About Culture Categories:
Yukon | Northwest Territories | Nunavut | Prince Edward Island and Maritimes
The Sites Database contains hundreds of culture categories. All of the different archaeological cultures, complexes and phases assigned by the reporting researcher have been entered as reported and all terms are available for searching on the Web viewer. Click here to view a table of searchable terms.
However, in order to facilitate data manipulation and map compilation, culture categories were simplified by grouping into general culture categories, as follows:
| General Cultures | General Time Span |
|---|---|
| Palaeoindian | 9,500 B.C. to 6,000 B.C. |
| Early Microblade Complexes | >14,000 B.C. to 4000 B.C. |
| Archaic | 4000 B.C. to >500 B.C. |
| Pre-Contact Dene | >500 B.C. to A.D. 1800 |
| Post-Contact Dene | A.D.1800 to A.D. 1950 |
| Early Palaeoeskimo | 2500 B.C. to 1000 B.C. |
| Late Palaeoeskimo | 1000 B.C. to A.D. 500 |
| Palaeoeskimo (general) | 2500 B.C. to A.D.500 |
| Thule and Pre-Contact Inuit | A.D. 1200 to A.D. 1800 |
| Post-Contact Inuit | A.D. 1800 to A.D. 1950 |
| Inuit (general) | A.D. 1200 to A.D. 1950 |
| Historic Non-Aboriginal | A.D. 1800 to A.D. 1950 |
| General Cultures | General Time Span |
|---|---|
| Palaeoindian | 7000 B.C. to 4000 B.C. |
| Archaic | 4000 B.C. to >500 B.C. |
| Pre-Contact Dene | 600 B.C. to A.D. 1775 |
| Post-Contact Dene | A.D. 1775 to A.D. 1950 |
| Metis | A.D. 1850 - A.D. 1950 |
| Early Palaeoeskimo | 2500 B.C. to 800 B.C. |
| Late Palaeoeksimo | 800 B.C. to A.D. 1000 |
| Palaeoeskimo (general) | 2000 B.C. to A.D.500 |
| Thule and Pre-Contact Inuit | A.D. 1200 to A.D. 1800 |
| Post-Contact Inuit | A.D. 1800 to A.D. 1950 |
| Inuit (general) | A.D. 1200 to A.D. 1950 |
| Historic Non-Aboriginal | A.D. 1800 to A.D. 1950 |
| General Cultures | General Time Span |
|---|---|
| Palaeoeindian (Keewatin only) | 6000 B.C. to 5000 B.C. |
| Archaic (Keewatin only) | 4500 B.C. to 1500 B.C. |
| Pre-Contact Dene (Keewatin only) | 600 B.C. to A.D. 1750 |
| Post-Contact Dene (Keewatin) | A.D. 1750 to A.D. 1950 |
| Early Palaeoeskimo | 2500 B.C. to 800 B.C |
| Late Palaeoeskimo | 800 B.C. to A.D. 1000 |
| Palaeoeskimo (general) | 2500 B.C. to A.D.1300 |
| Thule and Pre-Contact Inuit | A.D. 1200 to A.D. 1600 |
| Post-Contact Inuit | A.D. 1600 to A.D. 1950 |
| Inuit (general) | A.D. 1200 to A.D. 1950 |
| Historic Non-Aboriginal | A.D. 1600 to A.D. 1950 |
| General Cultures | General Time Span |
|---|---|
| Palaeoindian | 9000 B.C. to 7000 B.C. |
| Archaic | 7000 B.C. to 500 B.C. |
| Maritime Woodland (incl pre-cont.Mi'kmaq) | 500 B.C. to A.D. 1500 |
| Late Prehistoric | 1000 A.D. to 1500 A.D. |
| Post-Contact Mi'kmaq | 1500 A.D. to 1950 A.D. |
| Mi'kmaq (general) | 500 B.C. to 1950 A.D. |
| Acadian | 1600 A.D. to 1950 A.D. |
| Historic Non Aboriginal | 1600 A.D. to 1950 A.D. |
| (incl. African American) |
* NOTE: Time spans are vague and arbitrary, especially the early dates.
Sources:
Clark, Donald W.
1981
Prehistory of the Western Subarctic. In Handbook of North American Indians. William C. Sturtevant (gen. ed.), Vol.6, Subarctic. June Helm (vol. ed.): 107-129. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Gordon, B.C.
1996
People of Sunlight, People of Starlight - Barrenland Archaeology in the Northwest Territories of Canada, Mercury Series, Archaeological Survey of Canada, Paper 154, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Québec.
Additional comments and reviews by:
M. Betts, Curator Atlantic Provinces Archaeology, CMC.
B. Gordon, Curator Emeritus, CMC.
R. Gotthardt, Territorial Archaeologist, Yukon Cultural Services.
D. Morrison, Chief, Archaeology and History, CMC .
[Data Dictionary]
Created: August 4, 2008
