Ancient people of the Arctic
Ancient People of the Arctic traces the lives of the Palaeo-Eskimos, the bold first explorers of the Arctic. Four thousand years ago, these people entered the far northern extremes of the North American continent, carving a living out of their bleak new homeland. From the hints they left behind, accessible only through the fragmented archaeological record, Robert McGhee reconstructs a picture of this life at the margins. He discusses how the Palaeo-Eskimos spread across the entire Arctic, explains how they dealt with sharp climate changes that drastically altered their environment, offers glimpses into their spiritual practices and world view, and speculates about their eventual demise. For three thousand years, the Palaeo-Eskimos not only successfully adapted to their frozen land but also developed a rich cultural life. Their archaeological sites yield a trove of beautifully crafted tools made from bone, ivory, quartz, and flint, evidence of human ingenuity and endurance--Back cover
Print Book, English, 2001
Paperback edition View all formats and editions
UBC Press, Vancouver, BC, 2001
xii, 244 pages, 16 pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps ; 24 cm
9780774808545, 9780774805537, 0774808543, 0774805536
48669895
1. People of the imagination
2. Eskimo history
3. An Asiatic people in America
4. The people of the Muskox Way
5. The great exploration
6. When the climate changes
7. How an Arctic culture was transformed
8. The Dorset people
9. Lost visions
10. Encounters and isolation
11. The end of the Dorset world
Originally published by UBC Press in 1996
"© Canadian Museum of Civilzation 1996"--Title page verso
"Published in association with the Canadian Museum of Civilization"--Title page