3000 Year Old Whalebone Mask Found in Unalaska
The Amaknak Bridge site in Unalaska has produced another spectacular find – a 3000 year old whalebone mask.
I and my crew actually heard news of this find shortly before we left Anchorage. The mask displays quite sophisticated bone carving technique and will certainly add an important dimension to our understanding of eastern Aleutian artistry.
The excavation itself has been somewhat controversial. An earlier dig at the site in 2003 produced an amazing collection of artifacts, faunal remains, and features. They found at least 10 houses; some with their lower walls formed of massive stones and sub-floor channels that may have served as “heating ducts”. The faunal remains include sea ice-loving species like polar bear and bearded seal, which today are found far to the north – a clear indication of the colder, neoglacial climate of 3000 bp.
A need for an expanded bridge at the site is what created the controversy. Preservationists and developers obviously had different opinions. But the decision to expedite the excavations (which have a budget of $950,000) by using backhoes was a major concern for many. Rick Knecht, one of the principal investigators of the 2003 excavations and quoted in an Anchorage Daily News story on the mask explains
“I shudder to think what’s been damaged or lost. I know they’re being as careful as they can given the limitations of digging with heavy equipment. But inevitably there’s a price to be paid in history and culture by taking that shortcut.”
The goal of the backhoe operation is principally to find burials and houses, not relatively small bone masks. It will be interesting to find out under what conditions the mask was found. I especially want to know how much contextual information was captured and/or lost.
