Native copper sources of artifact copper in pre-Columbian North America

Abstract

Archaeological and anthropological interest in the sources of North American artifact copper center on trade relations and network systems. If exchange networks are to be accurately modeled, positive identification of source areas is vital. We know that North American copper technology began in preceramic times. Quimby (1960) considers the center of its development as the Upper Great Lakes Region. Utilitarian copper artifacts in the archaeologic record appear initially about 5,500 yr BP. Halsey (1983) describes the distribution of these "Old Copper Culture" artifacts. This culture flourished in eastern Wisconsin and the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, but artifacts attributable to it are found as far away as the Dakotas and Quebec. Interestingly, few are found in Illinois, Indiana, or Ohio. The Archaeometry Laboratory at the University of Minnesota has been involved in the location and trace-element "fingerprinting" of North American native copper deposits for nearly two decades (Rapp and others, 1980, 1984). This chapter summarizes significant geologic occurrences and possible sources of prehistoric native copper north of the Rio Grande River. Our voluminous trace-element data are being published elsewhere. The earliest accounts of Europeans who came into contact with the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North America noted that the indigenous peoples used copper, primarily for decorative purposes (Vastokas, 1970). In the early to middle seventeenth century, explorers became interested in tracing the source of the copper. Griffin (1961a) and Vastokas (1970) describe the early historical accounts of tracing copper to the Lake Superior district.

Trace element and Pb isotope provenance analyses of native copper in northwestern North America: results of a recent pilot study using INAA, ICP-MS, and LA-MC-ICP-MS

“…Analyses of geological specimens of native copper from south-central Alaska, southwestern Yukon, British Columbia, and the central Canadian Arctic and Subarctic, will be necessary to demonstrate the scale at which native copper can be sourced within greater northwestern North America. Accessing numerous remote sources of native copper in the wider region is a major challenge for further provenance studies (Cooper, 2007); though previously collected material (e.g., Rapp et al, 1990) may be sufficient for assessing intra-regional variability. The ability to differentiate native copper from these three regions would help to address questions concerning the trade and exchange of native copper artifacts and raw material and the invention and/or diffusion of native copper technology in greater northwestern North America.…”

“…Though the copper-rich region of south-central Alaska and southwestern Yukon Territory has been suggested as the source for copper found in archaeological contexts on the Northwest Coast (Acheson, 2003;Ames and Maschner, 1999;Blake, 2004;Burley, 1981), there are several reports of native copper in central and southern British Columbia (e.g., Acheson, 2003;Drucker, 1943;Leaming, 1973;Lincoln, 1981;Rapp et al, 1990;Sanger, 1970), and the state of Washington (e.g., Hayden and Schulting, 1997). An additional problem with assigning all archaeological native copper from the Northwest Coast to a northern source is the timing of the appearance of native copper metallurgy.…”

Overcoming disciplinary solitude: The archaeology and geology of native copper in Eastern North America

“…Their efforts have resulted in a collection of several thousand samples of native copper, other copper minerals, cassiterite, and copper and bronze artifacts (Rapp et al, 1990). Importantly, their database includes approximately 1400 samples of native copper (Rapp et al, 2000).…”

“…This interdisciplinary team, led by George Rapp, former Director of the Archaeometry Laboratory, consisted of a number of researchers, including a statistician, a computer scientist, and an economic geologist. Their efforts have resulted in a collection of several thousand samples of native copper, other copper minerals, cassiterite, and copper and bronze artifacts (Rapp et al, 1990). Importantly, their database includes approximately 1400 samples of native copper (Rapp et al, 2000).…”

Trace‐element variability of native copper within a large ore body: The Kingston mine, Michigan, USA

“…The Kingston Mine has been used as a discrete source area elsewhere (Rapp et al, 1984;Rapp et al, 1990) in comparison to other sources of North American native copper for the purpose of distinguishing likely source locations for prehistoric artifact copper. Such studies have proceeded on the assumption that the distribution of the elements in these sources is satisfactorily homogeneous for the surface layers of sites.…”