Instruments of Change: Late Dorset Palaeoeskimo Drums and Shamanism on Coastal Bylot Island, Nunavut, Canada
Tim Rast, Christopher B. Wolff
Open Archaeology June 23, 2016 DOI: 10.1515/opar-2016-0004 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Archaeological artifact analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Late Dorset Palaeoeskimo wooden drum artifacts from the Button Point site (PfFm-1), Bylot Island, Nunavut |
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Key points | The authors document two nearly complete wooden drums and nearly a dozen previously unidentified drum fragments from Button Point, dating to around A.D. 1000, and propose a typology of Late Dorset drums. They argue that the drums show a consistent, uniquely Late Dorset Palaeoeskimo style distinct from later historic Inuit drum morphology, and interpret the driftwood-constructed instruments as elements of Late Dorset shamanism. |
Abstract
Abstract The only known evidence of Dorset Palaeoeskimo drum use ever documented was salvaged decades ago along with thousands of other Late Dorset Palaeoeskimo artifacts from an eroding coastal site (PfFm-1) at Button Point on Bylot Island, Nunavut (Figure 1) (Mary-Rousselière 1976, Taylor 1971-1972). These finds consist of two nearly complete wooden drums and various other drum frame fragments that date to the centuries surrounding A.D. 1000 (Taylor 1971-1972). In the spring of 2014, the authors and Lori White re-examined all of the wood fragments recovered from Button Point, documenting the known drum pieces and discovering nearly a dozen previously unidentified drum fragments. These fragments represent instruments in a range of sizes, but with a consistent and uniquely Late Dorset Palaeoeskimo style that has not been identified prior to our research. In this paper, we discuss a proposed typology of the Dorset drums and drum fragments, and contrast their stylistic attributes with subsequent historic Inuit drum morphology in the region. We will also discuss some of the functional aspects of how the drums were manufactured and the use of foraged coastal resources in their construction. Finally, we offer an interpretation of the driftwood-constructed drums as part of what we believe to be elements of Late Dorset shamanism.