Inuvik Phase of the Arctic Small Tool tradition-Beaufort-Amundsen Region

Other ASTt Sites in the Beaufort-Amundsen Region

A brief survey of other ASTt sites in the greater Beaufort Sea-Amundsen Gulf Region will now be undertaken. This overview will proceed from east to west along the Beaufort Sea coastal area and continue east to the Coppermine region. This will be followed by consideration of sites within the interior areas south of the Beaufort-Amundsen Region.

Sites of a similar age and cultural affiliation as the ASTt components of the southwest Anderson Plain are not numerous in the western Canadian Arctic. Early ASTt remains have been described from the Engigstciak site, NiVk-1, (MacNeish 1956) and Trout Lake (Gordon 1970) in Yukon. Recent studies of the collections from both these localities (Clark 1976; Greer 1991; see also Cinq-Mars et al. 1991) have outlined the severe provenance problems which existed at these sites; difficulties not always apparent to the original excavators. Enough questions exist surrounding associations and assemblage integrities so that beyond noting the presence of "fossils indicateurs", no more can be said, at this point, concerning the ASTt tool kits at these sites. Comparisons are thus severely limited.

At the Engigstciak site (NiKv-1) located near the mouth of the Firth River in the North Yukon coastal plain, the New Mountain Phase (MacNeish 1956) of the Arctic Small Tool tradition contained a number of bipointed projectiles. Some exhibit extremely fine edge serration and oblique, parallel flaking, while others are much less finely manufactured, yet they share the same general outline. Quite obvious ASTt- style of "mitten-shaped" burins also fill many specimen boxes in this collection. While the present author did not systematically examine these, some burins did exhibit the burin thinning described for most of the Anderson Plain specimens. However, the relative importance of this feature is unknown. Further, there is a strong possibility that the Engigstciak collection contains later, non- Denbigh, ASTt materials. A recently obtained AMS date from an ASTt context at this site yielded a date of 4280ą200 (RIDDL-320) (Vogel et al. 1991: 149). An earlier date of 1250 B.C.ą56 (Rainey and Ralph 1959: 371) suggests a broad span for the ASTt presence at this site.

The Trout Lake sites of the north Yukon coastal plain (Gordon 1970) have far fewer specimens easily attributable to the Denbigh-related ASTt. Nonetheless, Greer (1991) has demonstrated the presence of a number of western-oriented (i.e. Alaskan-derived) cultural entities including Denbigh, Norton and Choris.

A small number of possible Arctic Small Tool tradition artifacts were recovered by McGhee (1969) from Atkinson Point (NlTk-5). Unfortunately, this site has since been completely destroyed by erosion. Further, its small collection lacks implements which would allow a specific cultural attibution within the tradition. Of note, however, is the presence of the extremity of a finely-crafted projectile point. It shows a highly controlled pattern of oblique, parallel, collateral flake removal. It could relate to a Denbigh or a later ASTt occupation.

More recently an early ASTt site (ObRw-11) was tested on the former banks of the Old Horton River (Le Blanc 1991a), 240 km N-NE of Hyndman Lake. The assemblage included unground burins, microblades and microblade cores, as well as finely serrated end- blades, one of which appears to be a bipointed variety (Le Blanc 1991a: Figure 11-h). Le Blanc posits that this collection "may be a link in the delicate thread of Independence I migration to the High Arctic at ca. 2000 B.C."(ibid.: 73).

During the 1992 field season K. Swayze found chipped mitten-shaped burins at two inland lake fishing sites in the interior of the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula (Swayze 1993). While his prime objective was to sample late prehistoric/historic Inuvialuit middens associated with fish camps, the presence of what are clearly Denbigh burins in the basal layers of these middens shows that these localities were visited during much earlier times by members of the Arctic Small Tool tradition.

Further afield, ASTt remains have been identified in the lower Coppermine River region, notably at Dismal Lake (Harp 1958) and at Bloody Falls (McGhee 1970).

The site at Bloody Falls is particularly important since it is radiocarbon dated to 3300ą90 B.P.(McGhee 1970: 58). In terms of comparisons with the Anderson Plain ASTt sites, the Bloody Falls projectile points are dominated by concave-based, lanceolate forms. The burins are comprised of both unifacial and bifacially prepared specimens. Although flake scars emanating from the burin facet are present, the great majority of the burin bits are either unmodified, or have received facial grinding in an apparent effort to modify the thickness of the bit. The use of grinding as a thinning and even a shaping technique is found in other lithic tool categories as well, and a number of basalt and metamorphic rock flakes (58) retain grinding on their dorsal surfaces.

McGhee (1970) pointed out some of the marked differences between the Bloody Falls ASTt collection and that found at the undated Dismal-2, a site whose occupation McGhee estimated to be several centuries earlier than the ASTt occupation at Bloody Falls.

At Dismal-2, projectile points are comprised of fragments which suggest bipointed varieties. Moreover, many of these exhibit fine edge serration and parallel, oblique, collateral flaking. The burins, like those from Bloody Falls, are made on either unifacially or bifacially prepared blanks, and are often thick. No grinding is apparent on any of the burins, or any of the other implements. Further, thinning of the burin bit faces by chipping is not a characteristic feature of these burins. Where noted, it appeared to be use-related rather than intentional.

Arctic Small Tool tradition sites have also been discovered in the interior of the District of Mackenzie, most notably between Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake (Noble 1971), to the north of the Great Bear Lake and in the vicinity of Colville Lake (Clark 1987), and further east throughout the District of Keewatin (Gordon 1975).

Most of the ASTt artifacts described by both Noble and Clark were collected from surface contexts, which in many instance contained artifacts attributable to other cultural traditions. This potential for assemblage mixing, as well as the total lack of radiometric assays, prevented Clark from attempting to periodize the ASTt occupations north of Great Bear Lake. However, Noble proposed four distinct, yet clearly related phases to his Canadian Tundra Tradition.

Throughout the time spanned by Noble's so-called "Canadian Tundra Tradition", the dominant projectile point is the small, straight or concave- based triangular form. The polishing of burins is another trait which persists throughout the Canadian Tundra Tradition. Grinding and polishing is also a technique applied to other artifact categories such as adzes. Microblades are apparently rare in the early phases and more numerous in the later phases. Like the sites of the Canadian Tundra Tradition, predominant point styles to the north of Great Bear Lake are similarly small, straight or concave-based triangular varieties. Burins often exhibit facial grinding and other ground tool categories were recovered (Clark 1987:129). Microblades are generally not numerous.

Clark estimates the ASTt presence in the area to begin about 1500 B.C. based on the dating of events in the District of Keewatin. Indeed, strong parallels are suggested with the Keewatin Pre-Dorset occupation and generally, the ASTt presence in the Great Bear region is seen as part of that same phenomenon (Gordon 1975:175).