tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057432722659257077.post4416117940368811644..comments2024-03-22T01:42:37.271-04:00Comments on Archaeology of Portable Rock Art: Joel Castanza documents 37 Point Barrow zoomorphic sculptures from Alaskan archaeological history and identified as possible amuletsKen Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17626582215405908165noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6057432722659257077.post-28547526493498051002016-12-05T00:04:27.980-05:002016-12-05T00:04:27.980-05:00I thought you might like to know that we have seve...I thought you might like to know that we have several of these "amulets" that are nearly identical to this one in the collections from Pt. Barrow that were made during the International Polar Year in 1881-1882 by John Murdoch for the Smithsonian and now housed in the NMNH's collection storage facility at Suitland, Maryland. In addition to bears there are chipped stone dogs and human figures as well as several bowhead whales. The bears, humans and dogs are all made with the same local grey chert while the whale amulets are made of glass and a red jasper. The chipped stone amulets are described in Murdoch's Ethnological Results of the Point Barrow Expedition (1892) --but readily available in a reprinted edition. I am pretty sure that these are contemporary artifacts in use, or only recently abandoned, in the late 19th century.<br /><br />Stephen Loring, Arctic Studies Center, SIStephen Loringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16573529654413025207noreply@blogger.com