NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: North Slave Region

Tags: archaeology, Copper Inuit

Objective(s): To examine variation in the archaeological record of the spatial and temporal context of copper from the Coronation Gulf region in the Canadian Arctic and Subarctic.

Project Description: The proposed research will examine variation in the archaeological record of the spatial and temporal context of copper from the Coronation Gulf (CG) region in the Canadian Arctic and Subarctic to answer questions about innovation in metallurgical technology among northern hunter-gatherers. Specific research questions to be addressed through spatial and contextual analysis include: (1) Does copper play a role as motivation for the Thule migration; (2) Does the context of copper technology vary between specific geographic locations with differing subsistence bases and technological requirements; (3) Do social and economic relationships affect the adoption, utilization, and distribution of CG copper; (4) In archaeological contexts containing CG copper and metal from other sources (Siberian trade iron, Norse trade metal, or Greenlandic meteoric iron), does the context of copper use differ from sites with only CG copper?; and finally (5) Is there a systematic way that northern hunter-gatherers engage with copper (synthesized from the previous 4 research questions and similar analyses from the western Subarctic) that will show broader patterns of technological innovation among hunter-gatherer groups? The basis of analysis to answer the preceding research questions is the spatial, temporal, and contextual relationships between archaeological native copper and other environmental and social parameters and variables. Multivariate Least Cost Analysis will be the primary tool used to determine these spatial relationships within GIS models. Environmental parameters and variables include geological copper sources, digital elevation models (DEMs), hydrology, seasonal sea ice extent and variation, Arctic polynyas, the seasonal ranges and habitat of multiple subsistence species, and other resources on the landscape. Social variables include transportation technology, linguistic and cultural boundaries, traditional place names, ethnohistoric social relationships, ethnohistoric trade routes, and ethnographic copper information. Archaeological variables in addition to presence of native copper include cultural affiliation, seasonality of occupation, duration of occupation, primary site function, radiocarbon dates and relative chronology, and other associated material culture (including but not restricted to other metal artifacts). These spatial relationships will form a quantitative foundation upon which to build interpretations of the archaeological record. They will also allow for a quantitative comparison of copper context in the western Subarctic and inform broader models of hunter-gatherer innovation. Additionally, compositional analysis using non-destructive portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) will be used to analyzed metal artifacts in the Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Centre (PWNHC)collections in order to discriminate between native (99.9% pure) copper and copper alloys from foreign trade, as well as attempt to identify trace metal residues on discarded organic handles from composite metal tools. Hands-on copper-working demonstration in NWT and Nunavut communities. The research team are interested in discussing other possibilities as envisioned by archaeologists and community members in NWT and Nunavut. The research team will also provide a demonstration of pXRF technology to PWNHC staff. Results will be disseminated through a combination of: project website, sharing of published products, and presentations given to Arctic communities. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from September 1, 2014 to November 30, 2014.