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108 Cards in this Set

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  • Back
What does the term "Inuksuk" mean?
"To act in the capacity of a human."

Extension of "Inuk" = human being.
What were some uses of Inuksuit?
Hunting, navigation aids, coordination points, indicators, and message centers. They can also have spiritual connotations, and marked spiritual sites.
What does the "Inummariit" stand for?
"The people who knew how to survive on the land living in a traditional way."

They are Inuit people.

** think, 'I know, 'my right?' = Inummariit. They know what they're doing.
What did the Inummariit feel very connected to?
Their land.
What does "unganatuq" mean?
A deep and total attachment to the land.

** think, "I'm gonna touch" = unganatuq
The Inummariit Elders and people thought you were a real dick if you, did what?
Messed with the Inuksuit that were placed by people of the past.
What does "angiarivaa" mean?
"He hides it within words".

The Inummariit tend to be very vague when speaking about their history to outsiders.
What is a "semantic set"?
Grouping information that relates in terms of meaning, (like words, symbols, signs, phrases, etc.) in the hopes of understanding more about them.
What is a "semantic field"?
A group of semantic sets whose meaning relate to something common.

Ex.) Names and positions given to relatives in a kinship.
When was the only time the Inummariit would touch an inuksuk?
If thy had immediate practical value, or were believed to have a beneficial power.
Most inuksuit found on the sides of the road are...?
Inunnguac.
Imitations made by non-Inuit peoples, that have no real symbolic significance.
Boulders piled on top of one another to lean in a certain direction, a tilted rock, or a pointed rock placed above another one could mean what?
An inuksuk indicating direction.

A very important inuksuk. Don't wanna get lost!
1. A small inuksuk with moss on top, kept in place by a cap stone could mean?

2. Pairs of inuksuik on South Baffin Island, could mean?

3. Stones arranged to look like decoys, or a seated person could mean?
1. Good area for caribou hunting.

2. Good seal hunting area.

3. Good area to hunt birds.

A very important inuksuk. Ya gotta eat!
What are some examples of very important inuksuits?
For hunting, to indicate direction, to indicate important spiritual places.
There are many inuksuits related to caribou hunting. What are some examples?
- Diverting caribou from their path to the water
- Indicating a caribou crossing, frightening a caribou (scarecrow)
- A hiding place to ambush
- Luring caribou using their curiosity
What are some Inuksuit related to fishing?
- Indicating a good place to fish.
- Small stones which guide the fish.
- Place on the beach where things are likely to wash up
- Place for drying fish
- Place where fish spawn
What are some Inuksuit related to caches and camps?
- Regular camping places
- Where one can camp for the night (safe from storms)
- Bunch of stones indicating when a cache is full/empty
- Markers indicating where caches are
What are some examples of inuksuit that are venerated (revered)?
- Mark the site where someone died (the women that drifted out to sea).

- An inuksuit built by a shaman --> can transform someone into something else (transfiguration!), an evil inuksuk, an area that must not be approached (the 3rd floor!)

- Inuksuits that contain spirits, ones with healing powers, ones expressing joy/happiness
What are some inuksuit that can warn of danger?
Where a shaman was initiated --> must never sleep there (sleep becomes death), place where humans have been eaten, evil things have been practiced

Place where people get lost --> place of many dangers (storms, rough waters, etc.), places that lead to great confusion

Ghosts --> spirits live, a place where 'thanks' are left (offerings, for example, a rock split in half)
How may "great places of power" be shown?
By laying out a single great dancing circle. these places may stretch a couple kilometers and be forbidden to all.
What is shown in this image?
What is shown in this image?
The location of whales, square-flipper seals, walrus, small seals, fish, and birds.
What can "Inuksuk" be used for in a general sense?
Standing stone objects that "act in the capacity of a human". I guess that can give information that humans would give, or do things that humans would do (eg. scaring caribou)
How did travellers remember the directions for long journeys?
Through song.
What did Knud Rasmussen and Peter Freuchen name their trading post after?
The ancient term for the farthest north - Ultima Thule.
What name did Mathiassen choose for an ancient culture discovered on the 5th Thule Expedition?
Thule.
What problems were faced while excavating in Thule?
The short time available, the frozen ground, the lack of proper equipment and implements, packing materials, etc.
What was the main facet of Thule economy?
The hunting of large baleen whales.
What did the Thule need wood for?
Boats, houses, etc.
Needed to hunt whales.
Which direction did the Thule move?
Eastward.
What's the word for "large kayak"?
Umiak.
What were Thule houses like?
Relatively large, deep pits lines with huge boulders, sod, and whale bone, roofed with whale rib and jaw frameworks covered with skin and sod, and entered by long tunnels opening onto a paved floor.
How did Thule houses retain heat?
Rear sleeping platforms raised above floor level.
What kind of weapons did the Thule use?
Harpoons, lances, spears, darts, throwing boards, bows and arrows, etc.
What kind of utensils did they use?
Drills, bladed tools for cutting snowhouse blocks, beating frost from clothing, and scraping ice from kayaks.
There were also hundreds of different types of toggles, handles, plugs to deal with a bunch of different stuff they had to do.
How much would one successful whale hunt provide families with?
Each individual would get between 2-4kg of meat a day for a full year.
Where were the whaling center in the precontact past located?
Northern Alaska, from Point Barrow to Point hope. In the Bering Strait.
What is the average temperature in Northern Alaska?
-13 to -24 celsius, in both winter and summer.
When are plants available?
In the summer.
What kinds of plants are available in Northern Alaska?
Very small and of no economic importance. The willow trees mark the larger plants, but they do not grow in many areas.
Vegetation increases along the coast, and to the south (same with rainfall.)
When can you see the sun at Point Barrow?
72 days of full light from June to August.
When is the sun not present in Point Barrow?
December - February.
What is important about the ice flows in June-July?
The ice melts, allowing paths for whale migrations. This is where the Thule would hunt whales.
In different regions of the Arctic, different animals were hunted - what are some examples?
Caribou were hunted in Spring - Fall. So were foxes, wolverines, wolves, and rodents.

In the south (more coastal regions) bears,and sheep were trapped. So were fish in the summer, but they weren't as important. Waterfowl was also a big source of food.

Coastal people mostly focused on sea mammals.
When does the whale migration start?
Early spring. In groups less than 50.
What hunt followed the whale hunt?
The walrus hunt, taking place in late June.
Kinship existed between different Arctic communities. What is some evidence?
There was one language, with only subtle dialect differences.

Regions weren't defined, and people weren't defined for where they lived. There was simply the suffix "-miut" which meant "People of" (ex. people of the sea, people of the land, etc.)
What does the suffix "-miut" mean?
"People of".
(ex.) People of the sea, people of the land.

There was some sense of community between these people, but no obvious political-ness between the different people in the different areas.
What area was very important for trade?
Colville. Many settlements wee around there.
Where were the Whaling groups found?
Point Barrow (Nuvuk)
Cape Smyth
And Icy Cape

**Think of Captain Smith wearing an Icy Cap, throwing a spearPOINT at a dancing whale.
What was the area to the east of Point Barrow used for? Who was it used by?
Camping, hunting, fishing.

Used by people of the Barrow Point region, and people in the Colville area.
What do coastal populations vary depending on?
Food supply, mobility, and disease.
How did the people of the North Alaska Coast view intermarriage between two different groups?
As a blessing. They believed that a child between these two different groups would bring the two groups together.
What was the order of loyalty among North Alaskan people?
Most loyal to household group,
then to next of kin,
then to extended family.
How were the houses organized?
Entered through passage starting at ground level and inclining downwards.
Storage rooms were located at the sides of the entrance passage, and ended in a cooking area.
What were the walls of the houses lined with?
Sod, and gut (of an animal) was used as a skylight.
Bedding of animal furs was used.
How large were the houses?
10-12 feet in diameter.
How many people could live in a house?
8-12 people.
Could include relatives, and extended family, and even people that weren't related.
What was a "kashim"?
A 'men's house'.
It was a social center, a dance house, and place for men to go to have leisure time. Place for the whalers.
Women could enter to bring men food for them to enjoy.
What distinguished kashims from regular houses?
Longer entrance passageways than regular house.
What are solo hunting tasks, and group hunting tasks?
Solo:
Sealing, fishing (usually done by women), trapping, fowling, small game.

Group:
Large mammals. Whales, polar bear, caribou, walrus, etc.
What are some examples of Thule weapons?
Harpoon with detachable shaft, spear, bola. Many ranged weapons.
Harpoon with detachable shaft, spear, bola.

Many ranged weapons.
How large was the umiak?
15-20 feet in length.
How was the umiak operated?
The craft was paddles with single paddles (everyone had one paddle), and a man would kneel on the deck and paddle on one side.
How many people could an umiak accommodate?
6-12
How were whale hunts done?
7-10 men ran the umiak into the ice, and the whale was harpooned as many times as possible.
Shafts of harpoons were tied with inflatable bladders of animals, and careful precision was taken to subdue the animal.
Once it was subdued, a skillful harpooner would harpoon it in a vital spot for the kill, and the group would work together to tow it back to the edge of the ice.
How was the killed whale given respect?
When it was brought ashore, it would be greeted by the wife wearing an 'umialik' (fancy dress) and she would act as a priestess.
The whale would be offered fresh water, and greeted.
The meat was distributed evenly throughout the community.
What came after the whale hunt?
The walrus hunt, and then the caribou hunt.
What was the meat of the walrus typically used for?
Dogs.
Though the ivory was used by crew members.
When did trading take place?
Late summer.
What sorts of things were traded?
The Thule traded sea mammal oil, for things like caribou skins.
What activities were done in the winter?
Seal netting and spearing. Social activities relating to the making of weapons, clothing, nets, tanning hides, and making lines. Lots of hunting preparation.
What was the purpose of the 5th Thule expedition?
Looking for evidence of a prehistoric Eskimo culture.
Several groups of common tools were found in the area.
When did the first wave of migrants populate the high arctic?

When did they disappear from this area?
2300 BC, during a period of warming called the "medieval warm period".

1700 BC.
When did the Pre-Dorset people move into the lower arctic? When did they leave?
Pre-Dorset got there, 2000 BC. Left, 600 BC.
How can the Thule be distinguished from the Pre-Dorset people?
By their tools, crafts, art... artifacts, basically.
Each culture had a different style and way of doing things.
How do Dorset stone tools differ from Thule?
They're composed of chert, small flakes of rocks are chipped off. So thousands of tiny chert flakes are found around the sites where these tools were made.
What tools were NOT used by the Dorset?
Drills, bows, or arrow points.
(Long range)
What is distinguishing about Thule stone tools?
Thule used slate (not chert), tools have smoother surfaces and rounded corners.

Drills are common, as well as long-ranged weapons (bows, arrows, etc.) Tools are also constructed with whale bone.
What distinguished Dorset harpoons?
Made from chert. They sometimes used a miniature harpoon head (thought to be shamanistic in nature).

Rectangular head sockets.
What is distinguishing about Thule harpoons?
Circular head sockets (*think, they use slate, which is easily rounded).
Decorations are sometimes etched into the hunting heads.
Who replaced whom in the Canadian Arctic and Greenland?
The Thule replaced the Dorset.
What is a theory as to why the Thule overtook the Dorset?
Warming period (Medieval Warm period) impacts Dorset's breathing hole hunting (for seals)... whereas the Thule, who hunted whales on open water, were put at an advantage.
Why is radiocarbon dating great in the north?
Cold, dry climates preserve biological remains favourably.
What is some evidence that the Dorset and Thule met?
Arctic sites have shown evidence of Dorset and Thule artifacts in the same layer of ground. There have even been artifacts that seem to combine both of their styles, suggesting possible mutualism (could be argued that the Thule just built their stuff using old Dorset things, to save resources).
What is some evidence to suggest that Thule and Dorset exchanged information?
Thule didn't make snow houses, cold-traps, or breathing-hole hunt. In Thule sites dated after the migration, these technologies begin to emerge, suggesting that information was passed between groups.
Why are artifacts so reliable when trying to identify certain cultures/
Material culture is a product of countless social and individual interactions. Culture develops over time, and each culture develops their own methods and ways of doing things.
What was distinguishing about "Thule crudware"?
It was very thick, crumbled easily, was tempered wit very coarse gravel, and was poorly fired. It was black throughout and was coated with burned grease and permeated with fat.
What can most researchers agree on?
That modern Canadian Inuit are direct descendants of the Thule invasion.
What were the 4 general phases in the thule migration?
1. initial entry
2. Classic expansion
3. postclassic modification
4. historic contact
Who occupied the majority of early Eastern Thule sites?
Communities whose ancestors live in the house mounds of late Birnirk (along the northern Alaskan coast near Point Barrow).
Where were the Thule thought to have originated from?
Point Barrow, and maybe even as far as Chukchi, Siberia.
What traits characterize the earliest Eastern High Arctic sites?
Punuk influence in the form of whale hunting, whaling harpoon heads, and the characteristic Sicco harpoon head.
Who are the "Punuk people"?
The Punuk Culture (600-1200 AD) is the name given to the whaling society along the old Bering Sea of Alaska.
When did the Punuk people live?
600-1200AD
Where did the Punuk people live?
along the old Bering Sea of Alaska.
What was a distinctive characteristic of Punuk artifacts?
The elaborate carving of walrus ivory and wood fishing equipment.
What was the characteristic weapon used by the Thule migrating south?
The double-barbed Thule type 2 harpoon head.
What was the double-barbed harpoon head suited for?
Breathing hole hunting.
A technique the Thule may have learned from the Dorset.
Where could some of the metal being used by the thule, have come from?
From the Norse.
What type of metal did the Norse vikings have?
Chainmail armour, woolen cloth, iron boat rivets, and other iron objects. Lots of iron.
What happened in the "Initial entry"?
Culture was integrated from between the Punuk and Birnirk people, and the Thule began borrowing iron from the Norse.
**Think of a viking welding his initials into iron.
Where did the iron come from?
Large meteorites in the East.
This may have drawn the thule to the east.
What characterized the "Classic expansion"?
The increase in Eastern Arctic population, and more settlements popped up along Eastern Canada (Labrador, Quebec, and eastern Hudson Bay).
______ _______ hunting was an important activity in the classic expansion.
Bowhead whale.
The meat of the whale was important to the Thule, not just for food, but also...
Sociopolitical and religious beliefs strengthened the relationship between these people.
How were houses heated?
3-4 large soapstone lamps of flaming seal oil.
What is the only reliable way of dating artifacts from the classic invasion?
The treatment of Type 2 and Type 3 harpoon heads.

The binding that held the foreshaft passed through notches or cut slots. Then in drilled holes in later models.
Whata re some advantages to living on coast?
- Excellent fishing.
- Low tide, ideal for launching boats.
- high tide brings seals in (they follow the fish)
- whales can migrate in at certain times of the year