Ikaahuk Artifact Reproductions Completed!

Artifacts (left) and reproductions (right)

It's been a long time coming, but I've finally completed the Ikaahuk Archaeology Project set of artifact reproductions.  The artifacts that they are based on range from Pre-Dorset to historic pieces and are made from stone, bone, antler, wood, iron, and ivory.  I can hand them off to Dr. Lisa Hodgetts, who is in town for the Canadian Archaeological Association conference this week, although I'm hoping she'll let me display them at my table in the NLAS Bookroom for a couple of days first.  After that they will make their way to Sachs Harbour where they will be used in interactive programs with community members of all ages.

The Artifacts (left) and reproductions (right) include a ground slate ulu, a decorated antler harpoon head or lance head, an antler awl that was made on an old foreshaft, a barbed antler harpoon head, an ivory fishing lure, an antler bola weight, an iron offset awl in carved wood handle, and a quartzite scraper.

Ivory fishing lure (left) and reproduction (right)

Thule harpoon head made from antler. 

The reproductions and the artifacts (sitting on their bags) are ready to ship home.

Artifacts on their bags and the reproductions sitting on the table. 

The reproductions as signed and ready to deliver.

Photo Credits: Tim Rast

Canadian Archaeological Association Conference is happening this week!

This promises to be a very hectic week.  St. John's is hosting the annual meeting of the Canadian Archaeological Association (CAA) at the Sheraton Hotel.  I'm involved to differing degrees with three different presentations; one on the Maritime Archaic at Bird Cove, one on a project that I'm working on with the Inuit Heritage Trust in Nunavut, and one on the Dorset Palaeoeskimo drum research that I've been doing with Chris Wolff.  The Newfoundland and Labrador Archaeological Society is organizing the bookroom and Elfshot will have a table there, so that will keep me busy between the talks.  I intend to set up a tarp and have lots of reproductions on display and for sale, so if you are in St. John's, please stop in and say "Hi!".  There are many social events going on throughout the conference and on Friday afternoon, the various Territorial and Provincial Archaeology Societies are having a meeting to talk about our shared goals and concerns, so I'm looking forward to catching up with old and new friends.

Sadly, I'll say goodbye
 to the Ikaahuk
reproductions over the
conference week as well

If you aren't a member of the CAA, you are still welcome to attend talks throughout the conference for the low daily rate of $40.  As well, there are free public talks all about beer on Saturday afternoon from 1-2:20 PM.  You can learn more about the conference, read abstracts from all of the presentations, and see a schedule of public events at the conference website here.

Photo Credits:
1: Screen Capture from the CAA/ACA 2015 Website
2: Tim Rast

Declawing a Thule Harpoon Head

I spent a good chunk of the day breaking the Ikaahuk artifact
reproductions.  For the most part they broke the way they were supposed to, so it's all good.  The piece that needed the most damage done to it was the Thule barbed harpoon head from Nelson River.  The original artifact has only one remaining barb, but you can see places on the body of the harpoon head where three other barbs broke off, leaving stumps of various sizes.  The plan from the beginning was to make a fully intact version of the harpoon head, photograph it, and then break it to match the original artifact.  Below are some of the last photos of the complete harpoon head before I cracked the three barbs off (right).

The slots cut on either side of the open socket were there so that some sort of lashing (ie. sinew, leather, baleen) could be used to close the socket so that it could fit onto a harpoon foreshaft. 

The original artifact and this reproduction were both oriented in the antler tine so that the hard outer surface of the antler was on the dorsal surface.  The softer, more porous interior of the antler meant it was easier to carve out the open socket at the base. 

The dorsal surface of the harpoon head.  The small hole in the centre was for the harpoon line.  The larger hole below that is part of the gouged channel for the lashing that closes off the open socket.

Photo Credits: Tim Rast

So close...

Reproductions (R)
and Artifacts (L)

Every day more and more of the Ikaahuk artifact reproductions are become indistinguishable from the original artifacts.  On each visit now I really need to focus on how I handle the pieces so I don't end up tossing the artifacts in my reproduction box or bagging the reproductions in the artifact bags.  If I absolutely had to, I could probably hand over all the pieces as they are now and be satisfied with the outcome, but I have two more visits scheduled to make last minute adjustments.  I'm mainly working on matching the colour, breakage patterns, and texture of the originals at this point.

Ivory fishing lure reproduction (L), almost done

The Pre-Dorset Lance Heads and the awls made from old foreshafts are now completely interchangeable between reproductions (bottom) and the orignals (top) 

I'm happy with the colour and texture of the underside of the antler lance head/harpoon head.  Reproduction (bottom) and Artifact (top)

Photo Credits: Tim Rast

Alberta Spear Points

Reproduction Alberta
Projectile Point

I've returned to knapping a bit more in the workshop this week.  This afternoon I took a stab at a couple Alberta spear points for a set of plains projectile points. I'm satisfied with both of them although I only need one.  One looks better in person and one looks better in photos.  I'll see how the rest of the set turns out before I decide which (if either) will be included in the box.

Photo Credits: Tim Rast

The Pre-Dorset awl reproduction

Pre-Dorset awl reproduction (top) and artifact
(below), refit with a lance head from the same
site.

The Pre-Dorset awl is the next finished reproduction in the Ikaahuk Archaeology Project set to check off the list.  The reproduction is made from antler and the antiquing includes tea staining, scorching and hand-carved root etching.  This is the artifact that I believe was made from an old foreshaft, so part of the check to determine the accuracy of the reproduction was to match it with the slot on the Pre-Dorset lance head.  I wanted  the spatulate end of the reproduction awl to fit the original lance head as precisely as the artifact awl.  When those two pieces fit together, I felt like I could call the piece finished.  I may continue to tweak the colour and staining over the next few days, but I think this piece is done.

Artifact (left) and reproduction (right)

Other pieces, like this harpoon head are still a couple visits away from being complete.  This one has so many complex angles and symmetries, that its hard to plan too many cuts at once.  Shaving the wrong millimetre at this point could throw off the whole piece. 

 Photo Credits: Tim Rast

One down, seven to go...

The offset awl from the Ikaahuk Archaeology Project set of artifact reproductions is now complete.  At this point I have to think twice about which is the artifact (top) and which is the reproduction (bottom) when I have them out on the table together.  Given that the reproduction is made from the same materials and using the same methods as the original, I think for most people it would be very difficult to tell which is the real thing and which is the copy.  The easiest way that I have to tell them apart at the moment is that the wood handle on the reproduction is a little shinier and darker than the artifact because of the oil that I applied to bring out the shine of the iron awl and to help preserve the wood.  As that oil is absorbed by the wood, even that slight difference in colour and texture should vanish.

At this point, other reproductions are a little easier to distinguish from the originals, but once the design goes on to this antler lance head and I antique it, I expect that it will be just as difficult to tell them apart.

Photo Credits: Tim Rast