Abstract

Prior to the arrival of explorers and fur traders in Northwest North America in the 18th century, copper was highly prized among the many different indigenous groups and its possession was associated with high status. Several historic, ethnographic, and ethnohistoric sources have credited either the Ahtna of southeastern interior Alaska or the Tutchone of the southwestern Yukon, both Athabaskan-speaking groups, as the main suppliers of copper throughout northwestern North America. Nuggets of native copper (i.e. metallic, 98-99% pure), either raw or fashioned into artifacts, circulated through a trade network distributing prestige goods throughout the Northwest Pacific region. Several of the better-known sources lie within the boundary of what is today, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (WRST-NP/P) in Alaska. Source material from within the park and artifacts from a nearby site (GUL-077) were subjected to neutron activation analysis in order to obtain trace element data that could be used to differentiate various sources of copper in the region. This paper presents the preliminary results of this research and addresses future possible directions.