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

346 FIELDIANA: ANTHROPOLOGY, VOLUME 56ing from the middle Kuskokwim River would bring with them stonelamps and, at this time, a well-developed flint working technology.On the basis of present information, the answer would have to be no.But little is known of the archaeology of the middle Kuskokwim inthe late prehistoric and early historic periods.In the preceding descriptions and discussions, detailed comparisonswith other Alaskan Eskimo sites have been avoided except withregard to the occurrence of check stamped pottery which presenteda special interpretative problem. It is important, however, to drawsome conclusions based on riverine archaeology elsewhere in Alaska.The only such archaeology is the Kobuk River excavations of J. L.Giddings (1952) and the Crow Village site on the middle KuskokwimRiver (Oswalt and VanStone, 1967). During the 1940's Giddingsexcavated a series of sites along the Kobuk River and on adjacentKotzebue Sound in northwest Alaska which range in time from 1250-1760 A.D. and provide greater continuity between the prehistoric andlate prehistoric periods than is recorded anywhere else in Alaska.On the basis of these excavations, Giddings has described the ArcticWoodland Culture which is characterized "by a remarkable adaptationto an environment which includes clear streams, rugged mountains,forests, and a bay of the sea. It is a culture that draws freelyupon all of the natural resources of these surroundings, and yet retainsa core of basic traits in which may be demonstrated more than700 years of continuity and stability. River fishing is hardly secondto caribou hunting as a means of livelihood, and both of these standwell ahead of harbour sealing as bases of economy. Exchange of theresources of these endeavors as well as materials such as furs, treebarks and root fibers, and mineral substances, helps to minimize thespecial effects of local environment and makes possible the enrichmentof the life of the individual without his having to move continuallyfrom one environment to another" (1952, p. 115). Giddingshas further stated that the Arctic Woodland Culture, since it is aresponse to a particular set of environmental conditions^— the river,forest, sea combination— should appear wherever these conditionsexist (1952, p. 118).In attempting to apply the Arctic Woodland Culture concept tothe Kuskokwim River system, Oswalt and Inoted that since theforest does not reach the sea in this area, the concept could not fitin its entirety. At the same time it was recognized that there werecertain characteristics common to the two river systems, most notablythe fact that both are western Alaskan rivers occupied by