Volume 20, 1970 - The Arctic Circle - Home

35post,s hr,,d been set, in a fairly sl,rai_ght line, but i-rreE:Iarlysr:aced. ijianeters ranqcd from g to 3 inches. Itlone was set deeplyenough in the qravels to sripport ej ther rafters or itself. Theraftel's;, Nhen, rnust have prassed over the stone walls to butt ontne qrrunri oulside, anol.hr:r I'lorse custom in sone pl.:,ces. Theinner vertica.l pos;ts nusf hi:.ve been tied fo tl,e rafters, perhaps tosupport a curt',in of hides f or wa"nth.An importarLt ltlorse f'eat,ure, and one discovered lhroughknowlerlse of liorse custorn, was a t,rash heaD. This occurrecl offthe norffi end oJ' tl e longirouse lt.in, and ;I litfle fo one side.it v;:s rouqhly 2.() feet across, trut di"sappointlnp',ll' thin. Verlrverr arrinials vrere represented in fl'e bones identified. Although noIiorse tools v,'ere found, it i-s partlcula.rly siEnificant that therewa,s neither ijorset nor iskimo d.ebris in the heap.Lhe timt,ers J'or the longhouses was not obtained fronidrifturocd, whlch,loes nof come to thjs shore excepl wi-ren thrornrnfrom iroai,s. Pamiok, to say nolirlng ol'the I'ord site 50 rnjlesf arther north, i" r-ar norbh of tlLe f ree line. The evidence of fhe.firenla.ces alreost Cevoid of'charcoal or ash in,.iicafes a turninq tot,he na.1,ive ciist,om of usirrq seal oiI, &rrl shornrs t,haf r,iood was notavaila.ble for. fuel, either on fl',e coast or at Pa..rne lake. AIIP.alniok flmber fra.d to corric f'ronn a ciisfarrce of about I5O miles byshio. And ships rile'arr lJorse, nol i.,skimos.Trr t,Lris conriecti.on vre mu;t menLion a series oJ' remarkablesLone t,e&coos, all hruf two of whjch are situat,ed aiong tire; coa.st inconspr.cuous places. T'hev tend to be 9 or 10 feet high by 5 feet inciii:.net,er, burL ('ne at,tains a heishL of L3 feet, wjth a diameter of6 feet. Sfones used ;rT'c remarf::,bly large attd neafly fitted., inL,uropear.r, nol iisl j.rno fasldon. Oomparison v,rith photoqrairhs ofcairns elsewkiere across i,he Arct,ic, even whe re such sizes areatfained, leave no ciout,t, that v e are clealinq with non-EskimoanfeaLures, arrd severai Tiskimos have saiC, throuqh the ciecades, tiiatLltese are nof fhe hj-nils of things that i:skimos woulci build.2iachariasi, from leqends harided clown try f;:ther and grandfather,;rttributes t,he t;eacons totrwhit,e men before the liskimosrr, as he doesaiso Lhe lon,rhouse ruins. )iJrd-larly, it r^rill t.,e apparent thatmore ::ecent explorers cannot have burlt them, unless it can bestrov"rr fhat extrlorers Lruilt, such beacorrs elsewhere in the past 300v()ars. J itJn not ah/at'o t,haL th(ry clicl, arid tlier Unr:rva authority,AI;r.n Cooker, li,r.s enrlrirati ca.lIy reject,e:ri srictr expl:rnaLion.'l'lre ireacorrs seerl rclatecl t,o t,he Lortqltouses and alrnosfrestricted to t,tie area conLa.jning the.m, They a.lso seem related tot,he Palme t-,stuary, t,lre' principai haverr on Lhis entire coast. trb,nywiro lin ve seerr then believe they vrere for navig,ational purposes, andl.{owat ha s pointed out thr}t they were int end ed to have perrnanency.