An experience of application of experimental-traceological analysis to ethnographic collections (the example of the ulu-knife of the Alutiiq Eskimos from Kodiak Island)

Abstract

The article presents the results of a comprehensive analysis of an ulu-knife (uluchik) from the ethnographic collection of I.G. Voznesensky of the Alutiiq Eskimos from the island of Kodiak (MAE No. 593-44). The interest to this artefact was driven by application of the ethnotraceological approach to the study of ancient stone knives of Eskimos. The history of the implement, the technology of its production and use can be reconstructed on the basis of synthesis of different types of sources, including ethnography. However, the use of ethnographic data often raises skepsis amongst researchers, since the methods of economy management are determined not only by climate and landscape, but also by many other factors that are not possible to be reconstructed. Ethnographic data can also be inconsistent and therefore require verification. In the case of work tools, verification is carried out using the experimental-traceological method and by drawing analogies from independent sources. Through the use of this approach, it has become possible to determine its real functional use as a knife, refuting the information that it was used for hide processing. It is interesting to note that knives of a similar morphology were attributed as knives for fish filleting and cutting frozen meat. The search for analogies also allowed it to expand the already known distribution area of this knife type. It was in demand by the Alutiiq Eskimos, Tanaina Indians, and the Tlingits, amongst whom close trade ties were noted. As a result of the conducted experiments, it was possible to clarify the description of the manufacture of a blade from hardened and non-hardened steel. Following the ethnographic data, a preference was given to saw blades made of hardened steel, since they retained their sharpness longer, whereas a blade made of non-hardened metal could bend under pressure when working on hard material. However, cutting hardened steel manually using a gad picker or a chisel is very labour-intensive without pre-treatment, and, as a rule, in such cases metal tempering is employed. Experiments on cutting frozen fish and meat demonstrated greater efficiency and ergonomics of the knife type under study.

Keywords

• russian america
• alutiiq eskimos
• knife-ulu
• complex methodology
• ethnotraceology
• reconstruction