Western Elements in the Early Thule Culture of the Eastern High Arctic

Abstract

Excavations of Thule culture winter sites in the Bache Peninsula region on the east coast of Ellesmere Island have yielded a number of finds which indicate a strong relationship to cultural developments in the Bering Sea region. Specific elements under discussion include dwelling styles, clay pottery, needle cases, a brow band and harpoon heads. Evidence is presented suggesting an initial arrival of the Thule culture Inuit in the eastern Arctic around 1050 A.D.

Revisiting an Early Thule Inuit occupation of Skraeling Island, Canadian High Arctic

“…Eric Holtved (1944) 1989;Schledermann 1978;Schledermann and McCullough 1980). Skraeling Island is a small island with many raised gravel-beach ridges.…”

“…Skraeling Island is a small island with many raised gravel-beach ridges. The island is on the western border of the North Water Polynya (Barber and Massom 2007), just south of the Flagler Bay polynyas (Schledermann 1980;Stirling 1980), and near several secondary, less stable, polynya concentrations. The close proximity to these ice-free waters would have made Skraeling Island an attractive location to Arctic peoples, as important marine resources were readily accessible year-round.…”

“…Also, harbour seals (Phoca vitulina), which are year-round residents of Baffin Bay, will on occasion make their way into the North Water Polynya (Mansfield 1967). Birds are abundant in the region, different species of ducks and geese nest on the island (Schledermann 1980), and various jaeger species, gull species, ravens, and loons are common (Godfrey 1966). In addition, the North Water Polynya is host to the largest number of seabirds known in the Arctic (Karnovsky and Hunt 2002), and marine fish are plentiful.…”

“…The Early Thule Inuit occupation of Skraeling Island (Figure 1) is recognised as one of the earliest Inuit occupations in the Eastern Arctic and forms part of the Ruin Island phase of the Thule culture (Friesen and Arnold 2008;Gulløv 1997;McCullough 1989;Morrison 1999;Schledermann and McCullough 1980). A comparative analysis of selected traits by Karen McCullough (1989) strongly suggests that the Early Thule Inuit society of Skraeling Island originated in western Alaska.…”

“…This phase was characterised by material culture very similar to that of Alaskan Thule sites, including harpoon head types and a house layout where a separate kitchen was accessed by a tunnel that ran parallel to the main entrance tunnel (Holtved 1944;Schledermann 1978). Excavations on Skraeling Island have uncovered several traits reminiscent of Alaskan Thule Inuit traditions, including house styles, harpoon heads, clay pottery, and various household utensils (Schledermann and McCullough 1980). There are also similarities between the types of tree species whose wood was used as raw material (Alix 2009).…”