The adoption of pottery on Kodiak Island: Insights from organic residue analysis

Marjolein Admiraal; Alexandre Jules Andre Lucquin; Matthew Von Tersch; Oliver Edward Craig; Peter Jordan

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2020.06.024

The adoption of pottery on Kodiak Island: Insights from organic residue analysis

Marjolein Admiraal, Alexandre Jules Andre Lucquin, Matthew Von Tersch, Oliver Edward Craig, Peter Jordan

Archaeology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Pottery technology, originating in Northeast Asia, appeared in Alaska some 2800 years ago. It spread swiftly along Alaska’s coastline but was not adopted on Kodiak Island until around 500 cal BP, as part of the Koniag tradition. While in the southeast pottery was used extensively, people on the northern half of the island did not adopt the technology. What drove these patterns of adoption and non-adoption on Kodiak Island? To better understand the role of ceramic technology in the Koniag tradition we used organic residue analysis to investigate pottery function. Results indicate that pottery was used to process aquatic resources, including anadromous fish, but especially marine species. Based on archaeological and ethnographic data, and spatial analysis of pottery distributions and function, we hypothesize that Koniag pottery was a tool inherent to the rendering of whale oil on the southeast coast of Kodiak Island, supporting previous suggestions by Knecht (1995) and Fitzhugh (2001). When viewed in the broader historical context of major technological and social transformations, we conclude that social identity and cultural boundaries may also have played a role in the delayed and partial adoption of pottery on Kodiak Island.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	128-142
Journal	Quaternary International
Volume	554
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2020.06.024
Publication status	Published - 20 Jul 2020

Keywords

Pottery adoption
Stable isotope analysis
Lipid residue analysis
Kodiak Island
Koniag tradition

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10.1016/j.quaint.2020.06.024

1-s2.0-S1040618220303360-main
©2020 The Authors
Final published version, 8.04 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "The adoption of pottery on Kodiak Island: Insights from organic residue analysis",

abstract = "Pottery technology, originating in Northeast Asia, appeared in Alaska some 2800 years ago. It spread swiftly along Alaska{\textquoteright}s coastline but was not adopted on Kodiak Island until around 500 cal BP, as part of the Koniag tradition. While in the southeast pottery was used extensively, people on the northern half of the island did not adopt the technology. What drove these patterns of adoption and non-adoption on Kodiak Island? To better understand the role of ceramic technology in the Koniag tradition we used organic residue analysis to investigate pottery function. Results indicate that pottery was used to process aquatic resources, including anadromous fish, but especially marine species. Based on archaeological and ethnographic data, and spatial analysis of pottery distributions and function, we hypothesize that Koniag pottery was a tool inherent to the rendering of whale oil on the southeast coast of Kodiak Island, supporting previous suggestions by Knecht (1995) and Fitzhugh (2001). When viewed in the broader historical context of major technological and social transformations, we conclude that social identity and cultural boundaries may also have played a role in the delayed and partial adoption of pottery on Kodiak Island. ",

keywords = "Pottery adoption, Stable isotope analysis, Lipid residue analysis, Kodiak Island, Koniag tradition",

author = "Marjolein Admiraal and Lucquin, {Alexandre Jules Andre} and {Von Tersch}, Matthew and Craig, {Oliver Edward} and Peter Jordan",

year = "2020",

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doi = "10.1016/j.quaint.2020.06.024",

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journal = "Quaternary International",

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AU - Admiraal, Marjolein

AU - Lucquin, Alexandre Jules Andre

AU - Von Tersch, Matthew

AU - Craig, Oliver Edward

AU - Jordan, Peter

PY - 2020/7/20

Y1 - 2020/7/20

N2 - Pottery technology, originating in Northeast Asia, appeared in Alaska some 2800 years ago. It spread swiftly along Alaska’s coastline but was not adopted on Kodiak Island until around 500 cal BP, as part of the Koniag tradition. While in the southeast pottery was used extensively, people on the northern half of the island did not adopt the technology. What drove these patterns of adoption and non-adoption on Kodiak Island? To better understand the role of ceramic technology in the Koniag tradition we used organic residue analysis to investigate pottery function. Results indicate that pottery was used to process aquatic resources, including anadromous fish, but especially marine species. Based on archaeological and ethnographic data, and spatial analysis of pottery distributions and function, we hypothesize that Koniag pottery was a tool inherent to the rendering of whale oil on the southeast coast of Kodiak Island, supporting previous suggestions by Knecht (1995) and Fitzhugh (2001). When viewed in the broader historical context of major technological and social transformations, we conclude that social identity and cultural boundaries may also have played a role in the delayed and partial adoption of pottery on Kodiak Island.

AB - Pottery technology, originating in Northeast Asia, appeared in Alaska some 2800 years ago. It spread swiftly along Alaska’s coastline but was not adopted on Kodiak Island until around 500 cal BP, as part of the Koniag tradition. While in the southeast pottery was used extensively, people on the northern half of the island did not adopt the technology. What drove these patterns of adoption and non-adoption on Kodiak Island? To better understand the role of ceramic technology in the Koniag tradition we used organic residue analysis to investigate pottery function. Results indicate that pottery was used to process aquatic resources, including anadromous fish, but especially marine species. Based on archaeological and ethnographic data, and spatial analysis of pottery distributions and function, we hypothesize that Koniag pottery was a tool inherent to the rendering of whale oil on the southeast coast of Kodiak Island, supporting previous suggestions by Knecht (1995) and Fitzhugh (2001). When viewed in the broader historical context of major technological and social transformations, we conclude that social identity and cultural boundaries may also have played a role in the delayed and partial adoption of pottery on Kodiak Island.

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