Rick Knecht
University of Aberdeen, Archaeology, Faculty Member
The earliest-known settlements in the Aleutians are approximately 9,000 years old. They herald the beginning of the Anangula phase of the Eastern Aleutian archaeological sequence. These first inhabitants came from the Alaska Peninsula and... more
The earliest-known settlements in the Aleutians are approximately 9,000 years old. They herald the beginning of the Anangula phase of the Eastern Aleutian archaeological sequence. These first inhabitants came from the Alaska Peninsula and probably stemmed from the Paleoarctic tradition and ultimately from western Beringia. Despite climatic changes and volcanic eruptions, it appears that the Aleutians remained inhabited from the earliest time, as witnessed by the clear evidence of technological continuity. By approximately 6,000 years ago populations developed a successful adaptation to maritime resources and expanded throughout the entire Aleutian chain and had contact with several populations over widespread areas of the western Arctic.
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Centred on the underresearched precontact archaeology of southwest coastal Alaska, the Nunalleq project is a decade-long collaboration between the Yup’ik village of Quinhagak and the University of Aberdeen. The Nunalleq archaeological... more
Centred on the underresearched precontact archaeology of southwest coastal Alaska, the Nunalleq project is a decade-long collaboration between the Yup’ik village of Quinhagak and the University of Aberdeen. The Nunalleq archaeological site, like countless others in the Arctic, is being rapidly destroyed by the combined effects of global warming. Newly thawed permafrost soils are extremely vulnerable to rapid marine erosion from rising sea levels and decreases in seasonal ocean ice cover. Organic artifacts at the site have been preserved in remarkably intact condition, revealing an extraordinary record of precontact Yup’ik culture. But with the disappearing permafrost, this archaeological and ecological record is gradually decomposing, and recovery and analysis has become time critical. The Nunalleq project is a community-based response to locally identified needs to both recover threatened archaeological heritage and to find new ways to reconnect young people to Yup’ik culture and tradition. The results of the project have far exceeded our original expectations. Similar collaborative efforts may be the best hope for addressing threatened archaeological heritage in the North and beyond.
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Research Interests: Geography and Archaeology
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Research Interests: Geography and Subdivision
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Research Interests: Geography and Archaeology
... Richard A. Knecht and Richard H. Jordan, Department of Anthropology, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 ... their traditional culture as Eskimo, even though the older people speak Alutiiq, a language closely related to Central... more
... Richard A. Knecht and Richard H. Jordan, Department of Anthropology, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 ... their traditional culture as Eskimo, even though the older people speak Alutiiq, a language closely related to Central Alaskan Yupik (Krauss 1983; Leer 1978). ...
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Considerable interest exists in characterizing the extent of changes in methylmercury exposures from preindustrial to modern-day times. Hair is often preserved over centuries and has been useful in determining the extent of dietary trace... more
Considerable interest exists in characterizing the extent of changes in methylmercury exposures from preindustrial to modern-day times. Hair is often preserved over centuries and has been useful in determining the extent of dietary trace metal exposures, particularly methylmercury. We examined 16 human hair samples taken from human hair bundles buried in the soil of the Karluk One Archaeological site located near the current Karluk village on the Kodiak Archipelago of Alaska. Hair samples were analyzed for total mercury, methylmercury, selenium, and cadmium. The mean total mercury level was 1.33 ppm (SD = 1.09). The mean methylmercury level, however, was considerably lower than the total mercury concentration: the mean methylmercury level was 0.03 ppm (SD = 0.02). The mean cadmium level was 0.15 ppm (SD = 0.14) and the mean selenium level was 5.22 ppm (SD = 5.73). While the concentration of total mercury in the Karluk hair samples is comparable to those observed in ancient hair from other locations, direct methylmercury quantization demonstrated that methylmercury levels were less than 2% of the total mercury in these hair samples. Because the hair was subjected to a variety of environmental influences over the centuries, the possibility of degradation of methylmercury in the hair over the last 400 to 800 years cannot be ruled out. The use of hair from remains found in more protected frozen or dry environments may provide the best evidence for the extent of preindustrial exposures to methylmercury and other trace metals.
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Research Interests: Geography, Anthropology, Arctic Archaeology, Alaska Native Studies, American Indian & Alaska Native, and 9 moreCulture Change, Arctic Anthropology, Prehistory, Alaska Archaeology, Wet-site archaeology, Native Alaska Ethnology and Ethnohistory, Little Ice Age, Archipelago, and Alaska Native Art and Material Culture
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Research Interests: Geography and Archaeology
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This article presents the results of a program of radiocarbon dating and Bayesian modeling from the precontact Yup'ik site of Nunalleq (GDN-248) in subarctic southwestern Alaska. Nunalleq is deeply stratified, presenting a robust... more
This article presents the results of a program of radiocarbon dating and Bayesian modeling from the precontact Yup'ik site of Nunalleq (GDN-248) in subarctic southwestern Alaska. Nunalleq is deeply stratified, presenting a robust relative chronological framework of well-defined individual house floors abundant in ecofacts suitable for radiocarbon dating. Capitalizing on this potential, we present the results of one of the first applications of Bayesian statistical modeling of radiocarbon data from an archaeological site in the North American Arctic. Using these methods, we demonstrate that it is possible to generate robust, high-resolution chronological models from Arctic archaeology. Radiocarbon dates, procured prior to the program of dating and modeling presented here, suggested an approximately three-century duration of occupation at the site. The results of Bayesian modeling nuance this interpretation. While it is possible that there may have been activity for almost three c...
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Research Interests: Geography and Archaeology
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The sacred and the profane: souvenir and collecting behaviours on the WWII battlefields of Peleliu, Palau, Micronesia
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Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit... more
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit adopted local Paleo-Inuit dogs or introduced a new dog population to the region remains unknown. To test these hypotheses, we generated mitochondrial DNA and geometric morphometric data of skull and dental elements from a total of 922 North American Arctic dogs and wolves spanning over 4500 years. Our analyses revealed that dogs from Inuit sites dating from 2000 BP possess morphological and genetic signatures that distinguish them from earlier Paleo-Inuit dogs, and identified a novel mitochondrial clade in eastern Siberia and Alaska. The genetic legacy of these Inuit dogs survives today in modern Arctic sledge dogs despite phenotypic differences between archaeological and modern Arctic dogs. Together, our data reveal that Inuit dogs derive from a s...
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit... more
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit adopted local Paleo-Inuit dogs or introduced a new dog population to the region remains unknown. To test these hypotheses, we generated mitochondrial DNA and geometric morphometric data of skull and dental elements from a total of 922 North American Arctic dogs and wolves spanning over 4500 years. Our analyses revealed that dogs from Inuit sites dating from 2000 BP possess morphological and genetic signatures that distinguish them from earlier Paleo-Inuit dogs, and identified a novel mitochondrial clade in eastern Siberia and Alaska. The genetic legacy of these Inuit dogs survives today in modern Arctic sledge dogs despite phenotypic differences between archaeological and modern Arctic dogs. Together, our data reveal that Inuit dogs derive from a s...
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit... more
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit adopted local Paleo-Inuit dogs or introduced a new dog population to the region remains unknown. To test these hypotheses, we generated mitochondrial DNA and geometric morphometric data of skull and dental elements from a total of 922 North American Arctic dogs and wolves spanning over 4500 years. Our analyses revealed that dogs from Inuit sites dating from 2000 BP possess morphological and genetic signatures that distinguish them from earlier Paleo-Inuit dogs, and identified a novel mitochondrial clade in eastern Siberia and Alaska. The genetic legacy of these Inuit dogs survives today in modern Arctic sledge dogs despite phenotypic differences between archaeological and modern Arctic dogs. Together, our data reveal that Inuit dogs derive from a s...
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Coastal shell middens represent a well-known element of the archaeological record of island and coastal regions across the world and shellfish have been an important resource for subsistence since the mid Holocene. However, the factors... more
Coastal shell middens represent a well-known element of the archaeological record of island and coastal regions across the world and shellfish have been an important resource for subsistence since the mid Holocene. However, the factors that influence shell-fishing remain poorly understood and in many regions investigations into the role of shellfish gathering have often remained focused on prehistoric examples to the detriment of shell middens of later dates. This article reports on the emerging evidence for large-scale exploitation of shellfish during a hitherto understudied period for shell midden archaeology in Northwest Europe: the first millennium AD. The article includes a review of a series of previously unknown large mussel-dominated middens in eastern Scotland, an outline of their chronology and character, including Bayesian modelling of dates, and a synthesis of the emerging evidence for shellfish gathering in Northwest Europe during the first millennium AD. The research r...
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Research Interests: Archaeology and Pottery
Media content to archive for the Nunalleq Educational Resource project (2017-2019). This contains an organised folder structure containing 3D model files, audio files, video files as well as text and photoshop files outlining the... more
Media content to archive for the Nunalleq Educational Resource project (2017-2019). This contains an organised folder structure containing 3D model files, audio files, video files as well as text and photoshop files outlining the structure of the original resource. Additionally we have provided a 'walkthrough' video which demonstrated how the interactions work within the resource. The installers for the current resource build which were distributed to schools in Alaska and made available for public download have also been included. The Native village of Quinhagak, as rights holders for the artefacts represented in the 3D models, will decide governance procedures for reuse or publication of the data. We have agreed to set the access as restricted so that we can grant access on request for educational or research purposes.
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit... more
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit adopted local Paleo-Inuit dogs or introduced a new dog population to the region remains unknown. To test these hypotheses, we generated mitochondrial DNA and geometric morphometric data of skull and dental elements from a total of 922 North American Arctic dogs and wolves spanning over 4500 years. Our analyses revealed that dogs from Inuit sites dating from 2000 BP possess morphological and genetic signatures that distinguish them from earlier Paleo-Inuit dogs, and identified a novel mitochondrial clade in eastern Siberia and Alaska. The genetic legacy of these Inuit dogs survives today in modern Arctic sledge dogs despite phenotypic differences between archaeological and modern Arctic dogs. Together, our data reveal that Inuit dogs derive from a s...
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit... more
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit adopted local Paleo-Inuit dogs or introduced a new dog population to the region remains unknown. To test these hypotheses, we generated mitochondrial DNA and geometric morphometric data of skull and dental elements from a total of 922 North American Arctic dogs and wolves spanning over 4500 years. Our analyses revealed that dogs from Inuit sites dating from 2000 BP possess morphological and genetic signatures that distinguish them from earlier Paleo-Inuit dogs, and identified a novel mitochondrial clade in eastern Siberia and Alaska. The genetic legacy of these Inuit dogs survives today in modern Arctic sledge dogs despite phenotypic differences between archaeological and modern Arctic dogs. Together, our data reveal that Inuit dogs derive from a s...
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit... more
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit adopted local Paleo-Inuit dogs or introduced a new dog population to the region remains unknown. To test these hypotheses, we generated mitochondrial DNA and geometric morphometric data of skull and dental elements from a total of 922 North American Arctic dogs and wolves spanning over 4500 years. Our analyses revealed that dogs from Inuit sites dating from 2000 BP possess morphological and genetic signatures that distinguish them from earlier Paleo-Inuit dogs, and identified a novel mitochondrial clade in eastern Siberia and Alaska. The genetic legacy of these Inuit dogs survives today in modern Arctic sledge dogs despite phenotypic differences between archaeological and modern Arctic dogs. Together, our data reveal that Inuit dogs derive from a s...
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit... more
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit adopted local Paleo-Inuit dogs or introduced a new dog population to the region remains unknown. To test these hypotheses, we generated mitochondrial DNA and geometric morphometric data of skull and dental elements from a total of 922 North American Arctic dogs and wolves spanning over 4500 years. Our analyses revealed that dogs from Inuit sites dating from 2000 BP possess morphological and genetic signatures that distinguish them from earlier Paleo-Inuit dogs, and identified a novel mitochondrial clade in eastern Siberia and Alaska. The genetic legacy of these Inuit dogs survives today in modern Arctic sledge dogs despite phenotypic differences between archaeological and modern Arctic dogs. Together, our data reveal that Inuit dogs derive from a s...
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit... more
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit adopted local Paleo-Inuit dogs or introduced a new dog population to the region remains unknown. To test these hypotheses, we generated mitochondrial DNA and geometric morphometric data of skull and dental elements from a total of 922 North American Arctic dogs and wolves spanning over 4500 years. Our analyses revealed that dogs from Inuit sites dating from 2000 BP possess morphological and genetic signatures that distinguish them from earlier Paleo-Inuit dogs, and identified a novel mitochondrial clade in eastern Siberia and Alaska. The genetic legacy of these Inuit dogs survives today in modern Arctic sledge dogs despite phenotypic differences between archaeological and modern Arctic dogs. Together, our data reveal that Inuit dogs derive from a s...
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit... more
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit adopted local Paleo-Inuit dogs or introduced a new dog population to the region remains unknown. To test these hypotheses, we generated mitochondrial DNA and geometric morphometric data of skull and dental elements from a total of 922 North American Arctic dogs and wolves spanning over 4500 years. Our analyses revealed that dogs from Inuit sites dating from 2000 BP possess morphological and genetic signatures that distinguish them from earlier Paleo-Inuit dogs, and identified a novel mitochondrial clade in eastern Siberia and Alaska. The genetic legacy of these Inuit dogs survives today in modern Arctic sledge dogs despite phenotypic differences between archaeological and modern Arctic dogs. Together, our data reveal that Inuit dogs derive from a s...
Birds have been an integral part of traditional Yup’ik lifeways in the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, southwest Alaska, both economically and symbolically. From a subsistence point of view, the rich ethnographic record for the region highlights... more
Birds have been an integral part of traditional Yup’ik lifeways in the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, southwest Alaska, both economically and symbolically. From a subsistence point of view, the rich ethnographic record for the region highlights the importance of this resource as a critical seasonal food and a source of raw materials for clothing and tools. Little is known of bird exploitation in precontact Yup’ik society, however, as a result of limited archaeological research in the region, which thus constrains our ability to understand subsistence strategies prior to Euro-American contact. Recent excavations at the Nunalleq site (sixteenth to seventeenth century AD) have yielded a well-preserved avian assemblage that provides the opportunity to explore the use of birds during the late prehistoric period in the region. In this paper, we present the results of our preliminary zooarchaeological and technological analyses of this material. These new data demonstrate that a relatively wide ra...
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More than two thousand archaeological grass artifacts dating from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century have been recovered from Nunalleq (GDN-248), an archaeological site located near the village of Quinhagak, southwest Alaska, in... more
More than two thousand archaeological grass artifacts dating from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century have been recovered from Nunalleq (GDN-248), an archaeological site located near the village of Quinhagak, southwest Alaska, in eight seasons of fieldwork at the site. This growing collection of basketry and cordage provides unprecedented insights on the use of grass artifacts in precontact Yup’ik households. Permafrost soils have preserved this assemblage astonishingly well, with objects made from grass blades and roots. Here we present the results of a preliminary study of these rarely encountered artifacts, based on the data recorded in the course of conservation work.
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Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit... more
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit adopted local Paleo-Inuit dogs or introduced a new dog population to the region remains unknown. To test these hypotheses, we generated mitochondrial DNA and geometric morphometric data of skull and dental elements from a total of 922 North American Arctic dogs and wolves spanning over 4500 years. Our analyses revealed that dogs from Inuit sites dating from 2000 BP possess morphological and genetic signatures that distinguish them from earlier Paleo-Inuit dogs, and identified a novel mitochondrial clade in eastern Siberia and Alaska. The genetic legacy of these Inuit dogs survives today in modern Arctic sledge dogs despite phenotypic differences between archaeological and modern Arctic dogs. Together, our data reveal that Inuit dogs derive from a secondary pre-contact migration of dogs distinct from Paleo-Inuit dogs, and most likely aided the Inuit expansion across the North American Arctic beginning around 1000 BP.
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The precontact lifeways of Yup'ik people in Southwest Alaska were poorly known until the 2009-2018 excavations at the Nunalleq site near the village of Quinhagak. Until recently, the site dating from around AD 1400-1675 had been... more
The precontact lifeways of Yup'ik people in Southwest Alaska were poorly known until the 2009-2018 excavations at the Nunalleq site near the village of Quinhagak. Until recently, the site dating from around AD 1400-1675 had been locked in permafrost that secured the extraordinary preservation of organic artefacts and faunal materials. As in many other hunter-gatherer communities across the North, animals were economically and culturally central to the lives of Nunalleq residents. This multidisciplinary paper combines the ethnographic study of unearthed artefacts with the results of subsistence and dietary studies at Nunalleq, and demonstrates how precontact Yup'ik ecologies were embodied in material culture, particularly in the iconography of ceremonial objects such as masks and mask attachments. Early ethnographic records and collections suggest that Yup'ik masks were often complex in structure and imagery, and can be considered miniature models of a multilayered and ensouled universe. Masks and other material culture representations highlight the way humans and animals are related and ontologically linked in Yup'ik worldviews. By taking this approach, this study aims to better understand the role of animals in the belief systems and lifeways of a precontact Nunalleq community. KEYWORDS Alaska, Yup'ik prehistory, human-animal relationships, relational ontologies, masks RÉSUMÉ Chassés et honorés : Représentations animales sur les masques du site précontact de Nunalleq, sud-ouest alaskien Le mode de vie des communautés yup'ik pendant la période précontact dans le sud-ouest de l'Alaska était peu connu avant les fouilles archéologiques récentes, études inuit studies 43 (1-2): 107-136
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Archaeoentomological research at the precontact site of Nunalleq (sixteenth and seventeenth centuries AD), Southwest Alaska, has identified hundreds of lice and fleas that infested both the human inhabitants of the site and their canine... more
Archaeoentomological research at the precontact site of Nunalleq (sixteenth and seventeenth centuries AD), Southwest Alaska, has identified hundreds of lice and fleas that infested both the human inhabitants of the site and their canine companions. As lice are host specific, staying attached to the host’s hair or fur during the totality of their lifecycle, they are generally considered excellent indicators of activity areas. Fleas, however, are relatively less common in archaeological contexts and, since they are mobile and able to infest several different host species, their potential use in the spatial reconstruction of activities is more limited. At Nunalleq, the study of insects from the most recent archaeological contexts produced very different spatial distribution patterns for human lice, fleas, and dog lice. This article compares these archaeoentomological data with other datasets available for the site (carrion-feeding flies, human hair, fur, coprolites, projectile points, and pieces of clothing) with the aim of establishing the phenomena that produced the distinct spatial distributions observed.
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Centred on the underresearched precontact archaeology of southwest coastal Alaska, the Nunalleq project is a decade-long collaboration between the Yup’ik village of Quinhagak and the University of Aberdeen. The Nunalleq archaeological... more
Centred on the underresearched precontact archaeology of southwest coastal Alaska, the Nunalleq project is a decade-long collaboration between the Yup’ik village of Quinhagak and the University of Aberdeen. The Nunalleq archaeological site, like countless others in the Arctic, is being rapidly destroyed by the combined effects of global warming. Newly thawed permafrost soils are extremely vulnerable to rapid marine erosion from rising sea levels and decreases in seasonal ocean ice cover. Organic artifacts at the site have been preserved in remarkably intact condition, revealing an extraordinary record of precontact Yup’ik culture. But with the disappearing permafrost, this archaeological and ecological record is gradually decomposing, and recovery and analysis has become time critical. The Nunalleq project is a community-based response to locally identified needs to both recover threatened archaeological heritage and to find new ways to reconnect young people to Yup’ik culture and t...
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La fouille du site de Nunalleq (GDN-248) en territoire yup’ik a révélé une succession d’au moins trois niveaux allant vers 1570-1630 après J.C. à 1645–1675 après J.C. correspondant à plusieurs phases de construction et d’habitation d’une... more
La fouille du site de Nunalleq (GDN-248) en territoire yup’ik a révélé une succession d’au moins trois niveaux allant vers 1570-1630 après J.C. à 1645–1675 après J.C. correspondant à plusieurs phases de construction et d’habitation d’une maison semi-souterraine de l’époque pré-contact du village historiquement appelé Agaligmiut. Les occupations du site s’inscrivent dans le cadre historique des Bow-and-Arrow Wars, et le dernier niveau concerne justement la destruction et l’abandon du village après un raid par un groupe extérieur. Cette étude se focalise sur l’outillage en pierre, et plus précisément sur les pointes de projectiles. Il s’agit donc d’étudier cette période de conflits à travers un des types d’outils ayant justement servi à ce conflit : les armatures de flèches. L’étude de ce matériel a permis de mieux comprendre le déroulement de l’attaque qui a conduit à la destruction et l’abandon du village, ainsi que certains aspects de la période des Bow-and-Arrow Wars, qui demeure relativement peu connue d’un point de vue archéologique. --------------------------------------- Polished Projectile Points from the Nunalleq site (Agaligmiut village), Southwest Alaska: A New Approach to the Yupiit Bow-and-Arrow Wars The excavation of the Nunalleq site (GDN-248), located in Yup’ik territory, revealed a succession of at least three phases ranging from c. A.D. 1570-1630 to c. A.D. 1645‑1675 corresponding to several phases of construction and habitation of a sod dwelling dating from the pre-contact period of the historical village known as Agaligmiut. The occupation of the site takes place during the Bow-and-Arrow Wars, and the last phase actually corresponds to the destruction and abandonment of the village after a raid by an outside group. This study focuses on stone tools, and more specifically on projectile points. The objective is therefore to study this period of conflicts through one of the types of tools having served precisely to this conflict: the arrow points (end-blades). The study of these artifacts helped to better understand the course of the attack that led to the destruction and abandonment of the village, as well as some aspects of the period of the Bow-and-Arrow Wars, which remains relatively unknown from an archaeological point of view.
Research Interests: Anthropology, Art, Arctic Archaeology, Alaska Native Studies, American Indian & Alaska Native, and 15 moreLithic Technology, Ground Stone Technology, Lithics, Arctic Anthropology, Native American Anthropology, Alaska Archaeology, Lithic Industries, Arctic, Prehistoric polished stone tools, Bow and Arrow Technology, Stone tools, Lithic Analysis, Lithic Raw Material Sourcing, Native Alaska Ethnology and Ethnohistory, and Alaska Native Art and Material Culture
L’exploitation du bois de caribou chez les peuples yupiit pendant la période précontact restait assez méconnue avant la mise au jour du site de Nunalleq (sud-ouest alaskien). Exceptionnel par la richesse et la préservation de ces niveaux... more
L’exploitation du bois de caribou chez les peuples yupiit pendant la période précontact restait assez méconnue avant la mise au jour du site de Nunalleq (sud-ouest alaskien). Exceptionnel par la richesse et la préservation de ces niveaux d’occupation, ce gisement a livré plus de 3400 vestiges d’industrie osseuse dont l’étude est en cours. Les modalités d’approvisionnement en bois de caribou, ainsi que les modes de fabrication et d’utilisation des artefacts réalisés à partir de cette matière première dominante sont analysés. L’étude typologique et technologique menée a montré de fortes régularités dans les procédés techniques utilisés. Ils sont appliqués de la même manière quels que soient le module du bois et son type d’acquisition (bois de mue ou de massacre). Les quelques variations par rapport à la norme répondraient essentiellement, pour certains bois, à des contraintes morphologiques et/ou à des besoins fonctionnels immédiats. Malgré le durcissement des conditions environnement...
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Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit... more
Domestic dogs have been central to life in the North American Arctic for millennia. The ancestors of the Inuit were the first to introduce the widespread usage of dog sledge transportation technology to the Americas, but whether the Inuit adopted local Palaeo-Inuit dogs or introduced a new dog population to the region remains unknown. To test these hypotheses, we generated mitochondrial DNA and geometric morphometric data of skull and dental elements from a total of 922 North American Arctic dogs and wolves spanning over 4500 years. Our analyses revealed that dogs from Inuit sites dating from 2000 BP possess morphological and genetic signatures that distinguish them from earlier Palaeo-Inuit dogs, and identified a novel mitochondrial clade in eastern Siberia and Alaska. The genetic legacy of these Inuit dogs survives today in modern Arctic sledge dogs despite phenotypic differences between archaeological and modern Arctic dogs. Together, our data reveal that Inuit dogs derive from a...
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In this paper, we present an overview of the most recent results of the ongoing research on the Nunalleq site in Southwestern Alaska, a late pre-contact Yupik settlement. This endeavor is a long-term project that has taken place in the... more
In this paper, we present an overview of the most recent results of the ongoing research on the Nunalleq site in Southwestern Alaska, a late pre-contact Yupik settlement. This endeavor is a long-term project that has taken place in the context of the threat that the combined effects of climate change poses to archaeological heritage in the sub-Arctic. Recent climate-change research highlights local involvement and monitoring as the way forward, and here we see the clear intersection with community-based archaeology. From its initiation by the descendant Yup’ik village of Quinhagak, the Nunalleq Project has been conducted as a community-based project, and the local engagement with archaeology has continued to increase. We identify community archaeology as crucial to the future of Alaska archaeology, and the only feasible way to monitor and preserve archaeological resources now threatened by climate change.
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This article examines precontact Yup’ik masks, maskettes, and mask fragments recently recovered from the Nunalleq site (16th–17th century AD) near the village of Quinhagak, Alaska. Remarkable in their number, size, and variety of designs,... more
This article examines precontact Yup’ik masks, maskettes, and mask fragments recently recovered from the Nunalleq site (16th–17th century AD) near the village of Quinhagak, Alaska. Remarkable in their number, size, and variety of designs, the Nunalleq masks, which represent spirits, humans, and animals, indicate a very active ceremonial life among the residents of Nunalleq settlement. This paper combines archaeological, ethnographic, and oral history accounts to demonstrate the existence of a rich mask-carving tradition in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta flourishing at least two centuries prior to European contact. The iconography of Nunalleq masks shows interesting regional connections as well as strong continuity between the pre- and postcontact Yup’ik mask making. Mask-making traditions are conservative, but far from frozen, and some fluidity can be observed within the Nunalleq mask assemblage over the course of ca. 150 years of the site’s occupation.
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Through the case study of the Thule-era village site of Nunalleq (GDN-248), this paper presents 14C dating results and perspectives on the issues associated with radiocarbon dating stratified archaeological sites in circumpolar North... more
Through the case study of the Thule-era village site of Nunalleq (GDN-248), this paper presents 14C dating results and perspectives on the issues associated with radiocarbon dating stratified archaeological sites in circumpolar North America. The objective was to investigate relative variation in the 14C age of ecofacts with the aim of establishing a hierarchy of dating suitability for Nunalleq that could more widely inform 14C sample selection on archaeological sites across the North American sub-Arctic and Arctic and Greenland. Owing to the complexities associated with interpreting and establishing the relative chronology of the deeply stratified sod deposits at Nunalleq, we adopted open-area excavation and single-context recording methods. This approach, we suggest, allowed us to eliminate stratigraphic complexity as a source of variation in 14C measurements and to assess the taphonomic issues associated with dating different ecofacts. In total, 16 samples were submitted for dati...
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ABSTRACT Largely missing from the debate surrounding the use of pottery among arctic and sub-arctic hunter-gatherers are site-based biomolecular studies of vessel contents. This study used lipid-residue analysis to elucidate vessel... more
ABSTRACT Largely missing from the debate surrounding the use of pottery among arctic and sub-arctic hunter-gatherers are site-based biomolecular studies of vessel contents. This study used lipid-residue analysis to elucidate vessel function at Nunalleq (GDN-248), a late Thule-period
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The Sugpiat people have lived in the Kodiak Archipelago for at least 7,500 years, but suffered extraordinary pressure on their cultural identity beginning with violent Russian conquest in 1784 and followed by Russian and American... more
The Sugpiat people have lived in the Kodiak Archipelago for at least 7,500 years, but suffered extraordinary pressure on their cultural identity beginning with violent Russian conquest in 1784 and followed by Russian and American colonisation. Recognising that drastic actions were needed to preserve Sugpiaq heritage, the Kodiak Area Native Association began a cultural revitalisation movement. The centrepiece was a Native-owned state-of-the-art museum that opened in 1995. This essay recounts the stories of three participants in the beginning of a process that has transformed the cultural landscape of Kodiak.
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... Richard A. Knecht and Richard H. Jordan, Department of Anthropology, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 ... their traditional culture as Eskimo, even though the older people speak Alutiiq, a language closely related to Central... more
... Richard A. Knecht and Richard H. Jordan, Department of Anthropology, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 ... their traditional culture as Eskimo, even though the older people speak Alutiiq, a language closely related to Central Alaskan Yupik (Krauss 1983; Leer 1978). ...
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The eastern Aleutian prehistoric archaeological sequence is key for understanding population movements, cultural exchanges, and adaptations to environmental changes over a wide area of the north Pacific and Bering Sea during the Holocene.... more
The eastern Aleutian prehistoric archaeological sequence is key for understanding population movements, cultural exchanges, and adaptations to environmental changes over a wide area of the north Pacific and Bering Sea during the Holocene. An important question is, Can the settlement history of the eastern Aleutians be understood as a single continuous tradition lasting some 9,000 years, or were there major population and cultural influxes along with periods of widespread population abandonment? We review the available archaeological evidence with reference to recent mtDNA and nucleic DNA studies of prehistoric and contemporary Arctic and Subarctic populations and conclude that the evidence points to an overall cultural continuity with notable incursions and excursions of people and cultural elements into and out of the eastern Aleutians.
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Abstract In the autumn of 1944, one of the worst battles of the Pacific War took place between the Americans and Japanese on the small Micronesian island of Peleliu in the Palau group. Over more than two months of combat, its garrison... more
Abstract In the autumn of 1944, one of the worst battles of the Pacific War took place between the Americans and Japanese on the small Micronesian island of Peleliu in the Palau group. Over more than two months of combat, its garrison fought almost literally to the last man, while US casualties were proportionately among the heaviest of the entire war. Afterwards largely overlooked in the public consciousness, the battlefield is now the best preserved of the Pacific theatre and is the subject of an extensive archaeological survey, coupled with a programme of large-scale unexploded ordnance removal. This paper is the second of two, following our previous publication summarizing the more conventional results of the fieldwork. Here, we instead explore the deeper ways in which the material culture of Peleliu can illuminate the multicultural histories of the fighting and thus enable the battlefield to stand as a lasting, reflective memorial to all those whose lives it touched. We address the neglected narratives of the Japanese, the Korean and Okinawan forced labourers, and also the marginalized members of the US forces including African-Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans. In particular, we attempt to bring out the indigenous perspective on the material heritage of an imported and deeply alien war. In combination, we hope the research can provide new theoretical avenues of exploration for the archaeology of battlefields.
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The reconstruction of diet and subsistence strategies is integral in understanding early human colonizations and cultural adaptations, especially in the Arctic-one of the last areas of North America to be permanently inhabited. However,... more
The reconstruction of diet and subsistence strategies is integral in understanding early human colonizations and cultural adaptations, especially in the Arctic-one of the last areas of North America to be permanently inhabited. However, evidence for early subsistence practices in Western Alaska varies, particularly with regards to the emergence, importance, and intensity of sea mammal hunting. Here, we present stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data from permafrost-preserved human hair from two new prehistoric sites in Western Alaska, providing a direct measure of diet. The isotope evidence indicates a heavy reliance on sea mammal protein among the earlier Norton-period group (1,750 ± 40 cal BP), confirming that the complex hunting technologies required to intensively exploit these animals were most likely already in place in this region by at least the beginning of 1st millennium AD. In contrast, analysis of the more recent Thule-period hair samples (650 ± 40 cal BP; 570 ± 30 cal BP) reveals a more mixed diet, including terrestrial animal protein. Sequential isotope analysis of two longer human hair locks indicates seasonal differences in diet in a single Norton-period individual but demonstrates little dietary variation in a Thule-period individual. These analyses provide direct evidence for dietary differences among Alaska's early Eskimo groups and confirm the antiquity of specialized sea mammal hunting and procurement technologies. The results of this study have implications for our understanding of human adaptation to maritime and high-latitude environments, and the geographical and temporal complexity in early Arctic subsistence.
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Research Interests: Ancient History, Genetics, Geography, Archaeology, Human Evolution, and 15 moreGenomics, Biology, Arctic Archaeology, Ancient DNA Research, Arctic Anthropology, Canada, Arctic, Hair, Greenland, American Anthropology and Archaeology, Ancient DNA, Base Sequence, Ancient DNA of Human Populations, Bone and Bones, and Alaska
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As stipulated in the MOA, an archeological data recovery plan for the Amaknak Bridge site in Unalaska, Alaska was developed by the Museum, pursuant to Section 110(b) of the National Historic Preservation Act, and was developed in... more
As stipulated in the MOA, an archeological data recovery plan for the Amaknak Bridge site in Unalaska, Alaska was developed by the Museum, pursuant to Section 110(b) of the National Historic Preservation Act, and was developed in consultation with and accepted by FHWA, SHPO, OC, Tribe, Commission, and ADOT&PF. This report summarizes the findings of the data recovery project undertaken in the summer of 2003 by the Museum. The report addresses four research questions that were pursued through the excavation and analysis of the Amaknak Bridge Site to advance the current state of knowledge of Eastern Aleutian prehistory: (1) culture history, (2) subsistence ecology, (3) household archaeology, and (4) adaptation to environmental change.
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Archaeoentomological research at the precontact site of Nunalleq (sixteenth and seventeenth centuries AD), Southwest Alaska, has identified hundreds of lice and fleas that infested both the human inhabitants of the site and their canine... more
Archaeoentomological research at the precontact site of Nunalleq (sixteenth and seventeenth centuries AD), Southwest Alaska, has identified hundreds of lice and fleas that infested both the human inhabitants of the site and their canine companions. As lice are host specific, staying attached to the host's hair or fur during i. études inuit studies 43 (1-2): 197-221
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This article examines precontact Yup’ik masks, maskettes, and mask fragments recently recovered from the Nunalleq site (16th–17th century AD) near the village of Quinhagak, Alaska. Remarkable in their number, size, and variety of designs,... more
This article examines precontact Yup’ik masks, maskettes, and mask fragments recently recovered from the Nunalleq site (16th–17th century AD) near the village of Quinhagak, Alaska. Remarkable in their number, size, and variety of designs, the Nunalleq masks, which represent spirits, humans, and animals, indicate a very active ceremonial life among the residents of Nunalleq settlement. This paper combines archaeological, ethnographic, and oral history accounts to demonstrate the existence of a rich mask-carving tradition in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta flourishing at least two centuries prior to European contact. The iconography of Nunalleq
masks shows interesting regional connections as well as strong continuity between the pre- and postcontact Yup’ik mask making. Mask-making traditions are conservative, but far from frozen, and some fluidity can be observed within the Nunalleq mask assemblage over the course of ca.
150 years of the site’s occupation.
masks shows interesting regional connections as well as strong continuity between the pre- and postcontact Yup’ik mask making. Mask-making traditions are conservative, but far from frozen, and some fluidity can be observed within the Nunalleq mask assemblage over the course of ca.
150 years of the site’s occupation.
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Birds have been an integral part of traditional Yup'ik lifeways in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, southwest Alaska, both economically and symbolically. From a subsistence point of view, the rich ethnographic record for the region highlights... more
Birds have been an integral part of traditional Yup'ik lifeways in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, southwest Alaska, both economically and symbolically. From a subsistence point of view, the rich ethnographic record for the region highlights the importance of this resource as a critical seasonal food and a source of raw materials for clothing and tools. Little is known of bird exploitation in precontact Yup'ik society, however, as a result of limited archaeological research in the region, which thus constrains our ability to understand subsistence strategies prior to Euro-American contact. Recent excavations at the Nunalleq site (sixteenth to seventeenth century AD) have yielded a well-preserved avian assemblage that provides the opportunity to explore the use of birds during the late prehistoric period in the region. In this paper, we present the results of our preliminary zooarchaeological and technological analyses of this material. These new data demonstrate that a relatively wide range of taxa were harvested by precontact Yupiit, reflecting their multiple uses of birds. People not only exploited birds for their meat but also targeted specific taxa for the qualities of their skins for making parkas, their feathers as adornments or for fletching arrows, and their bones for making needles and other tools. Though this study shows a certain degree of continuity between precontact and historic Yup'ik subsistence practices, it also highlights a gradual decline in the non-dietary use of birds and the gradual increase in the intake of birds primarily targeted as sources of food in more recent times. études inuit studies 43 (1-2): 169-196
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Centred on the underresearched precontact archaeology of southwest coastal Alaska, the Nunalleq project is a decade-long collaboration between the Yup'ik village of Quinhagak and the University of Aberdeen. The Nunalleq archaeological... more
Centred on the underresearched precontact archaeology of southwest coastal Alaska, the Nunalleq project is a decade-long collaboration between the Yup'ik village of Quinhagak and the University of Aberdeen. The Nunalleq archaeological site, like countless others in the Arctic, is being rapidly destroyed by the combined effects of global warming. Newly thawed permafrost soils are extremely vulnerable to rapid marine erosion from rising sea levels and decreases in seasonal ocean ice cover. Organic artifacts at the site have been preserved in remarkably intact condition, revealing an extraordinary record of precontact Yup'ik culture. But with the disappearing permafrost, this archaeological and ecological record is gradually decomposing, and recovery and analysis has become time critical. The Nunalleq project is a community-based response to locally identified needs to both recover threatened archaeological heritage and to find new ways to reconnect young people to Yup'ik culture and tradition. The results of the project have far exceeded our original expectations. Similar collaborative efforts may be the best hope for addressing threatened archaeological heritage in the North and beyond.
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The caribou antler exploitation among the Yupiit during the pre-contact period was rather undocumented before the discovery of the Nunalleq site (southwestern Alaska) that benefitted from exceptional conditions of preservation. This very... more
The caribou antler exploitation among the Yupiit during the pre-contact period was rather undocumented before the discovery of the Nunalleq site (southwestern Alaska) that benefitted from exceptional conditions of preservation. This very rich site yielded more than 3,400 osseous artefacts that are under study. The procurement and manufacturing strategies of the caribou antlers, the dominant raw material, areanalyzed. The typological and technological study performed on more than a half of the collection (2009-2015 excavations) showed strong regularities in the ways the antlers were split and exploited, whatever the module and the type of antler (slaughtered versus shed antler). The small variations observed might reflect adaptations for dealing with morphological constraints and/or immediate functional needs. Despite the harder environmental conditions and intensified conflicts that occurred in the area during the Little Ice Age, Nunalleq inhabitants were highly resilient. The changes between the two main phases of occupation excavated stayed very subtle.
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The precontact lifeways of Yup'ik people in Southwest Alaska were poorly known until the 2009-2018 excavations at the Nunalleq site near the village of Quinhagak. Until recently, the site dating from around AD 1400-1675 had been locked in... more
The precontact lifeways of Yup'ik people in Southwest Alaska were poorly known until the 2009-2018 excavations at the Nunalleq site near the village of Quinhagak. Until recently, the site dating from around AD 1400-1675 had been locked in permafrost that secured the extraordinary preservation of organic artefacts and faunal materials. As in many other hunter-gatherer communities across the North, animals were economically and culturally central to the lives of Nunalleq residents. This multidisciplinary paper combines the ethnographic study of unearthed artefacts with the results of subsistence and dietary studies at Nunalleq, and demonstrates how precontact Yup'ik ecologies were embodied in material culture, particularly in the iconography of ceremonial objects such as masks and mask attachments. Early ethnographic records and collections suggest that Yup'ik masks were often complex in structure and imagery, and can be considered miniature models of a multilayered and ensouled universe. Masks and other material culture representations highlight the way humans and animals are related and ontologically linked in Yup'ik worldviews. By taking this approach, this study aims to better understand the role of animals in the belief systems and lifeways of a precontact Nunalleq community. KEYWORDS Alaska, Yup'ik prehistory, human-animal relationships, relational ontologies, masks RÉSUMÉ Chassés et honorés : Représentations animales sur les masques du site précontact de Nunalleq, sud-ouest alaskien Le mode de vie des communautés yup'ik pendant la période précontact dans le sud-ouest de l'Alaska était peu connu avant les fouilles archéologiques récentes, études inuit studies 43 (1-2): 107-136
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La fouille du site de Nunalleq (GDN-248) en territoire yup’ik a révélé une successiond’au moins trois niveaux allant vers 1570-1630 après J.C. à 1645–1675 après J.C.correspondant à plusieurs phases de construction et d’habitation d’une... more
La fouille du site de Nunalleq (GDN-248) en territoire yup’ik a révélé une successiond’au moins trois niveaux allant vers 1570-1630 après J.C. à 1645–1675 après J.C.correspondant à plusieurs phases de construction et d’habitation d’une maison semisouterrainede l’époque précontact du village historiquement appelé Agaligmiut. Lesoccupations du site s’inscrivent dans le cadre historique des Bow-and-Arrow Wars, etle dernier niveau concerne justement la destruction et l’abandon du village après un
raid par un groupe extérieur. Cette étude se focalise sur l’outillage en pierre, et plusprécisément sur les pointes de projectiles. Il s’agit donc d’étudier cette période deconflits à travers un des types d’outils ayant justement servi à ce conflit : lesarmatures de flèches. L’étude de ce matériel a permis de mieux comprendre ledéroulement de l’attaque qui a conduit à la destruction et l’abandon du village, ainsique certains aspects de la période des Bow-and-Arrow Wars, qui demeure relativementpeu connue d’un point de vue archéologique.
raid par un groupe extérieur. Cette étude se focalise sur l’outillage en pierre, et plusprécisément sur les pointes de projectiles. Il s’agit donc d’étudier cette période deconflits à travers un des types d’outils ayant justement servi à ce conflit : lesarmatures de flèches. L’étude de ce matériel a permis de mieux comprendre ledéroulement de l’attaque qui a conduit à la destruction et l’abandon du village, ainsique certains aspects de la période des Bow-and-Arrow Wars, qui demeure relativementpeu connue d’un point de vue archéologique.
More than two thousand archaeological grass artifacts dating from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century have been recovered from Nunalleq (GDN-248), an archaeological site located near the village of Quinhagak, southwest Alaska, in... more
More than two thousand archaeological grass artifacts dating from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century have been recovered from Nunalleq (GDN-248), an archaeological site located near the village of Quinhagak, southwest Alaska, in eight seasons of fieldwork at the site. This growing collection of basketry and cordage provides unprecedented insights on the use of grass artifacts in precontact Yup'ik households. Permafrost soils have preserved this assemblage astonishingly well, with objects made from grass blades and roots. Here we present the results of a preliminary study of these rarely encountered artifacts, based on the data recorded in the course of conservation work.
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Coastal shell middens represent a well-known element of the archaeological record of island and coastal regions across the world and shellfish have been an important resource for subsistence since the mid Holocene. However, the factors... more
Coastal shell middens represent a well-known element of the archaeological record of island and coastal regions across the world and
shellfish have been an important resource for subsistence since the
mid Holocene. However, the factors that influence shellfishing remain
poorly understood and in many regions investigations into the role of
shellfish gathering often have remained focused on prehistoric examples
to the detriment of shell middens of later dates. This article reports
on the emerging evidence for large-scale exploitation of shellfish during
a hitherto understudied period for shell midden archaeology in
northwest Europe: the first millennium AD. The article includes a
review of a series of previously unknown large mussel-dominated
middens in eastern Scotland, an outline of their chronology and
character, including Bayesian modeling of dates, and a synthesis of the emerging evidence for shellfish gathering in northwest Europe
during the first millennium AD. The research represents the first
investigation of large-scale early Medieval middens in Britain and
the first review of their international parallels and the important
new information they can provide for the early Medieval economy.
shellfish have been an important resource for subsistence since the
mid Holocene. However, the factors that influence shellfishing remain
poorly understood and in many regions investigations into the role of
shellfish gathering often have remained focused on prehistoric examples
to the detriment of shell middens of later dates. This article reports
on the emerging evidence for large-scale exploitation of shellfish during
a hitherto understudied period for shell midden archaeology in
northwest Europe: the first millennium AD. The article includes a
review of a series of previously unknown large mussel-dominated
middens in eastern Scotland, an outline of their chronology and
character, including Bayesian modeling of dates, and a synthesis of the emerging evidence for shellfish gathering in northwest Europe
during the first millennium AD. The research represents the first
investigation of large-scale early Medieval middens in Britain and
the first review of their international parallels and the important
new information they can provide for the early Medieval economy.
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Through the case study of the Thule-era village site of Nunalleq (GDN-248), this paper presents 14 C dating results and perspectives on the issues associated with radiocarbon dating stratified archaeological sites in circumpolar North... more
Through the case study of the Thule-era village site of Nunalleq (GDN-248), this paper presents 14 C dating results and perspectives on the issues associated with radiocarbon dating stratified archaeological sites in circumpolar North America. The objective was to investigate relative variation in the 14 C age of ecofacts with the aim of establishing a hierarchy of dating suitability for Nunalleq that could more widely inform 14 C sample selection on archaeological sites across the North American sub-Arctic and Arctic and Greenland. Owing to the complexities associated with interpreting and establishing the relative chronology of the deeply stratified sod deposits at Nunalleq, we adopted open-area excavation and single-context recording methods. This approach, we suggest, allowed us to eliminate stratigraphic complexity as a source of variation in 14 C measurements and to assess the taphonomic issues associated with dating different ecofacts. In total, 16 samples were submitted for dating, comprising two sets of eight different ecofacts, one from each of two stratigraphically contemporary but spatially discrete contexts. In most instances, the 14 C ages of ecofacts were statistically indistinguishable between the two contexts and support the relative chronological relationships established by excavation. Only Elymus arenarius (grass) manufactures and Heleomyzidae (fly) puparia produced different ages in the two contexts, variations that suggest that these items are unreliable dating materials. As noted in previous studies, Phoca sp. (seal) and Oncorhynchus sp. (salmon) bone collagen demonstrated a strong marine reservoir effect (c. 700 14 C yr.). Picea sp. (wood chips) were marginally older than seeds from edible berries (Rubus chamaemorus and Empetrum nigrum) and caribou (Rangifer tarandus) bone collagen, which provided the most consistent ages. RÉSUMÉ. Par le biais d'une étude portant sur le village de Nunalleq (GDN-248), appartenant à l'ère thuléenne, cet article présente les résultats de datations par le carbone 14 ainsi que les problèmes liés à la datation des sites archéologiques stratifiés situés dans la zone circumpolaire de l'Amérique du Nord. L'objectif consistait à examiner les variations relatives entre les âges C14 obtenus pour différents types d'écofacts, dans le but d'établir une hiérarchie pour Nunalleq qui pourrait plus largement informer la sélection de matériel à dater sur les sites archéologiques à l'échelle des régions subarctiques et arctiques de l'Amérique du Nord ainsi que du Groenland. Afin de faciliter l'interprétation et l'établissement d'une chronologie relative pour les dépôts de tourbe profondément stratifiés à Nunalleq, nous avons effectué des fouilles archéologiques à aire ouverte et adopté le « single context recording » comme système d'enregistrement. Nous suggérons que cela nous a permis d'éliminer la complexité stratigraphique comme source de variation dans les mesures de l'activité radiologique du carbone 14 et d'examiner les processus taphonomiques liés à la datation de différents types d'écofacts. Au total, 16 échantillons, comprenant deux séries de huit types d'écofacts différents provenant d'unités archéologiques stratigraphiquement contemporaines, mais spatialement distinctes, ont été soumis pour datation par le radiocarbone. Dans la plupart des cas, les datations obtenues pour chaque type d'écofact sont statistiquement indiscernables pour les deux contextes, soutenant ainsi les relations concernant la chronologie relative établie lors des fouilles archéologiques. Seuls les objets faits avec Elymus arenarius (herbe) et les puparia Heleomyzidae (mouche) ont produit des âges qui diffèrent entre les contextes, ce qui suggère que ces types d'écofacts ne sont pas recommandables comme matériaux à dater. Comme anticipé, le collagène osseux de Phocas sp. (phoque) et Oncorhynchus sp. (saumon) démontre un fort effet 'réservoir marin' (environ 700 ans C 14). Les copeaux de bois (Picea sp.) sont marginalement plus âgés que les graines de baies comestibles (Rubus chamaemorus et Empetrum nigrum) et le collagène osseux de caribou (Rangifer tarandus), qui ont produit les datations les plus cohérentes.