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11 - Bioarchaeological Evidence for Cultural Resilience at Point Hope, Alaska: Persistence and Memory in the Ontology of Personhood in Northern Hunter-Gatherers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2018

By
Lauryn C. Justice  and
Daniel H. Temple
Edited by
Daniel H. Temple  and
Christopher M. Stojanowski
Daniel H. Temple
Affiliation:
George Mason University, Virginia
Christopher M. Stojanowski
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
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Summary

This chapter uses mortuary ritual and age-at-death to evaluate resilience in the ontology of personhood in hunter-gatherers from Point Hope, Alaska. This location was occupied by Ipiutak cultures from 1600 to 1100 BP and Tigara cultures from 800 to 400 BP. Tigara populations represent a hybrid culture associated with interactions between coastal Birnirk and inland Ipiutak peoples. The reconstituted Tigara group practiced intensive sea-mammal hunting associated with the Birnirk, but retained stylistic motifs of the Ipiutak. Burial position changes from prone to supine around three years, while directional orientation in the grave changes from South to West at the same age. In addition, two or more animal implements are included in graves at approximately six years. These behaviors represent deep symbolic references to changes in the nature of the soul over the course of development, specifically containing the soul within the grave. Continuity in mortuary ritual is consistent with resilience in the ontogeny of personhood between the two populations, suggesting that social development remained consistent following large-scale changes to the socioecological system.
Type
Chapter
Information
Hunter-Gatherer Adaptation and Resilience
A Bioarchaeological Perspective
 , pp. 253 - 273
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2018

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