Ancient Cultures of the Asiatic Eskimos: The Uelen Cemetery

2006·16.5 MB·English

by  Arutiunov, Sergei, Sergeev, Dorian

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ANCIENT CULTURES
OF THE
ESKIMOS
ASIATIC
THE UELEN CEMETERY
By
Sergei A. Arutiunov and Dorian A. Sergeev
Translated and Edited by
Richard L. Bland
DOCUMENTS
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ANCIENT CULTURES
OF THE
ESKIMOS
ASIATIC
THE UELEN CEMETERY
By
Sergei A. Arutiunov and Dorian A. Sergeev
Translated and Edited by
Richard L. Bland
SHARED BERINGIAN HERITAGE PROGRAM
Twelve to fifteen thousand years ago, Asia and North America were once joined by a massive "land
bridge" in a region now popularly called "Beringia." In order to promote the conservation of the
unique natural history and cultural heritage ofthis region, the presidents ofthe United States and the
Soviet Union (now Russia) endorsed in 1990 a proposal to establish of an international park in the
Bering Strait area. The Shared Beringian Heritage Program ofthe National Park Service, established
in 1991, thus recognizes and celebrates the contemporary and historic exchange of biological re-
sources and cultural heritage in this region. The program seeks local resident and international partici-
pation in the preservation and understanding of natural resources and protected lands, and works to
sustain the cultural vitality ofNative peoples in the region. To these ends, the Beringia Program pro-
motes the free communication and active cooperation between the people and governments of the
United States and Russia with regard to Central Beringia.
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The Russian text ofDrevnie kul'tury aziatskikh eskimosov (Uzlenskii mogilnyk) by Sergei A.
Arutiunov and Dorian A. Sergeev (Moscow: Nauka, 1969 ) was translated ... by one-time permission
ofthe principal author. August 2006.
Ill
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Translator's Introduction viii
Prologue 2006 ix
Introduction xviii
Chapter 1. Russian Historiography on the Eskimo Problem 1
Chapter 2. Questions ofChronology and Correlation of
Early Eskimo Cultures ofthe Bering Sea Region 25
Chapter 3. Uelen Cemetery General Characteristics 37
Chapter4. Hunting Equipment in Uelen Cemetery 77
Chapter 5. The Problem of"Winged Objects" 1 19
Chapter 6. Characteristics ofSubordinate Forms ofTools ofEarly Eskimo Hunting 139
Chapter 7. Objects ofDaily Life and Domestic Use, and Auxiliary Hunting Equipment 155
Chapter 8. Tools for Working Wood, Bone, and Stone 171
Chapter 9. Representational Art 183
APPENDICES
A. Odontological Analysis ofthe Cranial Series from
the Ekven and Uelen Cemeteries A. A. Zubov 199
B. Pathological Changes in the Skeletal Remains at Ekwen Cemetery G. V. Lebedinskaya 213
C. The State ofthe Tooth-Jaw System in the Early Population ofChukotka
(Paleoanthropological Materials from the Uelen and Ekven Cemeteries) T. S. Surnina 221
References 229
Abbreviations and Quadrant Alphabet 241
1 . 1
IV
FIGURES
Figure 1. Uelen site plan 33 Figure 22. Harpoon head 82
Figure 2. Toggling harpoon heads from the Figure 23. Harpoon heads 86
Uelen site 35
Figure 24. Harpoon heads 87
Figure 3. Schematic plan ofcemetery 38
Figure 25. Harpoon heads 88
Figure 4. Burials 1-3(58) 43
Figure 26. Harpoon heads 89
Figure 5. Burials 4-8(58) 44
Figure 27. Harpoon heads 90
Figure 6. Burials 9-12(58) 46
Figure 28. Harpoon heads 91
Figure 7. Burials 13-17(58) 48
Figure 29. Harpoon heads 92
Figure 8. Burials 18-21(58) 49
Figure 30. Harpoon heads 93
Figure 9. Burials 22-26(58) 5
Figure 31. Harpoon heads 94
Figure 10. Burials 52
Figure 32. Harpoon heads 95
Figure 11. Burials 4-5(59) 54
Figure 33. Harpoon heads 96
Figure 12. Section ofBurials 55
Figure 34. Harpoon heads 97
Figure 13. Burials 6-9(59) 57
Figure 35. Harpoon heads 99
Figure 14. Burials 10-13(59) 58
Figure 36. Harpoon heads 100
Figure 15. Burials 14-17(59) 60
Figure 37. Harpoon heads 101
Figure 16. Burials 18-21(59) 62
Figure 38. Harpoon heads 102
Figure 17. Burials 22(59); 23(59); 1(60);
general plan ofthe skeleton Figure 39. Harpoon heads 103
2-4(60) 64
Figure 40. Harpoon heads 104
Figure 18. Burial plan 66
Figure 4 Stone end blades oftoggling
1
Figure 19. Burials 2-5(60) 68 harpoon heads 106
Figure 20. Modern harpoon with all the Figure 42. Insets for inlaying harpoon 109
details (illustration by the
Eskimo Unuk) 78 Figure 43. Heads ofharpoon shafts 110
Figure 21. Head ofa toggling harpoon in the Figure 44. Harpoon foreshafts 11
body ofa harpooned animal (illus-
tration by the Eskimo Unuk) 78 Figure 45. Oblong objects 112
. )
Figure 46. Oblong objects and Figure 70. Fishing equipment 153
mouthpieces 12
1
Figure 7 Modern tools forworking
1.
Figure 47. Grave goods 1 13 hides (illustration by the
Eskimo Unuk) 155
Figure 48. "Winged objects" 120
Figure 72. Transporting a killed seal
Figure 49. "Winged objects" 121 (illustration by the
Eskimo Unuk) 156
Figure 50. "Winged objects" 122
Figure 73. Hook for transporting a whale
Figure 51. "Winged objects" 123 carcass, from Burials 99-100(63)
Ekven Cemetery 157
Figure 52. "Winged objects" 124
Figure 74. Offering bowl from Burial 7
Figure 53. "Winged objects" 125 Ekven Cemetery 157
Figure 54. "Winged objects" 126 Figure 75. Blades ofwomen's knives 158
Figure 55. "Winged objects" 127 Figure 76. Vessel handles 159
Figure 56. "Winged objects" 128 Figure 77. Needle cases 160
Figure 57. "Winged objects" 129 Figure 78. Pointed objects and small items
ofwalrus tusk and bone 161
Figure 58. "Winged objects" 130
Figure 79. Ceramics stamps 163
Figure 59. "Winged objects" 131
Figure 80. Buttons 164
Figure 60. Plan ofBurial 12(61) (Ekven
Cemetery) 137 Figure 81. Snow goggles 165
Figure 61 Baidar frame (illustration by the Figure 82. Ceramics 167
Eskimo Unuk) 138
Figure 83. Mattocks 169
Figure 62. Arrowheads oftype MV(O-O) .... 140
Figure 84. Artifact imitation 172
Figure 63. Arrowheads oftype UV(1-1 141
Figure 85. Artifacts from burials 176
Figure 64. Arrowheads oftype UV(3-3) 142
Figure 86. Adzes with flaked
Figure 65. End blades ofarrows 146 working edges 177
Figure 66. Heads ofdarts and small spears..148 Figure 87. Adzes 178
Figure 67. Leister-like objects 149 Figure 88. Pressure flaker handles 179
Figure 68. Teeth ofbird spears and pieces Figure 89. Knives 180
ofthem 150
Figure 90. Knives 181
Figure 69. Bolas 152
Figure 91. Artifacts ofstone 182
1
VI
Figure 92. Adze-axe 182 Figure 100. Anthropomorphic figure from
Burials 14-15(58) 196
Figure 93. Art objects 185
Figure 101. Size ofthe average module of
Figure 94. Art objects 186 the series ofupper molars 201
Figure 95. Bowls 188 Figure 102. Schema ofdegree ofreduction
ofthe metacone 206
Figure 96. Seal figurines 189
Figure 103. Correlation ofsizes ofthe
M
Figure 97. Drill supports (mouthpieces) 192 metacone and hypocone on
in different racial groups 207
Figure 98. Seal figurines offluorite 194
Figure 99. Anthropomorphic images 195
TABLES
Table 1. Statistic Characteristics ofthe Grave Construction Elements and Their Inventory, 1955 69
Table 2. Characteristics ofthe Grave Construction and the Grave Goods, 1957 70
Table 3. Characteristics ofthe Grave Complex Elements and the Grave Goods, 1958 72
Table 4. Characteristics ofthe Grave Construction and Grave Goods, 1959 74
Table 5. Characteristics ofthe Grave Construction and Grave Goods, 1960 76
Table 6. Structure ofthe Heads ofToggling Harpoons from the Uelen Cemetery Expressed
in Harpoon Formulae 1 14
Table 7. Structure ofArrowheads from the Uelen Cemetery Expressed as
Tentative Designations 152
Table 8. Absolute Dimensions, Indices, and Modules ofCrowns ofTeeth in the Series
from the Ekven and Uelen Cemeteries 200
Table 9. Frequency ofCrowding in Skull Series from the Ekven and Uelen Cemeteries 203
Table 10. Shovel-Shaped Incisors in the Skull Series from the Ekven and Uelen Cemeteries 204
Table 1 1. Frequency ofDifferent Degrees ofReduction ofthe Hypocone in the Upper Molars
in the Series from the Ekven and Uelen Cemeteries 205
Table 12. Reduction ofthe Metacone in the Upper Molars in the Series from the Ekven
and Uelen Cemeteries in Comparison with Other Groups 206
Vll
Table 13. Frequency ofDifferent Forms ofLower Molars in the Series from the Ekven
and Uelen Cemeteries 209
Table 14. Frequency ofthe Distal Crest ofthe Trigonid on Lower Molars in the Series
from the Ekven and Uelen Cemeteries 210
Table 15. The Total Percent ofForms 5 and 6 Pockets ofEnamel on Molars in the Series
from the Ekven and Uelen Cemeteries 211
Table 16. Osteoarthritis and Spondylitis in Skeletons from the Ekven Cemetery 216
Table 17. Loss ofTeeth 224
Table 18. Distribution ofthe Torus Mandibularis 226
Table 19. Distribution ofthe Torus Palatinus 227
via
TRANSLATOR'S INTRODUCTION
This work was originally published by Sergey A. Arutiunov and Dorian A. Sergeev in 1969 as
Drevnie kul'tury aziatskikh eskimosov (Uelenskii mogilnyk) (Moscow: Nauka). Several works cited by
Arutiunov and Sergeev in this book are available in English. Where the authors quote English versions I
have drawn the quotations from the English version.
The format of the book has been kept as much as possible like the original, that is, illustrations,
plates, etc., have the same numbers in the translation as in the Russian version. This is done to facilitate
comparison with the original.
The excavation grids were laid out at the Uelen site in the standard way, that is, alphabetically in
one direction and numerically in the other. Since the Cyrillic alphabet has more letters than the Roman, I
had to add letters. Please find the correspondences after the Abbreviations at the end of the Reference
section. For those who readProblems ofEthnic History in the Bering Sea: The Ekven Cemetery (a sequel
ofsorts to the present book) by Arutiunov and Sergeev, be alerted that the alphabetical correspondences
differ slightly between the two books.
By modern standards the excavation ofcemeteries (withoutjust cause) is not considered appropri-
ate. These works dealing with the Uelen and Ekven cemeteries are not held up as a model for archaeo-
logical practices. However, the work was done and an enormous amount ofvaluable information on the
early inhabitants ofthe Bering Strait region was recovered. To ignore these publications because the ar-
chaeological work doesn't meet modern conventions is to no one's benefit.
Some ofthe sections ofthis book (Chapters 3 and 4 and Paleopathological Changes) were submit-
ted by ProfessorArutiunov already translated into English. ProfessorArutiunov has also kindly written an
epilogue to this work, which the readerwill notwantto miss.
I would like to thank Anna Gokhman for proofreading the text, Jackie Doyle for editing, and Sue
Roberts for doing the layout. I would also like to thank Julia Knowles for proofreading the final copy.
My special thanks go to Katerina Wessels ofthe Shared Beringian Heritage Program for the enormous
amount of effort she puts into getting everything arranged, and Peter Richter and Robert Greenwood,
also ofthe Shared Beringian Heritage Program, who made this project possible. Finally, we all owe the
deepest gratitude to Academician Sergei Arutiunov for giving his permission to publish this landmark
book in English.
Richard L. Bland
Museum ofNatural and Cultural History
University ofOregon