Faisons parler les pierres

Abstract

By the 13th century AD, Thule people - ancestors of today’s Inupiat - occupied most of Northwestern Alaska. Since then, and in a growing quantity after the 15th century and to the Contact Period in late 18th century, jade tools and objects become abundant in archaeological assemblages from northwestern Alaska. To explore the techniques that were used for the exploitation and manufacturing of jade objects, the status of this green stone and its role in the subsistence economy, since the emergence of Thule Culture (1200 AD - 1800 AD), a doctoral research on past jade economy in Alaska was developed. The objective of this study is to explore the potential socio-cultural relationship that existed within Thule communities and the social and economic relations maintained between the two sides of Bering Strait during the last millennium, as well as how these influenced (or not) the material culture of past communities in Northwest Alaska. This article is an overview of the reduction processes and manufacturing techniques of jade artifacts based on archaeological assemblages from Northwestern Alaska (Cape Espenberg), and of the status of jade tools and products such as perceived throughout the ethnographic litterature.

Keywords

• Jade
• polishing techniques
• late prehistory of Alaska