Ipiutak Culture
The Ipiutak culture, centered at the archaeological site near Point Hope, Alaska, is noted for its rich artistic and practical heritage, emerging as a significant phase within the Norton tradition. Excavated in 1939, the site revealed a village comprising hundreds of houses and numerous burial sites, alongside an impressive array of ivory artifacts. These artifacts are characterized by intricate designs depicting various Arctic fauna such as walrus, bears, and birds, reflecting artistic influences that may connect to northeast Asia. The material culture also showcases a comprehensive adaptation to Arctic life, with tools designed for survival, including snow goggles, harpoons, and salmon spears.
The craftsmanship evident in both stone and ivory speaks to the community's skill. Additionally, the presence of ceremonial items, such as an ivory mask and personal adornments like labrets, suggests a vibrant social and cultural life. The typical dwellings of the Ipiutak people were semisubterranean, designed to withstand the harsh Arctic climate, and featured essential amenities like fireplaces and sleeping platforms. Overall, the Ipiutak culture is recognized as a precursor to the historic Inuit, encapsulating a unique blend of artistry, functionality, and community life in the Arctic.
On this Page
Ipiutak Culture
Related civilization: Prehistoric Inuit, or Eskimo.
Date: 100-700 c.e.
Locale: Arctic Alaska
Ipiutak
The Ipiutak culture site at Point Hope is a village of several hundred houses and numerous burials that was excavated by Helge Larson and F. G. Rainey in 1939. The site produced abundant evidence of ivory artifacts carved in a spectacular curvilinear style showing walrus, bears, wolves, birds, and fantastic creatures that resembled art from northeast Asia. Elements of the Arctic survival kit including snow goggles, needle cases with fine needles for making skin clothing, arrowheads, harpoons, salmon spears, and other tools indicate a full adaptation to the rich faunal resources and cold climate of the Arctic. Superb craftsmanship in flaked stone as well as ivory is evident. A rich social life is indicated by labrets (lip ornaments) and items of personal adornment, and ceremonialism is demonstrated by an ivory mask. Wooden artifacts including parts for sleds have been found at other sites. Houses were semisubterranean and typically between thirteen and sixteen feet (four and five meters) square with a fireplace and sleeping platforms. Ipiutak is generally considered to be a late phase of the Norton tradition and one of the ancestors of the historic Inuit.
Bibliography
Damas, David, ed. Arctic. Vol. 5 in Handbook of North American Indians. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1984.
Larsen, H. E., and Froelich Rainey. “Ipiutak and the Arctic Whale Hunting Culture.” Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History 42 (1948).
Rainey, Froelich G. The Ipiutak Culture. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1972.