Small game, estuaries, and nets: New perspectives on Norton culture coastal adaptations from a shell midden in Norton Sound, Alaska

Abstract

Norton culture (ca. 740 BC–AD 1000) sites are ubiquitous across the western Arctic. Based on artifact and settlement data, it is generally agreed that Norton culture south of Seward Peninsula possessed a mixed marine-focused economy dominated by seasonally available Pacific salmon. However, the few direct studies of Norton subsistence, thus far, have suggested an emphasis on marine mammals rather than salmon. We present the results of a zooarchaeological midden analysis from the large Norton site of Difchahak (49-NOB-005) near Shaktoolik on Norton Sound, Alaska. We argue the faunal remains recovered from this site reflect its local estuarine system. Inhabitants were able to maintain year-round occupation of the region through an expansion of netting technology to non-salmon prey species. The economic focus at Difchahak was on mass capture of several seasonally available taxa, including salmon, mussels, saffron cod, ptarmigan, ducks, geese, and seal. Comparison of these faunal remains to those from Norton culture deposits at the neighboring site of Iyatayet suggests that differences between the localities are largely driven by geographically dependent prey-species distributions, and these two sites may represent complementary parts to a broad logistical foraging system.