Wherever the beach of the river shows more or less of stones that are
not talus or just pebbles, there are generally found stones worked
by man. Such localities are scarce. The first exists between Tanana
(the village) and the mission above it. Here specimens are found
occasionally on the beach and occasionally in the soil of the local
gardens. Other such sites were located at Bonasila, below Anvik, and
in four places between Paimute and the Russian Mission. A few are also
present from Marshall seaward.
An examination of the terrain adjacent to such parts of the beach shows
mostly, but not always, traces of an old settlement.
The specimens consist of characteristic axes or adzes, stone scrapers,
hammers, stone knives (along the Eskimo part of the river), tomahawk
heads (probably), objects less well defined, and chips. There may be
semifossilized animal bones, and rarely a bit of charcoal, a piece of
pottery (for details see Narrative), or an object of ivory.
The ax proper is peculiar. It is a cupid's-bow ax, double-edged,
and with one or two grooves across its middle. (Pl. 10.) It is as a
rule made of heavy basaltic stone, and its edges are sharpened by
polishing. Rough parts may have been polished also on the body. Its
distal surface is convex (from sharp edge to sharp edge), its proximal
surface straight or mildly convex. I succeeded in getting a specimen
remounted recently by one of the Indians near Tanana. This form of an
ax is still remembered by the old Indians when in use. They cut trees
with it, cutting sidewise and detaching the wood in splinters. They
also remember clubs with stone heads, and told me they were carried
on the back over the right shoulder so as to be ready for instant and
effective use.
These axes have apparently been used by both the Indians and the
Eskimo, but there is an interesting difference. The several specimens I
obtained or saw from Tanana to Ruby were all complete. But from, about
the vicinity of Ruby downstream the bi-edged ax seems to disappear, or,
rather, one-half of it disappears, the butt henceforth either being
left unfinished or one-half of the double ax being broken off and the
remainder being mounted now as an adze on a shorter handle. This form,
and it exclusively, with various secondary modifications, is found over
a wide area among the Eskimo and may reach into Asia, for I obtained a
specimen of it from one of the Diomede Islands. It connects directly
with the Bering Sea Eskimo ivory adze and chisel. On the other hand the
bi-edged ax appears, in various modifications, to extend widely over
Indian Alaska.
The remaining stone implements need but little mention here. They will
be studied and reported separately by our archeologist. A special
note will, however, be necessary later about the very primitive stone
industry of Bonasila, below Anvik. (See p. 144.)
Of pottery I have seen no example above Anvik, but this can not be
taken as evidence of its absence above that point. At Anvik, Bonasila,
and farther down the pottery is like that of the western Eskimo. It
is coarse ware, hand shaped, and of rather poor quality. It consists
of small round bowls to fairly large, more or less conical, jars. It
is never painted but is frequently decorated with thumb marks and
especially with grooves running parallel with the border.
Ivory implements were encountered first at Bonasila and consisted of
a few fine long points barbed on one side, looking like those of the
Eskimo and probably of Eskimo origin. There were also a few tools of
bone, generally scrapers.
Russian beads, especially those of the large blue variety, are
occasionally encountered, usually singly or in small numbers,
especially in some spots.
A unique archeological specimen from the lower middle portion of the
Yukon Valley is the large stone dish obtained by Mr. Müller, the trader
at Kaltag. (See p. 34.)
Besides these random specimens, other cultural objects are found
along the Yukon in connection with old burials. These consist of an
occasional wooden dish, sharpening or polishing stones, rarely a
figurine (doll?) in ivory, Russian snuffboxes, fire sticks, dishes of
birch bark, etc. The cullings in this field are quite poor, but there
has been no excavation of older burials that have been assimilated by
the tundra and lie now in the earth beneath.
The archeology of the old habitation sites, on the other hand,
particularly perhaps on the Shageluk and between Holy Cross and
Marshall, is decidedly promising and invites careful excavation.