Archaeology Magazine - July/August 1986 - 56

those of the earlier Old Bering Sea
peoples. The motivations for the creation of the art can therefore be surmised
to be similar.
In both cultures decoration was applied for both religious and survival purposes. Both peoples apparently believed
that the spirit of the animal being hunted
had to be properly honored and respected
or it would not return to the hunter to
benefit him at a later time. Therefore
the tools used to kill an animal and dress
its skin had to be beautiful as well as
efficient. In addition, some of the designs
which represent one animal devouring
another suggest the relationship between the hunter and his prey, and also
relate to the common shamanistic belief
in the power of certain spirits to transform themselves into different beings.
Much of this iconography can be found
in Old Bering Sea engraved designs.
Other Eskimo cultures
These beliefs were not held by the people of the later Neoeskimo whaling culture, which came to wèstern Alaska and
the Bering Strait region in the sixth century a.D. In the strait, it was known as
the Punuk culture (ca. A.D. 500-1200),
and it replaced the Old Bering Sea culture on St. Lawrence Island and in other
parts of the strait. The art made by
these Neoeskimo peoples accordingly
lacks much of the content and detail
found in that of Paleoeskimo times. The
engraving of the Punuk style is minimal, and somewhat mechanical in ap-

The hatching around the eyes of the
snow goggles and the asymmetry of the
engraved designs are not typical of the
Punuk style , but the goggles represent
Punuk art at its best. Length , 12.1
centimeters .
pearance. Incisions are deeply and
evenly cut, circles are of exact shapes
and sizes with dots placed precisely in
their centers, and straight and curved
lines often terminate in drilled pits. If
animal imagery appears, it is extremely
simplified.

Part of the Punuk aesthetic can be
attributed to the widespread use of iron
points for carving, made possible by the
increased availability of iron brought in
from Siberia. Iron had probably been
available in very small quantities from
as early as Okvik times, but apparently
most of the engraving on Old Bering
Sea objects was done with points of
stone or the sharp teeth of small animals.
The fifth and final section of Ancient
Eskimo Ivories displays the art of the
Ipiutak people of Point Hope on the

Alaskan mainland. The Ipiutak culture
(ca. a.D. 100-600) seems to have developed independently and is generally
regarded as a variant Palaeoeskimo culture with some features borrowed from
the inland Alaska caribou-hunting tradition. True Ipiutak engraving incorporates several Old Bering Sea designs
such as straight and curving spurred
lines, and circles with dots in their centers, but its meandering elliptical lines,
rows of connected circles, and oval forms
bent in the middle are unique to this
expression. Ipiutak ivories are also more

The animal heads at each end of a chain
both show a ladderlike engraved design
along the bottom of the mouth , possibly
representing the lifeline, an important
motif in Eskimo art. Length , 22.1
centimeters.
purely sculptural than those of the strait.
Figures of polar bears, walruses, and
bird forms are found, some possibly inspired by the animal style of SinoSiberian Asia. Ivory chains, and a
series of unique openwork spiral carvings that may have been sewn onto the
costumes of shamans were also made.
Much of the known Ipiutak art was designed for burial purposes, not everyday
use. It does not contain the hunting
magic symbolism that has been noted

The form and design of the baby walrus
illustrate the influence of the SinoSiberian style in Alaska. A possible
shamanistic purpose may be indicated
by the backbone , a common motif in
objects used by shamans. Length , 9.9
centimeters.
56

Archaeology

Archaeology Magazine - July/August 1986

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - July/August 1986