SOURCING CLAY SEDIMENTS USED IN POTTERY PRODUCTION AT KUKULIK, SAINT LAWRENCE ISLAND, ALASKA

The archaeological site of Kukulik on Saint Lawrence Island was excavated by Otto Geist from 1931-1935 (Geist 1936) and includes pottery, wood, bone and ivory artifacts. Pottery fragments are one of the most abundant artifacts found at the site. Little or no provenience of the pottery was reported at the time of excavation and the source of the pottery clay remains a matter of debate. Geist, in his report, stated that the clay source was located on a lagoon, approximately 35 miles northwest of the site. Another source (Silook, 1976), recounts native elders talking of a site 10 miles away.

Preliminary analysis by X-ray Fluorescence using trace element analysis shows that the source of the clay is in the western portion of the island. Since the initial analysis consisted of only 21 pottery sherds, a larger sampling of the sherds is needed to determine whether the source is where Geist indicted, or were there multiple sources for the clay, supporting information provided by native elders. Through this analysis I will be determining whether the people of Kukulik were utilizing one or various local sources of clay to produce their pottery and if these sources changed over time.

Further research is being conducted on a larger sampling of pottery sherds using trace element analysis. This information will be combined with previously “fingerprinted” clay sources from the island. This additional analysis will provide a larger representation of the changes in source, if any, over the life of the site. Additional analysis using petrographic slides will identify trends in the mineralogical data related to the depth, if reported, of the artifacts and will help determine the source area of the clay. Determining clay source areas will aid in following the movement of people on the island with implications to movement of people on the landscapes at other sites. Changes in pottery production can indicate outside influences such as trade or the influx of new people from other regions. Recognition of these trends has implications to the study of other prehistoric sites in the arctic and the movement of prehistoric people within the Bering Sea area.