Inuvik Phase of the Arctic Small Tool tradition-Inuvik Phase Defined

The Inuvik Phase of the Arctic Small Tool tradition

The discussion so far clearly shows that the ASTt remains from the Beaufort-Amundsen region, with the exception of Bloody Falls, cannot be lumped with those described by Gordon in the Keewatin, and by Noble and Clark in the Great Slave and Great Bear Lakes regions. Although both groups are easily ascribed to the technological tradition that is the ASTt, elements of their material culture argue for distinguishing the two.

The group of sites which includes those of the southwest Anderson Plain shares some important elements with two previously described early Palaeoeskimo cultural constructs, namely the Denbigh Flint Complex of Alaska and the High Arctic Independence I. In both instances, bipointed projectile points are common and burins invariably lack grinding, except perhaps in the late stages of the Denbigh Flint Complex. The quality of flaking in both cases is quite high, with fine parallel, oblique and collateral patterns being commonly found on certain tool classes.

Additional parallels can be made between the Denbigh Flint Complex and the ASTt sites of the Beaufort-Amundsen region, on the basis of apparent economic orientation. In contrast to the highly specialized Barrenlands Pre-Dorset, the people who used the southwest Anderson Plain appear to have had access to and exploited both coastal and inland resources, much as did the Denbigh Flint Complex of Alaska. Both Engigstciak and Dismal-2 are inland sites.

When D.Clark (1976) re-examined the Engigstciak collection, he noted the same kinds of parallels with the Denbigh Flint Complex as well as the significant differences with materials further east. Clark also noted what appeared to be local peculiarities of the Engigstciak ASTt collection that he felt sufficient to permit the definition of a separate "phase" of ASTt, namely the New Mountain phase, a concept originally proposed by MacNeish. It is now apparent that more than one ASTt "phase" is actually represented at that site. The continued use of the term "New Mountain Phase", other than as an historical reference, may be confusing.

Clearly, recent data strengthens the distinctiveness of the ASTt history in the Beaufort- Amundsen region. It is also evident that there is more than likely a few centuries of Palaeoeskimo prehistory which was acted out in this region.

For example, when I accompanied W.E.Taylor on a survey of Stapylton Bay, at the eastern end of Amundsen Gulf in 1989, we found two early Palaeoeskimo sites on old limestone boulder beach ridges (NfPn-1, NfPn-3). At one of these sites (NfPn-1) at least ten oval or circular tent rings were recorded, some of which included classic Independence-style midpassage structures. Such features have not been recorded for the Barrenlands Pre-Dorset.

This information reinforces the notion that the Arctic Small Tool tradition in the Beaufort- Amundsen region stands apart from that of the Barrenlands Pre-Dorset. Further it seems apparent that strong links can be made with both the early Alaskan ASTt (Denbigh Flint Complex) and even the closely related early High Arctic ASTt (Independence I). On this basis, I propose that the Beaufort-Amundsen region ASTt sites be grouped under the Inuvik Phase of the Arctic Small Tool tradition. Within this region there were more than likely economy-based distinctions between the north Yukon, Anderson Plain and Amundsen Gulf sub- regions, much as there were between late prehistoric and historic Inuit groups, much as Sutherland (in press) has proposed for Northern Ellesmere Island. We might also expect to find chronological distinctions which might reflect local cultural dynamics between the ASTt and other neighbouring cultural manifestations.

The Inuvik Phase thus appears as a regional expression of the early Arctic Small Tool tradition with strong links with the Alaskan Denbigh Flint Complex which existed between about 4300 B.P. and 3400 B.P. In some areas such as the north Yukon, it may have persisted until later times. Although possibly overlapping with the Pre-Dorset presence in the nearby Barrenlands, evidence of diffusion between the two groups has yet to be clearly identified. By extending the effective range of Alaskan ASTt influence, the Inuvik Phase, bridges the vast territory which the first people into the High Arctic had to cross. Further research in key areas like the eastern extremity of Amundsen Gulf, could help us to better understand the conditions under which this movement took place and the processes which operated in pushing the geographical and adaptive limits of the Arctic Small Tool tradition into the far reaches of the Canadian Arctic and Greenland.