NO. 14 PREHISTORIC ART OF ALASKAN ESKIMO — COLLINS 1 5 



The area covered by the Punuk midden is approximately 400 feet 

 by 130 feet. The average depth is around 12 feet and the greatest 

 depth, 16 feet. It is of particular interest to note that the lower parts 

 of the midden are below the present beach level — at one place as much 

 as six feet — and that at the very bottom were found houses and house 

 entrances, six in number, all of which were below the reach of storm 

 waves. The sinking of the land to this extent, together with the enor- 

 mous accumulation of refuse, must undoubtedly indicate the passage 

 of a considerable period of time. As a definite criterion of age, how- 

 ever, such a geological phenomenon is of questionable value at the 

 present time, since there are not available any comparative data on 

 recent subsidence and elevation in the Bering Sea region which might 

 be interpreted in tenns of years. The problem of the antiquity, at 

 least the comparative antiquity, of the Punuk village site must rest 

 mainly on cultural evidence. 



To the west of the midden, near the end of the island, are four 

 recent houses with roofs still partly intact, which were occupied up to 

 about 40 years ago. It is not clear whether these were built by fami- 

 lies who settled on Punuk after the abandonment of the main village 

 or whether they were occupied by the last remnants of the original 

 population. 



Excavations were carried on at Punuk from June 23 to August 17, 

 1928. Assisting me were Mr. Harry E. Manca of Seattle and two, 

 later three, Eskimos from St. Lawrence Island. Three of the recent 

 houses toward the end of the island were excavated and two of 

 the older houses on the midden, in addition to extensive cuts made 

 through the refuse at various places. The midden sections and the two 

 old house pits on the midden were taken down systematically, the 

 material from the successive levels being kept separate.* Except for 

 a surface layer which thaws out in summer, the ground is permanently 

 frozen, making the work of excavation difficult and slow. The cuts 

 were taken down in layers of a few iiiches, the process being repeated 

 daily as the newly exposed frozen surface thawed by contact with the 

 atmosphere. 



The many specimens excavated from the midden village stood in 

 striking contrast to the material from the three recent house ruins at 

 the western end of the island. The latter yielded iron, glass, and only 



*In the following description of certain decorated objects from Punuk Island 

 and Cape Kialegak, reference will not be made to the location and depth at 

 which individual specimens were found, as this Vv'ould only add unnecessary 

 detail and call for a fuller description of the sites and method of excavation than 

 is necessary at the present time, when the purpose is to describe only the art of 

 the two sites. 



