plaque
Report a Mistake- Date Made --
- Event --
- Affiliation Dorset
- Artist / Maker / Manufacturer --
- Object Number IX-C:251 c
- Place of Origin Continent - North America, Country - Canada, Province / Territory - Nunavut
- Category Distribution and transportation artifacts
- Sub-category Container
- Department Archaeology
- Museum CMH
- Materials Caribou antler
- Geo-Cultural Code IX-C
- Measurements Height 2.4 mm, Length 64.0 mm, Width 42.1 mm
- Caption An Ancient Way of Life
- Additional Information After sixty-five years of research, archaeologists now know much more about Dorset culture than Diamond Jenness was able to deduce from a single mixed collection. One of the most striking observations is the Dorset culture's apparent lack of several inventions that were later crucial to the Inuit. There is no evidence that they had float gear or even boats to use in sea-mammal hunting. We know that they successfully hunted seals and walrus, but they must have done so from the sea ice rather than on the open water. Similarly they lacked the bow and arrow for caribou hunting. Yet, they occupied one of the harshest environments on earth for fifteen hundred years. For all the hardships they faced, Dorset people were superb artisans, fashioning beautiful stone tools, often of miniature size. These tools transcend mere utility; the Dorset must have taken great pride in their craft.