Implications of "punctuated productivity" for coastal settlement patterns: a GIS study of the Katmai coast, Gulf of Alaska
Crowell AL, Matson M, Mann DH. 2003. Implications of "punctuated productivity" for coastal settlement patterns: a GIS study of the Katmai coast, Gulf of Alaska. Alaska Journal of Anthropology. 1(2):62-96
GIS spatial analysis of 15 categories of subsistence resources (sea mammals, fish, birds, shellfish) and 90 archaeological site locations along the Pacific shoreline of Katmai National Park and Preserve indicates that sites of all time periods are concentrated within enclosed bay systems where resource diversity tends to be highest. This pattern of intensive settlement in resource-rich “hot spots” may apply to the entire Gulf of Alaska region. Ethnohistoric information on Alutiiq subsistence practices and site survey data from the study area suggest that large and ecologically diverse bays (e.g. Kukak and Amalik) may have offered sufficient resource options to buffer cyclical shifts in the productivity of salmon and other species, and to thus provide stable, self-sufficient territories for autonomous local groups. Several gaps in the Katmai occupation record are nonetheless identified (5600 — 4600 cal. yrs. B.P.; 2900 — 2000 cal yrs. B. P.) that may represent periods when even the most diverse and stable settlement areas were abandoned. The study suggests that reconstructions of maritime adaptations and social development in the Gulf of Alaska must take account of the physical and ecological heterogeneity of the coastal environment, as well as its instability over time.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Crowell, Aron; Matson, Mark; Mann, Daniel
- Units
- KATM , SWAN
- Keywords
- Alutiiq, GIS, Gulf Of Alaska, Katmai National Park, maritime adaptations, resource diversity, settlement patterns, Subsistence