Ipiutak site

Archaeological site in northwest Alaska, US From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Ipiutak Site is a large archaeological site at Point Hope on the northwestern coast of Alaska, United States. Located on the Tikigaq spit, it is one of the largest precontact village sites in Arctic Alaska and forms part of a larger archaeological district associated with the ancestors of the Iñupiat.^[4]

LocationAddress restricted^[1]

Nearest cityPoint Hope, Alaska

NRHPreferenceNo.66000157^[2]

AHRSNo.XPH-003

Quick facts Location, Nearest city ...

Significant dates

Ipiutak Site
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Alaska Heritage Resources Survey

Excavating the Ipiutak Site
Location	Address restricted^[1]
Nearest city	Point Hope, Alaska
NRHP reference No.	66000157^[2]
AHRS No.	XPH-003
Added to NRHP	October 15, 1966
Designated NHL	January 20, 1961^[3]

The site contains more than 550 abandoned house depressions and is the type site for the Ipiutak culture, which arose as early as AD 200 and collapsed around 800 CE.^[5] Most of the houses were constructed of drift wood and did not use whale bone in construction.^[6]

Excavations uncovered houses, over 100 burials, and a large collection of artifacts, including elaborately carved objects made from ivory, wood, bone, and stone.^[7]

The site is renowned for its mortuary offerings, openwork ivory carvings, and insights into a hunting society that relied on marine mammals and caribou.^[8]^[9]

The site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.^[4]

Location

The Ipiutak Site is located at Tikiġaq, the Iñupiaq name for present-day Point Hope, on the northwestern coast of Alaska, United States. Tikiġaq occupies a narrow spit of land that extends west into the Chukchi Sea. The site is one of the largest precontact archaeological village sites in Arctic Alaska.^[4]

The Ipiutak Site is part of a larger archaeological district that includes Qimiarzuk (Jabbertown), the Tikigaq historic cemetery, and other archaeological sites on the spit. Together with the modern community of Point Hope, these sites document the long history of the Iñupiat and their ancestors in the region.^[4]

Description

The site consists of over 550 abandoned house depressions located along four beach ridges on the Tikigaq spit. Very few of the houses are dated by radiocarbon ages ^[10] However, many of the houses are too close together to have been occupied at the same time and radiocarbon dating suggests that the settlement developed gradually over approximately 300 to 400 years.^[11]

The site preserves evidence of daily life from more than 1,000 years ago, including objects made from ivory, wood, bone, and stone. Some households specialized in ivory working and sewing; and other had evidence of specialized arrowheads used in warfare. Unequivocal evidence of warfare was also recovered in a grave with imbedded arrowheads ^[12]

Excavation history

Archaeologists Helge Larsen, Froelich Rainey, and J. Louis Giddings conducted major excavations at the site between 1939 and 1941. Their work recovered thousands of artifacts and numerous burials from what became the type site of the Ipiutak culture.

In 1945, Larsen divided the collection among the University of Alaska Museum, the National Museum of Denmark, and the American Museum of Natural History.^[13] Some artifacts sent to New York for photography were later lost at sea while being returned to Alaska.^[14]

Graves and mortuary offerings

The graves at Ipiutak can be divided into coffin and shallow burials: the deeper graves contain log coffins typically with one body (but sometimes more) and are about 50 cm below the ground, while the shallow burials may have been not dug at all, with the bodies placed into wooden frames and left at the surface.^[15]. Most graves were provided with few grave goods, an indication that only a few individuals had greater status.^[16]

The site is renowned for its mortuary offerings,^[4]^[17] two of which were termed masks. Both of them are composite objects that had wooden backings. One Point Hope Ipiutak mask represents a human face, a down-turned mouth and blowfly larvae issuing from its nostrils; the symbolism of these markings is not known for certain: a strong possibilities are transformative shamanistic beliefs connected with Yup'ik and Inuit myths about worms; and the emulation of parasite-infested caribou. Such afflicted caribou were observed to run with great speed, indicative of shamanic capabilities ^[18] A very similar "maskoid" is reported from Deering, that is dated between 600 and 800 CE.^[19] The other mask is smaller and found in a coffin with a man, a woman and a child; the mask was placed on the child's chest.This mask included 14 ivory pendants with abstract shapes, one in the shape of a human head.^[20] Beliefs related to the power of the dead were evident in mouth covers found in some graves, along with artifical eyes. Several graves also contain artifacts used in shamanic practice, including sucking tubes. Burials containing the bones of far-seeing arctic loons were also indicative of shamanic practices; ^[21] The practice of tattooing and the use of labrets is inferred from human figures represented on shamanic objects.

Material culture and lifeways

Culture

Ipiutak is generally considered to be a late phase of the mostly south Alaska Norton tradition and one of the ancestors of the historic Yup'ik.<^[22] The culture is known for a distinctive artistic style based on linear, circular, and dot motifs that closely resembles that of the Old Bering Sea culture of the Bering Strait region and adjacent Siberia.^[23]

The original excavators, Larsen and Rainey, linked Ipiutak's openwork animal-carving style with the distant Scytho-Siberian cultures of Ukraine, although later researchers found little evidence to support this interpretation.^[24] Instead, Ipiutak shares many similarities with the widespread Norton culture of western and northern Alaska.^[23]

The site produced abundant ivory artifacts carved in a distinctive openwork style.^[17] Many depict animals, including walruses, bears, wolves, birds, loons, and seals, while human figures are comparatively rare.^[9]^[17] The carvings were engraved with iron burins, a type of carving tool. ^[25]

Lifeways

The subsistence basis of Ipiutak was sea mammal hunting, most importantly of ringed seal and walrus, although caribou hunting was also crucial.he rows of houses were once thought to represent planned roads or "avenues", creating the impression of a carefully organized settlement.^[23]^[8]^[9]^[24]

Historic designation

The site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.^[4]

References

[1]
Federal and state laws and practices restrict general public access to information regarding the specific location of this resource. In some cases, this is to protect archeological sites from vandalism, while in other cases it is restricted at the request of the owner. See: Knoerl, John; Miller, Diane; Shrimpton, Rebecca H. (1990), Guidelines for Restricting Information about Historic and Prehistoric Resources, National Register Bulletin, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, OCLC 20706997.
[2]
"National Register Information System – (#66000157)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
[3]
"Ipiutak Site". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
[4]
"Ipiutak National Historic Landmark (U.S. National Park Service)". National Park Service. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
[5]
Owen K. Mason. "Ipiutak Remains Mysterious: A Focal Place Still Out of Focus." In 'Dynamics of Northern Societies. Proceedings of a Symposium', edited by Bjarne Grønnow, pp. 106–120. Danish National Museum and Danish Polar Center, Copenhagen, 2006.
[6]
Helge Larsen and Froelich Rainey 1948, Ipiutak and the Arctic Whale Hunting Culture, Anthropological Paper 42, American Museum of Natural History, 1948.
[7]
Helge Larsen and Froelich Rainey 1948, Ipiutak and the Arctic Whale Hunting Culture, Anthropological Paper 42, American Museum of Natural History, 1948.
[8]
Douglas D. Anderson. "Prehistory of North Alaska." In Handbook of North American Indians, vol. 5, pp. 88–90. Smithsonian Institution, 1984.
[9]
[10]
Owen K. Mason "From the Norton Culture to the Ipiutak Cult in northwest Alaska." In "Oxford Handbook of the Prehistoric Arctic," edited by Max Friesen and Owen K. Mason, Oxford University Press, pp. 443-468, 2016. Oxford.>/ref> The rows of houses were once thought to represent planned roads or "avenues", creating the impression of a carefully organized settlement.<ref> Froelich Rainey Discovering Alaska’s Oldest Arctic Town." "The National Geographic Magazine" LXXXII, no. 3: 316-336, 1942.
[11]
Owen K. Mason "From the Norton Culture to the Ipiutak Cult in northwest Alaska." In "Oxford Handbook of the Prehistoric Arctic," edited by Max Friesen and Owen K. Mason, Oxford University Press, pp. 443-468, 2016. Oxford.>/ref> Archaeologists estimate that about 125 to 200 people lived at the site during any one generation and occupied 20 to 30 houses, with a single larger structure used as a community structure. Earlier population estimates of more than 4,000 people . are no longer accepted.<ref>Owen K. Mason, "The Contest between the Ipiutak, Old Bering Sea and Birnirk Polities and the Origin of Whaling during the First Millennium AD along Bering Strait." Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 17, 240-325, 1998.
[12]
Helge Larsen and Froelich Rainey 1948, "Ipiutak and the Arctic Whale Hunting Culture," Anthropological Paper 42, American Museum of Natural History, 1948.>/ref> <ref>Owen K. Mason "From the Norton Culture to the Ipiutak Cult in northwest Alaska." In "Oxford Handbook of the Prehistoric Arctic," edited by Max Friesen and Owen K. Mason, Oxford University Press, pp. 443-468, 2016. Oxford.
[13]
Marc, Jacques (2017). "The Lost Treasures of Ipiutak" (PDF). Alaska Journal of Anthropology. 15 (1–2): 92. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
[14]
Marc, Jacques (2017). "The Lost Treasures of Ipiutak" (PDF). Alaska Journal of Anthropology. 15 (1–2): 94. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
[15]
Helge Larsen and Froelich Rainey 1948, "Ipiutak and the Arctic Whale Hunting Culture," Anthropological Paper 42, American Museum of Natural History, 1948.
[16]
Owen K. Mason, "The Contest between the Ipiutak, Old Bering Sea and Birnirk Polities and the Origin of Whaling during the First Millennium AD along Bering Strait." Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 17, 240-325, 1998.
[17]
"Ipiutak Culture". EBSCO Research Starters. EBSCO Information Services. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
[18]
Owen K. Mason, "Mask Affinities." In "The Archaeology of Deering, Alaska," edited by Peter M. Bowers, Final Report on the Safe Water Archaeological Project, Chapter 10-1, pp. 249-266, Northern Land Use Research, Fairbanks, 2009.
[19]
Owen K. Mason, "Mask Affinities." In The Archaeology of Deering, Alaska, edited by Peter M. Bowers, Final Report on the Safe Water Archaeological Project, Chapter 10-1, pp. 249-266, Northern Land Use Research, Fairbanks, 2009.
[20]
Helge Larsen and Froelich Rainey 1948, Plate 54 caption in "Ipiutak and the Arctic Whale Hunting Culture," Anthropological Paper 42, American Museum of Natural History, 1948.
[21]
Phyllis Morrow and Toby Alice Volkman, "The Loon with the Ivory Eyes: A Study in Symbolic Archaeology." Journal of American Folklore 88:143-150, 1975.
[22]
Owen K. Mason "From the Norton Culture to the Ipiutak Cult in northwest Alaska." In "Oxford Handbook of the Prehistoric Arctic," edited by Max Friesen and Owen K. Mason, Oxford University Press, pp. 443-468, 2016. Oxford.> Strong ties to the Yup'ik region were adduced by William Fitzhugh <<ref=William Fitzhugh, "Persistence and Change in Art and Ideology in western Alaskan Eskimo cultures." In "The Late Prehistoric Development of Alaska's Native People," edited by Robert D. Shaw, Roger K. Harritt, and Don E. Dumond Aurora Monograph Series No.4, pp. 81-106, Alaska Anthropological Association, Anchorage, 1988.> The Ipiutak culture emerged as early as AD 200 and disappeared around 900 CE. Its geographic range extended from south of the Bering Strait across the Brooks Range and possibly as far north as Point Barrow.<<ref/ name=>Owen K. Mason "From the Norton Culture to the Ipiutak Cult in northwest Alaska." In "Oxford Handbook of the Prehistoric Arctic," edited by Max Friesen and Owen K. Mason, Oxford University Press, pp. 443-468, 2016. Oxford.>
Material culture
Two technological hallmarks of the Ipiutak culture were its finely crafted stone tools, particularly arrow points, and its lack of lamps or ceramics.<ref name=":5">Anderson, Douglas D. "Prehistory of North Alaska." In Handbook of North American Indians, vol. 5, edited by David Damas, pp. 80–93. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1984.
[23]
Froelich Rainey Discovering Alaska’s Oldest Arctic Town." "The National Geographic Magazine" LXXXII, no. 3: 316-336, 1942/> However, many of the houses are too close together to have been occupied at the same time and radiocarbon dating suggests that the settlement developed gradually over approximately 300 to 400 years.<ref/ name=":4">Owen K. Mason "From the Norton Culture to the Ipiutak Cult in northwest Alaska." In "Oxford Handbook of the Prehistoric Arctic," edited by Max Friesen and Owen K. Mason, Oxford University Press, pp. 443-468, 2016.> Archaeologists estimate that about 125 to 200 people lived at the site during any one generation and occupied 20 to 30 houses, with a single larger structure used as a community structure. Earlier population estimates of more than 4,000 people <ref name=":6">=Froelich Rainey Discovering Alaska’s Oldest Arctic Town." "The National Geographic Magazine" LXXXII, no. 3: 316-336, 1942/>. are no longer accepted.Owen K. Mason, "The Contest between the Ipiutak, Old Bering Sea and Birnirk Polities and the Origin of Whaling during the First Millennium AD along Bering Strait." Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 17, 240-325, 1998.>. The site preserves evidence of daily life from more than 1,000 years ago, including objects made from ivory, wood, bone, and stone. Some households specialized in ivory working and sewiing; and other had evidence of specialized arrowheads used in warfare. Unequivocal evidence of warfare was also recovered in a grave with imbedded arrowheads <Helge Larsen and Froelich Rainey 1948, "Ipiutak and the Arctic Whale Hunting Culture," Anthropological Paper 42, American Museum of Natural History, 1948.> <ref/ name=":7">Owen K. Mason "From the Norton Culture to the Ipiutak Cult in northwest Alaska." In "Oxford Handbook of the Prehistoric Arctic," edited by Max Friesen and Owen K. Mason, Oxford University Press, pp. 443-468, 2016. Oxford.>
Significance
Several other sites have also been linked to Ipiutak: at Cape Krusenstern, Etivlik Lake, Hahanudan Lake, Feniak Lake, Onion Portage Archeological District, Deering. Point Spencer and Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska. The culture is noted for the elaborateness of its artwork, which seems to be an ancestor of Yup'ik art. It is still unclear why the Ipiutak apparently did not hunt whale or make pottery, considering that they lived in highly developed settlements.<ref>Helge Larsen and Froelich Rainey, Ipiutak and the Arctic Whale-Hunting Culture, Anthropological Paper 42, American Museum of Natural History, New York, 1948.
[24]
[25]