The Birnirk site ( Iñupiaq: ''Piġniq'') is an

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...

near

Utqiagvik, Alaska Utqiagvik ( ik, Utqiaġvik; , , formerly known as Barrow ()) is the borough seat and largest city of the North Slope Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located north of the Arctic Circle, it is one of the northernmost cities and towns in the ...

. It includes sixteen prehistoric mounds which have yielded evidence of very early

Birnirk The Birnirk culture was a prehistoric Inuit culture of the Alaska North Slope, north coast of Alaska, dating from the sixth century A.D. to the twelfth century A.D. The Birnirk culture first appeared on the American side of the Bering Strait, desc ...

and

Thule culture The Thule (, , ) or proto-Inuit were the ancestors of all modern Inuit. They developed in coastal Alaska by the year 1000 and expanded eastward across northern Canada, reaching Greenland by the 13th century. In the process, they replaced people o ...

. It is the

type site In archaeology, a type site is the site used to define a particular archaeological culture or other typological unit, which is often named after it. For example, discoveries at La Tène and Hallstatt led scholars to divide the European Iron Age ...

of the Birnirk culture, and was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1962 for its archaeological importance in understanding prehistoric Arctic cultures.

Description

Birnirk is located on the

Alaska North Slope The Alaska North Slope ( Iñupiaq: ''Siḷaliñiq'') is the region of the U.S. state of Alaska located on the northern slope of the Brooks Range along the coast of two marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean, the Chukchi Sea being on the western sid ...

, near the settlement of Utqiagvik, on land owned by the

Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation, or UIC, is one of about 200 Alaska Native village corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation was incor ...

since 1988. The site consists of sixteen mounds, which represent dwelling sites across a fairly wide span of time. Major scientific excavations were made at this site in 1936, and in 1951-53, when three mounds were excavated, and in 1959, when seven mounds were partially excavated. The major period of occupation at this site was during what is now designated the

Birnirk culture The Birnirk culture was a prehistoric Inuit culture of the north coast of Alaska, dating from the sixth century A.D. to the twelfth century A.D. The Birnirk culture first appeared on the American side of the Bering Strait, descending from the Ol ...

, between 500 and 900 CE. Evidence was also found at one mound of occupation during the later

, which was generally active 1100-1400 CE. Finds at the site include

harpoon A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument and tool used in fishing, whaling, seal hunting, sealing, and other marine hunting to catch and injure large fish or marine mammals such as seals and whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the t ...

heads made of antler and stone, including at least one from the older Punuk culture. Also uncovered were fragments of wood making up elements of traditional seal-hunting

umiak The umiak, umialak, umiaq, umiac, oomiac, oomiak, ongiuk, or anyak is a type of open skin boat, used by both Yupik and Inuit, and was originally found in all coastal areas from Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲir� ...

s. The site was declared a

in 1962, and was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1966. The major collections of materials from the site made in the 1950s were located at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology is a museum affiliated with Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1866, the Peabody Museum is one of the oldest and largest museums focusing on anthropological material, with ...

for many years, but were moved to the

University of Alaska Museum of the North The University of Alaska Museum of the North is a cultural and historical museum on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. Mission The museum's mission is to acquire, conserve, investigate, and interpret specimens and collections relating to ...

Fairbanks Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the po ...

in 2011.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Archaeological sites in Alaska Archaeological type sites Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Alaska Buildings and structures in North Slope Borough, Alaska National Historic Landmarks in Alaska Native American history of Alaska Tourist attractions in North Slope Borough, Alaska National Register of Historic Places in North Slope Borough, Alaska

Description

See also

References