Abstract

The recent find of a geological outcrop as well as the increasing amount of archaeological information available from the Middle Mackenzie Valley have made possible a presentation of a number of macroscopic attributes of what is tentatively called 'welded tuff', together with a discussion of its possible origin, geological occurrence and archaeological dispersion. This peculiar raw material seems to have been obtained from a relatively restricted area, north of the Keele (Gravel) River, along the Mackenzie Mountains. Its archaeological distribution pattern is indicative of widespread trade, reaching as far as the Crow Flats in northern Yukon, Dismal Lake to the northeast of Great Bear Lake, etc. The cultural context suggests an age in excess of 8,50O years for the earliest archaeological occurrence. Finally, it's utilisation lasted, in some areas of the Mackenzie Valley, up until late prehistoric time.