Ipiutak Site

North Slope Borough, US

The Ipiutak Site is a large archaeological site at Point Hope on the northwestern coast of Alaska, United States. Located on the Tikigaq spit, it is one of the largest precontact village sites in Arctic Alaska and forms part of a larger archaeological district associated with the ancestors of the Iñ

upiat. The site contains more than 550 abandoned house depressions and is the type site for the Ipiutak culture, which arose as early as AD 200 and collapsed around 800 CE. Most of the houses were constructed of drift wood and did not use whale bone in construction. Excavations uncovered houses, over 100 burials, and a large collection of artifacts, including elaborately carved objects made from ivory, wood, bone, and stone. The site is renowned for its mortuary offerings, openwork ivory carvings, and insights into a hunting society that relied on marine mammals and caribou. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.

Listen to the audio guide for Ipiutak Site Free on WIP — starts by itself when you arrive, even with the screen off