Vidiitshuu (MlTk-2)-East Point
| CH | SA | MM | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | U | B | U | B | U | ||
| Burin | - | 3 | - | 2 | - | - | |
| Pièce Esquillée | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | |
| Projectile Point | 1 | - | 2 | - | - | - | |
| Scraper | - | 3 | - | 1- | - | - | |
| Blank/Preform | 2 | - | - | - | 1 | - | |
| Retouched/Used Flake | - | 6 | 1 | - | - | 1 | |
| Retouched Burin Spall | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Other | 1* | 2** | 1*** | - | - | - | |
| Total | 4 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
CH-chert SA-siliceous argillite MM-metamorphic
B-biface U-uniface
* flaked adze
** one miscellaneous uniface fragment, one perforator
*** biface knife
The site is located at a strategic narrows in the more than five kilometre long lake. At this point, the lake is less than 250 m across. In the recent past, caribou were quite often hunted here as these crossed to the south shore of Vidiitshuu.
Archaeological testing and excavations have been carried out at this extensive site over the course of four field seasons (Dale in Pilon 1987, Pilon 1985, 1988, 1992). Each time, different aspects of this site were focussed upon and investigated. In 1991, secondary testing took place at the easternmost extremity of the point (Nolin 1992). Excavations in this area, known as East Point, took place in two nearby blocks. While the smaller of the two blocks (Area B-5 m2) produced evidence of an Arctic Small Tool tradition occupation, the identify of those who left the artifacts in the second area (Area A-8 m2) was less clear.
Artifacts-Area B
The inventory of implements from Area B, tabulated above, includes the usual variety of ASTt stone tools with at least one notable addition. It is a finely crafted, thin biface made of a fine-grained chert. It is triangular in shape with a convex base. The basal edge exhibits extensive use wear and polishing which extends somewhat onto one of the surfaces adjacent to the working edge. The implement, which was doubtless hafted, might have been a scraping tool or perhaps even a wood working tool.
The projectile points associated with this predominantly ASTt occupation area include one complete and two fragmentary specimens. The complete example is a diminutive lanceolate specimen with a narrow, slightly concave base. One of the projectile point fragments appears to be the base of a diagonally flaked bipoint, while the third, near-complete projectile point is also likely a bipointed variety.
Three of the five burins found are of the mitten-shaped variety. A fourth is a base fragment and the fifth is a burinated flake. Of note are two specimens which, while complete, are remarkably short and stocky. Were it not for the distinctive burin facets on these tools, it is quite conceivable that fragments from them would otherwise be classed as scrapers.
Another distinctive feature of at least two of the burins is the use of the burin scar as a platform from which to remove short flakes from the dorsal side of the distal end of the tool. In one case heavy crushing is noted along this platform edge as well. Dorsal retouching is also evident on 5 of the 6 the burin spalls. None of the burin spalls recovered (6) showed any sign of having been used or modified.
Although very few microblades (5) were recovered, those that were are good examples of such controlled and specialized core reduction as to leave no doubt that the technology was known and practiced to some extent by the site occupants.
The medio-proximal portion of a lingual or contracting stem biface was recovered which is similar to that found in Area A of NbTj-9. The stem element exhibits grounds edge which extend up to the point of inflection at the base of the biface's blade element. The actual tip of the base is rounded. The tool may have been a lance point or even a knife blade.
A tear drop-shaped fine chert biface exhibits extensive edge rounding and slight polish on its flake scars adjacent to the concave working edge. The implement likely functioned as a scraping tool.
The debitage collection is dominated by local raw materials, especially siliceous argillite, although cherts are by far the raw materials preferred in the manufacture of stone tools. Also relatively important is the presence of a significant quantity of a coarse-grained raw material of local cobble beach origin, tentatively identified as greywake. No tools of this raw material were found, but the flakes of this rock indicate the manufacture of large bifaces.
As with the siliceous argillite, fine-grained cherts, quartzite and greywake can all be found on the cobble and boulder beach at the water's edge along the sides of the point. However, the distinctive vesicular clinker represented by a single piece of debitage and a lanceolate/triangular projectile point--recovered in Area A and described below--does not occur locally. Rather, its geological source is in the Cape Bathurst Peninsula region (Le Blanc 1991b) and its only means of transport to this site is by human agency.
Selected Artifacts-Area A
Although there are indications of reuse of the excavated areas of East Point, three items found in the Area A block can be tentatively ascribed to an Arctic Small Tool tradition occupation.
The first artifact is the proximal portion of what was likely a chert burin. Its extant edge received steep unifacial retouch on its dorsal face. A second, but complete mitten-shaped burin does not exhibit dorsal thinning.
The third object which is likely related to an ASTt occupation is a short lanceolate or triangular projectile point. It is manufactured of vesicular clinker from the Cape Bathurst Peninsula region and ressembles projectile points which have been recovered from Pre-Dorset contexts further east in the Barrenlands (Clark 1987; Gordon 1975).
Dating
Faunal remains from Area B were present in both calcined and non-calcined states. One particularly weathered caribou longbone specimen was submitted for AMS dating and yielded a date 380±50 B.P. (Beta- 51302). In addition to this obviously unassociated date, a second element was found in Area A which further suggests that the East Point was occupied by cultural groups other than the ASTt. In particular, the base of a lanceolate point made of sugary quartzite certainly indicates a distinctly different cultural manifestation. The specimen could just as easily be ascribed a Plano origin as it could a Middle Taltheilei dating (Stewart 1991).
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