Evgenia Anichenko

“There are no coincidences” or the afterlife of circumpolar skin boats

Supervisor: Dr. Lucy Blue

Abstract:

This talk examines reuse and deposition of skin boats in the circumpolar north. Ethnographic sources demonstrate that as an important tool of maritime adaptation, skin boats were treated with utmost attention to every aspect of their construction and use. But what happened to the boat when it reached the end of its functional life? Alaska Native traditional lore combined with archaeological finds suggests that reuse of boat parts was frequent and versatile. Drawing on these data the presentation discusses patterns of skin boat spatial deposition in archaeological sites and meanings of these patterns.

email: eva1v10@soton.ac.uk