TY - JOUR
T1 - Ethnoarchaeological analysis of Arctic fish processing
T2 - Chemical characterization of soils on Nelson Island, Alaska
AU - Knudson, Kelly
AU - Frink, Liam
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was funded by the National Science Foundation (ARC-0710687) with logistical support from the Tununak Traditional Elder Council, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Anchorage and Bethel offices), and the Archaeological Chemistry Laboratory and W. M. Keck Foundation Laboratory for Environmental Biogeochemistry at Arizona State University. We are very grateful for the field contributions of Pauline N. Haas, Ashley Evans and Glendee Ane Osborne, the laboratory assistance of Ashley Evans and Gwyneth Gordon, and the statistical and mapping expertise of Destiny Crider, Arelyn Simon, and Steven Schmich. E. Christian Wells and an anonymous reviewer provided very constructive and helpful comments which improved our manuscript. Finally we are grateful to the elders and the community of Tununak who allowed us to work with them.
PY - 2010/4
Y1 - 2010/4
N2 - Activity area analysis of archaeological soils using multi-element characterizations can illuminate how subsistence operations are organized and how subsistence behavior has changed over time, and is increasingly common at archaeological sites. However, in many regions it is impossible to examine the elemental signatures in known anthropogenic soil samples in order to compare them with unknown archaeological samples. This ethnoarchaeological study examines the chemical composition of the soils at known fish processing areas in the contemporary community of Tununak on Nelson Island, western Alaska. Using a quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (Q-ICP-MS), the concentrations of the following elements in the soil extract were recorded in parts per million (ppm): aluminum (Al), barium (Ba), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), sodium (Na), phosphorus (P), strontium (Sr), titanium (Ti), and zinc (Zn). Fish processing area features are elevated in various elements, including sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and manganese, and Ba/Sr, Ba/Ca, and Sr/Ca are also useful in distinguishing between fish processing areas and offsite areas.
AB - Activity area analysis of archaeological soils using multi-element characterizations can illuminate how subsistence operations are organized and how subsistence behavior has changed over time, and is increasingly common at archaeological sites. However, in many regions it is impossible to examine the elemental signatures in known anthropogenic soil samples in order to compare them with unknown archaeological samples. This ethnoarchaeological study examines the chemical composition of the soils at known fish processing areas in the contemporary community of Tununak on Nelson Island, western Alaska. Using a quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (Q-ICP-MS), the concentrations of the following elements in the soil extract were recorded in parts per million (ppm): aluminum (Al), barium (Ba), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), sodium (Na), phosphorus (P), strontium (Sr), titanium (Ti), and zinc (Zn). Fish processing area features are elevated in various elements, including sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and manganese, and Ba/Sr, Ba/Ca, and Sr/Ca are also useful in distinguishing between fish processing areas and offsite areas.
KW - Herring
KW - Q-ICP-MS
KW - Soil analysis
KW - Tununak
KW - Western Alaska
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77949540033&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77949540033&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jas.2009.11.007
DO - 10.1016/j.jas.2009.11.007
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77949540033
SN - 0305-4403
VL - 37
SP - 769
EP - 783
JO - Journal of Archaeological Science
JF - Journal of Archaeological Science
IS - 4
ER -