral; the individual soil pro- files strongly suggest at least an approximate contemporaneity for the group; and the cultural remains from the sites provide final evidence of their mutual relationship.
With the establishment of such an integrated cultural whole, it is now possible to broaden the investigation, and to consider how this unit may have fitted into the total Dorset complex, and how it may have interacted with other factors in the prehistoric cultural continuum of Newfoundland and the northeastern sector of the continent.
92
CHAPTER SEVEN
An Analysis of the Total Dorset Culture Complex, Exclusive of the Newfoundland Aspect*
Although the aforementioned cultural data from northwestern Newfoundland may be attributable to the extinct Cape Dorset Eskimo, no extensive analysis of this purported relationship has ever been attempted, so far as I am aware. The main reason for this has been a dearth of material evidence. In the first place, as de Laguna noted (1), there is great uncertainty as to what the characteristic makeup of Dorset culture is, and there are striking differences in the contents of known Dorset sites, probably to be accounted for by disparities of age, environment, season of occupation, and external culture contacts. Secondly, Wintemberg could claim for his material from New- foundland only that “some of the artifacts present characteristics that are sufficiently distinctive to link it (the culture) with ‘Dorset’ Eskimo. . .," and he noted further that the Newfoundland aspect of this culture “does not seem to be as well developed as in ‘Dorset’ sites in the Arctic” (2). Thus, neither the parent nor the alleged offspring has been perfectly understood.
In view of that discontinuity in our knowledge, it seems necessary first of all to review what facts we have at present concerning the parent Dorset culture, for any resulting delineation of that culture will certainly afford a useful foundation for an appraisal of the Newfoundland manifestation. In this section I should like to work toward that end by reviewing all sites which have been reported to yield artifacts of the Dorset Eskimo culture, and to determine, if possible, what is the greatest common denominator of cultural traits that links them together in a mutual complex.
The following treatment is arranged solely according to the chronological order of the published reports, and in each case the primary source references are listed together with the site location. The extracted data include only those items which are relevant to the immediate problem of clarifying Dorset culture, with pertinent commentary inserted where necessary. I have classified these data as ‘primary’ or ‘secondary,’ according to the ease with which they can be defined as concrete or tangible traits: the ‘secondary’ data, for instance, may be of a negative nature (such as the absence of drilled holes in artifacts), or subjective evaluations (such as ‘dark’ patination of bone artifacts).
ROSTER OF DORSET SITES
Cape Dorset, southern Baffin Island Jenness, 1925
Remarks | In the above reference Jenness set forth the first formulation of Cape
Dorset Eskimo culture. The provenience of the collections which he analysed
*References and notes will be found on page 173. З
was not well documented, and it was therefore impossible to establish the exact inter-relationships of the various materials. However, as a result of the work done on the Fifth Thule Expedition, it was possible for Jenness to recognize those traits which were a part of the Thule Eskimo culture, as it had been defined by Therkel Mathiassen(3). Following the separation of this known quantity there was left a component which included several artifact types that had hitherto been unknown in Eskimo culture. In addition to these strange types, Jenness was struck by the fact that one-third of all the bone specimens were distinguished by а ‘deep-chocolate’ coloration, whereas the other two-thirds, which he had already identified as Thule, were characterized by a conspicuously lighter patination. These strange, dark specimens suggested to him an appearance of relatively greater age when compared with the lighter-coloured Thule artifacts. A further remarkable feature was the absence of drilled holes in those of the newly-recognized types which were made of bone: whatever holes there were had been incised or gouged, and from this observation Jenness inferred that the carriers of this peculiar culture had not had any knowledge of the bow drill. Such, essentially, was the first delineation of Dorset Eskimo culture, and the traits which can be associated with it, from that site, are listed below.
Primary Traits a. Chipped stone projectile points, triangular with concave base. Designated as a new Eskimo trait. Chipped stone knives with asymmetrically curved lateral edges. Designated as a new Eskimo type. Quartz block rubbing stones. Designated as a new Eskimo type. Prismatic blades(4). Adz blade of ground and polished nephrite. Ground and polished nephrite gravers(5). Bone harpoon heads with bifurcated bases, incised line holes, and closed, rectangular shaft socket. Designated as a new Eskimo type. . Bone harpoon foreshafts shaped to fit rectangular sockets. Multiple-barbed bone points with incised line holes. Small bone knives, socketed for side blades. . Bone dart heads, socketed for side blades. Bone snow knife. . Bone needles with incised eye-holes. . Bone snow goggles with incised eye-slit. . Bone sled runners(6). Soapstone dishes: oval, shallow, flat-bottomed (see note 6). . Distinctive art style: carving of human face on one of new type harpoon heads.
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Secondary Characteristics a. Absence of drilled holes in artifacts. Line holes in such things as harpoon heads, are incised or gouged. b. Dark patination of bone artifacts, suggesting relatively great age when compared with Thule bone objects from the same collections. c. Conspicuously small size of most implements(7).
94
+ —— ——— Aa
Coats Island, northern Hudson Bay Jenness, 1925
Remarks
Miscellaneous collections from this locale contained corroborating evid- ence for the new Cape Dorset Eskimo theory and were described in the same reference, as noted above.
Primary Traits
Prismatic blades (see note 4).
Bone harpoon heads, as described above.
Multiple-barbed bone points with incised line holes.
Spatulate bone rod with incised hole and engraved linear decoration. Bone needles with incised eye-holes.
Distinctive art style: incised linear patterns on bone objects.
SEORSUM
Secondary Characteristics a. All holes incised or gouged; none drilled. b. Small size of implements (inferred).
Southampton Island, northern Hudson Bay Jenness, 1925 Remarks The site on this island is unidentified; the evidence was noted in old col- lections of the National Museum of Canada.
Primary Trait a. Bone harpoon head, as described above for Cape Dorset.
Secondary Characteristics a. Holes incised or gouged; none drilled. b. Deep-coloured patination (inferred).
Chesterfield Inlet, northwestern coast of Hudson Bay Jenness, 1925 Remarks No specific site location; the evidence was noted by Jenness in old col- lections of the National Museum of Canada and described along with the material from Cape Dorset.
Primary Trait a. Bone harpoon head, as described above for Cape Dorset.
Secondary Characteristics a. Holes incised or gouged; none drilled. b. Deep-coloured patination (inferred).
Button Point, Bylot Island Mathiassen, 1927, Part 1, p. 206-12
Remarks
In addition to a number of Thule types found at this site, Mathiassen noted the occurrence of objects which had an appearance of great age but did not integrate with his concept of the Thule cultural inventory.
93
He agreed that these anomalous artifacts seemed to equate with the Dorset culture, as it had already been defined by Jenness, but the uncertain strati- graphy at Button Point did not permit of his establishing a relative chron- ology. He further observed that his collection from this site was made up predominantly of flint blades and chips, although he attributed this to the probable decay of bone, wood, and baleen materials. One questions this suggestion upon observing that some of the bone harpoon heads and lance heads illustrated in Mathiassen's Plate 61 appear to be perfectly preserved. Primary Traits
а. Chipped stone points with side notches.
b. Chipped stone points, triangular with concave base.
c. Chipped stone knives with asymmetrically curved lateral edges.
d. Chipped stone scrapers, snub-nosed.
e. Chipped stone burins(8).
f. Slate points, facet-ground.
g. Bone harpoon heads with self-points, bifurcated bases, incised line holes, and rectangular shaft sockets.
h. Multiple-barbed bone points with incised line hole near one edge of the tang.
i. Soapstone vessels, oval-shaped and thin-walled.
j. Distinctive art style: fragments of wood carved with human and animal figures, incised linear designs, cross hatches, and sets of oblique grooves. Mathiassen observed that “they differ greatly from the usual Eskimo carvings by their style and hatching . . .”(9).
Secondary Characteristics
a. Holes incised or gouged; none drilled.
b. Appearance of great age. It may be inferred that Mathiassen’s evalua- tion is comparable to the deep-chocolate coloration noted by Jenness in the Cape Dorset collection(10).
c. Apparent predominance of chipped stone artifacts.
d. Techniques of chipping and grinding combined on certain flint im- plements.
Ponds Inlet, northern Baffin Island Locales: Koroqdjuaq and Igaqdjuaq Mathiassen, 1927, Part 1, p. 209 Remarks
Dorset traits appeared here as a minor component of a context that was basically Thule.
а. Polyhedral flint core (See page 109 following and note 40 for this section. )
b. Bone harpoon heads with bifurcated base, single incised line hole, and rectangular shaft socket. Secondary Characteristic a. Holes incised or gouged; none drilled. This is not specifically men- tioned by Mathiassen, but the inference may be made from his com- parison of these harpoon heads with the specimens from Button Point.
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Kuk, Duke of York Bay, Southampton Island Mathiassen, 1927, Part 1, p. 223-60
Remarks
Of the finds that are listed below, only one, a bone harpoon head, was excavated by Mathiassen himself. The others were obtained from Eskimos, and there is no exact information on their provenience other than that they are reported to have come from this site. Concerning these latter specimens, Mathiassen noted especially that the artifacts of ivory were closely similar to Jenness’s Cape Dorset types and that they all seemed to be very old, judging from their dark-brown patination and deeply corroded surfaces(11). Otherwise, the context of this site is described as being primarily Thule, or that of a later derivative of Thule.
Primary Traits
a. Bone harpoon head with self-point, bifurcated base, single line hole, and rectangular shaft socket.
b. Multiple-barbed harpoon head which apparently has an open shaft socket, or bed, and may have had an incised line hole near one edge of the tang.
c. Bone blades or points with incised line holes. One specimen has bevelled edges; another, with a transverse groove, is not positively identifi- able, but it is quite similar to the lance points (or ice picks) which I have shown in Plate XXIV on p. 73.
d. Bone needles with incised eye-holes.
e. Distinctive art style: a single specimen of ivory carved as a figure of a hawk-like bird.
Secondary Characteristics a. Holes incised or gouged; none drilled. b. Dark patination of ivory specimens and appearance of great age.
Port Harrison, northeastern coast of Hudson Bay, P.Q. Mathiassen, 1927, Part 1, p. 290 Remarks The collection from this locale is said to have contained a number of Thule types. Primary Traits a. Chipped stone projectile point with concave base. b. Facet-ground slate blades with single or multiple side notches. c. Distinctive art style: a single specimen carved as a walrus head with the face covered by crossed lines. Mathiassen says this resembles the technique shown on the wood carvings from Button Point (see p. 96).
Secondary Characteristics None recorded.
Malerualik, King William Island Mathiassen, 1927, Part 1, p. 307 Remarks The general cultural context of this site was considered by Mathiassen to be Thule, although he suggested that it might have belonged to an early phase of that culture. There was, however, a Dorset factor present.
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nin diei. a wor Qd utn ИЛЛАХА. ^ oa ed mm да — а Wis га ГАЗІ =
Primary Trait a. Bone harpoon head of Cape Dorset type, as described above. Secondary Characteristic
a. Holes incised or gouged; none drilled. This is not so stated, but it may be inferred.
Cape York, northwestern Greenland Mathiassen, 1927, Part 2, p. 29 and 165 Remarks This reference is an incidental description of certain isolated and un- related finds made in the above area. Primary Traits
a. Bone harpoon head of Cape Dorset type, as described above.
b. Quiver- or bag-handle of antler (see next item).
c. Distinctive art style: the above-mentioned antler handle is etched with linear designs which are quite similar to the motifs on the carved wooden figures from Button Point (p. 96). In Mathiassen’s illus- tration of this artifact (Figure 10: 1) it appears that the elongated holes at each end might have been incised instead of drilled.
Secondary Characteristic a. Holes incised or gouged; none drilled. Not so stated, but inferred.
Navy Board Inlet, northern Baffin Island Mathiassen, 1927, Part 2, p. 29 Remarks No details are available for this site. The reference merely notes that Jen- ness reported the occurrence there of the following trait. Primary Trait a. Bone harpoon head of Cape Dorset type.
Secondary Characteristic a. Incised holes inferred.
Hall Land, northern Greenland Mathiassen, 1928, p. 213-16
Remarks
The finds, made at a site on Cape Tyson, consist of only four specimens which rested in uncertain association with the ruins of a single stone house. Mathiassen stated that these artifacts showed a close connection with the Dorset culture, although as of that time (1928) he still considered Dorset to be no more than a localized aspect of the Thule culture. Outside of the House was a small refuse heap which contained the bones of bearded seal, muskox, fox, hare, and caribou. It is thus of interest to note that three of the four artifacts found here were made of walrus ivory, although no walrus bones were detected in the refuse heap. The ruins consisted of a square stone foundation, probably that of a winter house which faced westward toward the sea; these were said to stand at an elevation of 1 to 2 metres above ѕеа- level, only a short distance back from the beach. It is not clear from the text whether the specimens came from the midden or from the house.
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Primary Traits
a. Toy harpoon head of ivory which measures 2.5 cm long. Bifurcated base, incised line hole, but no shaft socket, possibly because of small size.
b. Ivory pendant with pointed top, incised hole, and incised linear decora- tion on both faces.
c. Unidentified object of ivory: shaped as a four-sided rod with an incised hole and one end slightly spatulate with sharpened lateral edges. In- cised decoration consisting of a single longitudinal line crossed at right angles by several shorter lines. Mathiassen suggested this might be a boot creaser.
d. Small fragment of iron “which from its exterior seems to be hammered meteoric iron"(12).
е. Ruins of a rectangular stone house: these are questionable as Dorset remains.
f. Distinctive art style: the same as that described for Button Point.
Secondary Characteristic a. Holes incised or gouged; none drilled.
Hopedale area, northeastern Labrador Strong, 1930, p. 131, and Pl. 6: o
Remarks
In my opinion, the Old Stone Culture which Strong formulated is not related in any way to Dorset, but at least in one locale an isolated Dorset type was collected. Primary Trait
a. Chipped stone triangular point with concave base.
Secondary Characteristics None observed.
King Cape, southern Baffin Island Jenness, 1933, p. 390 Remarks Dorset culture is stated to have been found here, but no details are given.
Dundas Harbor, southern Devon Island Jenness, 1933, p. 390 Remarks Dorset culture is stated to have been found at a site here, but no details are given.
Cape Hardy, northern Devon Island Lethbridge, 1939, р. 193-97 Remarks This is another site which presented a mixture of Dorset and Thule culture traits, and it was suggested by the author to have been a fall camping place. He noted that certain of the huts appeared to belong to a period “when objects of Cape Dorset and Naujan Thule culture were both in use to-
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gether,” whereas he believed the remaining huts belonged to a later period. Apparently it was not possible to differentiate clearly between these two manifestations, and the Dorset signs, therefore, cannot be associated defi- nitely with any of the house ruins.
Primary Traits
a. Chipped stone knives with asymmetrically curved lateral edges.
b. Quartzite block rubbing stones.
c. Bone harpoon head of Dorset type, as described above.
d. Spoon-shaped bone pendants, with incised holes and incised linear decoration.
e. Distinctive art style: the incised linear designs are very similar to those already described for the Button Point site.
Secondary Characteristics
a. Holes incised or gouged; none drilled. b. Dark-coloured patination of the bone specimens.
Buchanan Bay, Ellesmere Island Lethbridge, 1939, p. 193-97 Remarks Again, here is a site that was predominantly Thule with a slight admixture
of Dorset elements. There was insufficient evidence for any temporal sepa- ration of these materials.
Primary Trait
a. Stone bowl, described as ‘Cape Dorset style,’ although, from the illustration (Figure 6: 1), this seems to me to be more like a fragment of a saucer-shaped lamp.
b. Bottom section of a composite bone box. This is decorated with incised linear design.
c. Distinctive art style: the incised linear motifs are similar to those already described.
Stupart Bay, Eevooyik, Wolstenholme, P.Q.
Wakeham Bay, Eevooyik, Wolstenholme, P.Q.
Mansfield Island, northern Hudson Bay
Hopewell Sound, eastern coast of Hudson Bay, P.Q. Wintemberg, 1939, p. 94
Remarks
No extensive information is available for these sites, but Wintemberg has listed National Museum of Canada specimen numbers for typical Dorset points that are reported to have been found at each of these locales.
Primary Traits a. Chipped stone projectile points, triangular with concave base.
Secondary Characteristics None.
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Belcher Islands, southern Hudson Bay Quimby, 1940 Jenness, 1941
Remarks
On the basis of collections obtained here, Quimby postulated the late- prehistoric existence of an independent Eskimo culture to which he gave the name ‘Manitunik.’ This culture was thought to have been essentially Thule, although it was suggested that a minor Dorset influence was apparent in the following traits.
Primary Traits
a. Chipped stone projectile points, triangular with concave base.
b. Ground and polished nephrite gravers or chisels with bevelled edges and single side notches.
c. Facet-ground slate blades with single or multiple side notches near the base. Jenness suggested that the notches were a Dorset tradition mani- fested in a ground stone medium which was probably Manitunik.
d. House foundations: oval tent rings of stone, measuring about twelve feet in diameter; also rectangular stone foundations, 10 feet by 20 feet, with door gaps in the middle of the long side facing the sea. There was no positive correlation between these ruins and the artifacts, but it was suggested that all were part of the same manifestation.
e. Distinctive art style: realistic ivory carvings of animals and human beings.
Secondary Characteristics None.
Abverdjar Island, Foxe Basin Rowley, 1940
Remarks
This site probably exemplifies pure Dorset culture, untainted by immediate influences. In contrast with those other sites already mentioned, there was apparently a complete absence of Thule traits here, and the only possible chance for cultural contamination in the remains existed in the presence of a modern Eskimo settlement in the same locality. Presumably, however, this factor did not present any real difficulty to the analysis. It is interesting to note that both the ancient occupation and the modern one occurred at the very same level on a sloping bank that now runs from twenty-three to forty feet above sea-level. In this case, then, site elevation is clearly not related to the degree of antiquity.
Primary Traits
Chipped stone projectile points, triangular with concave base. Chipped stone knives with asymmetrically curved lateral edges. Quartz block rubbing stones.
Ground slate points, triangular and leaf-shaped with tang.
Chipped and ground chert tool of uncertain purpose. The faces appear to be ground and the edges chipped (see Rowley, Figure 2: g). Prob- ably gravers.
Sa. SA
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Quartz crystal with one end chipped to a chisel edge (Rowley, Figure 3: c). This worked quartz crystal and the chipped and ground imple- ment noted above were listed as new types by Rowley.
Soapstone lamps and cooking pots: fragments of shallow, oval bowls with bottoms rounded or slightly flattened.
. Bone harpoon heads with bifurcated bases, incised line holes, and
rectangular shaft sockets.
Bone harpoon foreshafts with ends shaped to fit rectangular sockets. Barbed trident head of antler for spear or harpoon. This appears to be a unique specimen (Rowley, Figure 2: h).
. Multiple-barbed bone fish-spear head with incised line hole.
Bone knife handles with lateral edges slotted for side blades. The specimens from Abverdjar have a new feature in the presence of a small antler strip lashed onto the side of the haft in order to hold the blade more firmly in the socket (Rowley, Figure 1: e).
. Caribou leg bone chisel, characterized by Rowley as a new find in the
eastern Arctic.
.