Tikchik village: a nineteenth century riverine community in ... - Cluster

VANSTONE: TIKCHIK VILLAGE 305size normally used for beaver by present-day Nushagak River Eskimos.Although it is certain that steel traps were in use at Tikchikbefore the site was abandoned, this particular specimen with its latepatent date is clearly not contemporary with the other artifacts inthe collection. Very likely it was set in the kashgee 1 pit by a trapperwho never recovered it. A small beaver toe bone and piece of beaverfur were still in the jaws when the trap was excavated.Four lead alloy spiral screw caps were recovered. These are presumedto fit the lids of the type 5 gun powder cans. Three are plain(PI. 10,5), but the fourth has the words "Hazard's Powder" on thetop (PI. 10,7). A thin fragment of steel plate has the word "set" andan arrow near a small circular hole. This was doubtless part of theback plate of a small alarm clock. It is known that at the turn of thecentury such clocks formed part of the inventory of trade goods dispensedby the Alaska Commercial Company post at Nushagak(Moser, 1902, pp. 185-187).There are, as might be expected, a large number of unidentifiablemetal fragments. Many of these objects could doubtless be identifiedwere they not so fragmentary, but others would probably defy identificationeven if complete. Among the more interesting are threepossible ax head fragments and a large iron ring (PL 10,8).