North American Culture Essay

Art is a complicated subject in the archaeological record because of how inherently vague the definition of art is. There are various ways and mediums in which to express creativity, making it difficult to interpret the different forms, or to understand and deduce the meaning or reasoning behind it, especially before the invention of writing and throughout various extinct cultures. There is also a problem in interpreting artistic expressions of the past based on the classifications and aesthetics of the present day, rather than the context of the people at the time of the piece’s original creation (Scott, 2006). Therefore, understanding the archaeological context of the culture being investigated is vital in order to identify manifestations
To understand the context of these potential pieces of art, the prehistoric lifestyle of these people must be described. The Arctic cultures of North America cover the vast northern expanse between the chain of Aleutian Islands extending from Alaska in the Pacific Ocean to the frosty island of Greenland that resides in the Atlantic. Around 9000 BC, rising sea levels disrupted extensive communication between Siberia and Alaska, creating the region as it is today. Residents of the Arctic were hunter-gatherers, and gradually exploited sea and land mammals, and fish as history progressed. The harsh northern climate employs extreme, long winters, and short summers, leaving little vegetation to utilize on the
Over 3000 years have passed since the end of this time period, making it likely that these prehistoric forms of art have faded or disappeared from the Arctic landscape due to the harsh conditions of the tundra, or these artifacts have not yet been discovered. It is impossible to preserve every alteration humans have made while inhabiting Earth, so loss of material culture is inevitable, leaving gaps in human history that may never be