Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T22:25:04.121Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Archaeology of Interaction: Views from Artifact Style and Material Exchange in Dorset Society

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Daniel Odess
Daniel Odess*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Brown University, 128 Hope Street, Box 1921, Providence, RI 02912
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper discusses the role of interaction in prehistory, and the ways archaeologists have traditionally approached its study. Using two distinct data sets—artifact style and material exchange—derived from analysis of 11 Dorset (late Paleoeskimo) collections from Frobisher Bay in the Canadian Arctic, it explores the strengths and weaknesses of these methodologically distinct investigatory techniques. Each appears inadequate when used separately and in isolation, but when used in tandem they demonstrate considerable potential to yield epistemologically grounded insights into prehistoric interaction and, perhaps, changing dimensions in the symbolic use of style over time.

Résumé

Résumé

Este trabajo discute el papel de interacción en la prehistoria, y las maneras tradicionales en que arqueólogos han abarcado su estudio. Usando dos conjuntos de datos distintos—el estilo de artifacto e intercambio de material—derivados del análisis de once colecciones Paleoesquimales (Dorset) de la Bahía de Frobisher en el Artico canadiense, este estudio explora las fortalezas y debilidades de estas metodologicamente distintas técnicas investigativas. Cada una parece inadecuada cuando se usa separada o en aislamiento, pero cuando son usadas juntas y combinadas con información sobre factores relacionados como la densidad de población, la mobilidad, y la necesidad de adquirir materiales no disponibles localmente, éstas demuestran un potencial considerable para obtener ideas epistemologicamente sólidas sobre la interacción prehistórica.

Type
Articles
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 63 , Issue 3 , July 1998 , pp. 417 - 435
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1998

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

References Cited

Alsford, S. (editor) 1993 The Meta Incognita Project : Contributions to Field Studies. No. 6. Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Ontario.Google Scholar
Ammerman, A. J., and Andrefsky, William 1982 Reduction Sequences and the Exchange of Obsidian in Neolithic Calabria. In Contexts for Prehistoric Exchange, edited by Ericson, J. and Earle, T., pp. 149–172. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Arundale, W. H. 1980 Functional Analysis of Three Unusual Assemblages from the Cape Dorset Area, Baffin Island. Arctic 33(3) : 464–486.Google Scholar
Arundale, W. H. 1981 Radiocarbon Dating in Eastern Arctic Archaeology : A Flexible Approach. American Antiquity 46 : 244–271.Google Scholar
Badgley, I. 1980 Stratigraphy and Habitation Features at DIA.4 (JfEl- 4), a Dorset Site in Arctic Quebec. Arctic 33(3) : 569-584. Bielawski, E. Succession. In Thule Eskimo Culture : An Anthropological Retrospective, edited by McCartney, A. P., pp. 100–109. Mercury Series No. 88. Archaeological Survey of Canada, National Museum of Man, Ottawa, Ontario.Google Scholar
Burch, E. S. 1970 The Eskimo Trading Partnership in North Alaska. Anthropological Papers of the University of Alaska 15(l) : 49–80.Google Scholar
Burch, E. S. 1974 Eskimo Warfare in Northwest Alaska. Anthropological Papers of the University of Alaska 16(2) : 1–14.Google Scholar
Caldwell, J. R., and Hall, R. L. (editors) 1964 Hopewellian Studies. No. 12. Illinois State Museum, Springfield.Google Scholar
Church, T. 1994 Lithic Resource Studies : A Sourcebook for Archaeologists Special Publication No. 3. Department of Anthropology, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma.Google Scholar
Church, T. 1990 The Uses of Style in Archaeology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Cook, J. P. 1995 Characterization and Distribution of Obsidian in Alaska. Arctic Anthropology 32(1) : 92–100.Google Scholar
Cox, S. L. 1978 Palaeo-Eskimo Occupations of the North Labrador Coast. Arctic Anthropology 15(2) : 96–118.Google Scholar
Dyke, A. S., and Prest, K. 1987 Late Wisconsinan and Holocene History of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Geographic Physique et Quaternaire 41 : 237–263.Google Scholar
Ericson, J. E. 1982 Production of Obsidian for Exchange in California. In Contexts for Prehistoric Exchange, edited by Ericson, J. E. and Earle, T.K. pp. 129–148. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Fish, P. 1978 Consistency in Archaeological Measurement and Classification : A Pilot Study. American Antiquity 43 : 86–89.Google Scholar
Fitzhugh, W. W. 1972 Environmental Archaeology and Cultural Systems in Hamilton Inlet, Labrador : A Survey of the Central Labrador Coast from 3000 B.C. to the Present. Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology No. 16. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. Google Scholar
Fitzhugh, W. W. 1994 Staffe Island 1 and the Northern Labrador Dorset- Thule Succession. In Threads of Arctic Prehistory : Papers in Honour of William E. Taylor, Jr., edited by Morrison, D. and Pilon, J.-L., pp. 239–268. Mercury Series No. 149. Archaeological Survey of Canada, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Ontario.Google Scholar
Fitzhugh, W. W. 1997 Biogeographical Archaeology in the Eastern North American Arctic. Human Ecology 25(3) : 385–88.Google Scholar
Fitzhugh, W. W. 1993 Archaeology of the Frobisher Voyages. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. Google Scholar
Gramley, R. M. 1978 Lithic Source Areas in Northern Labrador. Arctic Anthropology 15(2) : 36–17.Google Scholar
Hantaan, J. L., and Plog, S. 1982 The Relationship of Stylistic Similarity to Patterns of Material Exchange. In Contexts for Prehistoric Exchange, edited by Ericson, J. E. and Earle, T.K. pp. 237–264. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Harbottle, G. 1982 Chemical Characterization in Archaeology. In Contexts for Prehistoric Exchange, edited by Ericson, J. E. and Earle, T.K. pp. 13–51. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Harp, E. J. 1964 The Cultural Affinities of the Newfoundland Dorset Eskimo. NMC Bulletin 200, Anthropological Series No. 67, National Museum of Canada. Queen's Printer, Ottawa, Ontario.Google Scholar
Hodder, I. 1982 Symbols in Action. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Irving, W. 1957 An Archaeological Survey of the Susitna Valley. Anthropological Papers of the University of Alaska 6(l) : 37–52.Google Scholar
Irving, W. 1962 A Provisional Comparison of Some Alaskan and Asian Stone Industries. In Prehistoric Cultural Relations between the Arctic and Temperate Zones of North America, edited by Campbell, J. M., pp. 55–68. Technical Paper, vol. 11. Arctic Institute of North America, Montreal.Google Scholar
Jenness, D. 1925 A New Eskimo Culture in Hudson Bay. The Geographical Review 15 : 428–137.Google Scholar
Jordan, R. H. 1980 Preliminary Results from Archaeological Investigations in Avayalik Island, Extreme Northern Labrador. Arctic 33(3) : 607–627.Google Scholar
Kelly, R. L. 1995 The Foraging Spectrum : Diversity in Hunter-Gatherer Lifeways. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. Google Scholar
Lazenby, M. E. C. 1980 Prehistoric Sources of Chert in Northern Labrador : Field Work and Preliminary Analyses. Arctic 33(3) : 628–645.Google Scholar
Le Blanc, R. J. 1991 Prehistoric Clinker Use on the Cape Bathurst Peninsula, Northwest Territories, Canada : The Dynamics of Formation and Procurement. American Antiquity 56 : 268–277.Google Scholar
Le Blanc, R. J. 1994 The Crane Site and the Lagoon Complex in the Western Canadian Arctic. In Threads of Arctic Prehistory : Papers in Honour of William E. Taylor, Jr., edited by Morrison, D. and Pilon, J.-L., pp. 87–101. Mercury Series No. 149. Archaeological Survey of Canada, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Ontario.Google Scholar
Luedtke, B. E. 1992 An Archaeologists Guide to Chert and Flint. Archaeological Research Tools 7. Institute of Archaeology, University of California, Los Angeles.Google Scholar
Mary-Rousseliere, G. 1976 The Paleoeskimo in Northern Baffinland. In Eastern Arctic Prehistory : Paleoeskimo Problems, edited by Maxwell, M. S., pp. 40–57. Memoirs No. 31. Society for American Archaeology, Washington, D.C. Google Scholar
Maxwell, M. S. 1973 Archaeology of the Lake Harbour District, Baffin Island. Mercury Series No. 6. Archaeological Survey of Canada, National Museum of Man, Ottawa, Ontario.Google Scholar
Maxwell, M. S. 1976 Pre-Dorset and Dorset Artifacts : The View from Lake Harbour. In Eastern Arctic Prehistory : Paleoeskimo Problems, edited by Maxwell, M., pp. 58–78. Memoirs No. 31. Society for American Archaeology, Washington, D.C. Google Scholar
Maxwell, M. S. 1980 Dorset Site Variation on the Southeast Coast of Baffin Island. Arctic 33(3) : 505–516.Google Scholar
Maxwell, M. S. 1984 Pre-Dorset and Dorset Prehistory of Canada. In Arctic, edited by Damas, D., pp. 359–368. Handbook of North American Indians, vol. 4, W C. Sturtevant, general editor. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Google Scholar
Maxwell, M. S. 1985 Prehistory of the Eastern Arctic. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
McGhee, R. 1978 Canadian Arctic Prehistory. Van Nostrand Reinhold, Toronto.Google Scholar
McGhee, R. 1980 Individual Stylistic Variability in Independence I Stone Tool Assemblages from Port Refuge, N.W.T. Arctic 33(3) : 443–153.Google Scholar
Nagle, C. L. 1986 Flake Stone Procurement and Distribution in Dorset Culture Sites along the Labrador Coast. In Palaeo-Eskimo Cultures in Newfoundland, Labrador and Ungava, edited by Tuck, J., pp. 95–110. Reports in Archaeology, vol. 1. Memorial University of Newfoundland, Saint John, New Brunswick.Google Scholar
Newman, J. R. 1994 The Effects of Distance on Lifhic Material Reduction Technology. Journal of Field Archaeology 21 : 491–505.Google Scholar
Odess, D. P. 1996 Interaction, Adaptation, and Culture Change : Lithic Exchange in Dorset Society, Baffin Island, Arctic Canada. Ph.D. dissertation, Brown University. University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan.Google Scholar
Park, R. 1993 The Dorset-Thule Succession in Arctic North America : Assessing Claims for Culture Contact. American Antiquity 58 : 203–234.Google Scholar
Pilon, J. 1994 The Inuvik Phase of the Arctic Small Tool Tradition. In Threads of Arctic Prehistory : Papers in Honour of William E. Taylor, Jr., edited by D. Morrison and J.-L. Pilon, pp. 57–86. Mercury Series No. 149. Archaeological Survey of Canada, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Ontario.Google Scholar
Plumet, P. 1985 Archaeologie de L'Ungava : Le Site de la Point aux Belougas (Qilalugarsiuvik) et les Maisons Longues Dorsetiennes. Paleo-Quebec 18. Laboratoire d'archaeologie, Universite du Quebec, Montreal.Google Scholar
Renouf, M. A. P. 1994 Two Transitional Sites at Port au Choix, Northwestern Newfoundland. In Threads of Arctic Prehistory : Papers in Honour of William E. Taylor, Jr., edited by D. Morrison and J.-L. Pilon, pp. 165–196. Mercury Series No. 149. Archaeological Survey of Canada, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Ontario.Google Scholar
Sabo, D., and Sabo, G. 1978 A Possible Thule Carving of a Viking from Baffin Island, N.W.T. Canadian Journal of Archaeology 2 : 33–12.Google Scholar
Sackett, J. R. 1985 Style and Ethnicity in the Kalahari : A Reply to Wiessner. American Antiquity 50 : 154–159.Google Scholar
Schledermann, P. 1990 Crossroads to Greenland. Komatik Series 2. Arctic Institute of North America, Calgary, Alberta. Sieveking, G. de. G., and M. B. Hart (editors) 1986 The Scientific Study of Flint and Chert. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Spence, M. 1981 Obsidian Production and the State in Teotihuacan. American Antiquity 46 : 769–788.Google Scholar
Stuiver, M., Long, A., Kra, R. S., and Devine, J. M. 1993 Calibration 1993. Radiocarbon 35(1).Google Scholar
Stuiver, M., and Pearson, G. W. 1986 High-Precision Calibration of the Radiocarbon Time Scale, A.D. 1950-500 B.C. Radiocarbon 28 : 805–838.Google Scholar
Tacon, P. 1983 An Analysis of Dorset Art in Relation to Prehistoric Culture Stress. Etude Inuit Studies 7(1) : 41—65.Google Scholar
Talma, A. S., and Vogel, J. C. 1993 A Simplified Approach to Calibrating C14 Dates. Radiocarbon 35 : 317–322.Google Scholar
Tankersley, K. B. 1990 Late Pleistocene Lithic Exploitation in the Midwest and Midsouth. In Early Paleoindian Economies of Eastern North America, edited by Tankersley, K. and Isaac, B.L. pp. 259–299. Jai Press, Greenwich, Connecticut.Google Scholar
Tankersley, K. B., and Isaac, B. L. (editors) 1990 Early Paleoindian Economies of Eastern North America. Jai Press, Greenwich, Connecticut.Google Scholar
Taylor, W. E. 1968 The Arnapik and Tyara Sites : An Archaeological Study of Dorset Culture Origins. Memoir No. 22. Society for American Archaeology, Washington, D.C. Google Scholar
Vogel, J. C, Fuls, A., Visser, E., and Becker, B. 1993 Pretoria Calibration Curve for Short-Lived Samples Radiocarbon 33(l) : 73–86.Google Scholar
Whitridge, P. 1996 The Social Economy of Thule Whaling : Inter-household Status Differentiation at a Central Arctic Winter Village. Paper presented at the 61st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, New Orleans.Google Scholar
Wiessner, P. 1985 Style or Isochrestic Variation? A Reply to Sackett. American Antiquity 50 : 160–166.Google Scholar
Wobst, H. M. 1974 Boundary Conditions for Paleolithic Social Systems : A Simulation Approach. American Antiquity 39 : 147–178.Google Scholar
Yamaura, K. 1979 On the Origins of Thule Culture as Seen from the Typological Studies of Harpoon Heads. In Thule Eskimo Culture : An Anthropological Retrospective, edited by McCartney, A., pp. 474–484. Mercury Series No. 88. Archaeological Survey of Canada, National Museum of Man, Ottawa, Ontario.Google Scholar