The Ipiutak Culture
Considering the harsh environment of the arctic tundra, it is extraordinary that humans could survive and even thrive in that environment. People have been living in the arctic of Alaska of r thousands of years before the Ipiutak people took root in the area. The Norton Tradition, Choris, Denbigh Flint Complex, and Dorset survived and thrive in coastal Alaska. The harsh environment didn’t deter humans from occupying the area. The Ipiutak were one such people that occupied the northern costal part of Alaska, but who were they and where did they originate from. This has been a much discussed about topic between archaeologists. Helge Larsen and Froelich Rainey’s analysis of the excavation at Point Hope suggested that “As INTIMATED IN THE
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There had been other culture before the Ipiutak that they could have originated from. Don E. Dumond suggested that “From the Seward Peninsula northward this involved Choris and Norton (or Near Ipiutak) cultures, succeeded by Ipiutak.” (Dumond 2009: 61) This suggests that the Ipiutak succeeded the Choris and Norton tradition which was a descendant of the Denbigh. There is other evidence that suggests that Ipiutak culture developed from the Norton Traditions “The Ipiutak people were hunters of caribou during the winter in the interior regions but moved to the coast to hunt sea mammals in the summer, like their Norton predecessors.” (Qu 2013: 4) The timeline would be Denbigh by the way of Choris -> Norton tradition (near Ipiutak) -> Ipiutak, since there is a lot of similarities in their material culture such as harpoon heads that were found by Larsen and Rainey. “Additional specimens of apparent typological affinity were recovered from some of the midden deposits. Among the assemblage were 15 ivory, bone, or antler harpoon heads, some of which resembled those of Ipiutak, with lashing slots, gouged line holes, and armed with sideblades or insert tips of chipped stone.” (Dumond 2000: 2) these artifacts came from one of the burials at Point Hope which were not associated with the Ipiutak
There had been other culture before the Ipiutak that they could have originated from. Don E. Dumond suggested that “From the Seward Peninsula northward this involved Choris and Norton (or Near Ipiutak) cultures, succeeded by Ipiutak.” (Dumond 2009: 61) This suggests that the Ipiutak succeeded the Choris and Norton tradition which was a descendant of the Denbigh. There is other evidence that suggests that Ipiutak culture developed from the Norton Traditions “The Ipiutak people were hunters of caribou during the winter in the interior regions but moved to the coast to hunt sea mammals in the summer, like their Norton predecessors.” (Qu 2013: 4) The timeline would be Denbigh by the way of Choris -> Norton tradition (near Ipiutak) -> Ipiutak, since there is a lot of similarities in their material culture such as harpoon heads that were found by Larsen and Rainey. “Additional specimens of apparent typological affinity were recovered from some of the midden deposits. Among the assemblage were 15 ivory, bone, or antler harpoon heads, some of which resembled those of Ipiutak, with lashing slots, gouged line holes, and armed with sideblades or insert tips of chipped stone.” (Dumond 2000: 2) these artifacts came from one of the burials at Point Hope which were not associated with the Ipiutak