ASB 238
archaeology of north america

The peoples of the artic are a poeple that have adapted to the worst of weather. The natural world of the artic is that of darkness and freezing cold for over half the year. The taboos and customs fo these people reflect the hard fight it is to survive in the artic.

An interesting contrast/comparison can be made concerning the living conditions of the inhabitants of the Far North and the Pacific Coast regions. While both are maritime regions where the inhabitants gain the vast majority of food resources from the sea, their environments of the two areas are so strikingly different that the inhabitants were forced into completely different life ways.

The extermely harsh environment of the Far North does not provide significant land based resources for building materials and fuel and relatively minor land-based food resources (principally only caribou) during a short hunting season. Local plant foods, seeds, nuts, fruits and grains are virtually non-existant. The inhabitants were forced to rely almost exclusively on whales and seals as their entire food supply and as fuel resources, and even needed to use whale bone as building materials and for the manufacture of tools and impliments.

On the other hand the abundantly resource-rich Pacific coast the inhabitants not only enjoyed a much gentler climate but had at their disposal one of the richest natural resource areas in the world. On the land side they enjoyed the benefits of large forests with abundant game of various types, construction materials and fuel as well as plentiful and varied horicultural products such as nuts, seed grains, berries etc. On the seaward side they were able to fish for a variety of types of fish, some of which like salmon were not only readily available and easy to catch but by smoking or drying could be stored for lenghty periods of time.Seals and the occassional whale were also available to them as well as a variety of shell fish and mollusks.

Limited, difficult to obtain resources and an unbelievably harsh climate vs almost unlimited, readily-available resources and a temperate climate. The choice seems easy.

Anthropology Discussion Web : ASB 238 : Discussion Area
service provided by

URL: http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/proj/anthro/asb238/discuss.html