The Enigmatic Choris and Old Whaling Cultures of the Western Arctic

The Choris (750–400 B.C.) and Old Whaling (1150–850 B.C.) cultures are both enigmatic manifestations in the archaeological record in a time of significant cultural “flux” in northwestern Alaskan prehistory. Both cultures represent potential first occurrences in the region—novel lithic assemblage and housing forms (implying the movement of new people into the region) and the possibility of whaling in the case of Old Whaling, and the introduction of pottery and new communal house structures for Choris. However, most of the solid evidence for Choris comes from primarily two locations—Choris Peninsula and Onion Portage, and thus far Old Whaling has only been identified at Cape Krusenstern. The chapter explores both of these archaeological cultures, their chronology and geographic distribution, associated artifacts, subsistence economy, and how they articulate with broader culture history of the western Arctic.