Characterizing southern Baffin Island chert: A cautionary tale for provenance research Rachel E. ten Bruggencate d, ⁎, S. Brooke Milne a,b , Mostafa Fayek c , Robert W. Park d , Douglas R. Stenton d , Anne C. Hamilton e a Department of Anthropology, University of Manitoba, 15 Chancellor Circle, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada b Center for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, 125 Dysart Road, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada c Department of Geological Sciences, University of Manitoba, 125 Dysart Road, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada d Department of Anthropology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada e Archaeological Services, Heritage Branch, Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture, Government of New Brunswick, 225 King Street, Fredericton, NB E3B 5H1, Canada abstract article info Article history: Received 5 November 2015 Received in revised form 12 February 2016 Accepted 16 March 2016 Available online xxxx The southern Baffin Island chert provenance project was initiated in 2007 to investigate the effects on Palaeo- Eskimo mobility and technological organization of the differential distribution of chert sources in this area of the eastern Arctic. Initial characterization of chert artifacts and sources by secondary ion mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) indicated exploitation of both local inland and ex- otic chert sources by Palaeo-Eskimo toolmakers. Subsequent reanalysis of chert artifacts by ICP-MS demonstrates that data acquired using these techniques cannot be directly compared. ICP-MS trace element data collected from two primary chert sources documented in 2013 showed promise for characterizing these sources. Subsequent reanalysis of source samples demonstrates that initial results were affected by contamination during sample preparation at an external laboratory and should not be used in future studies. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Chert Provenance SIMS ICP-MS Contamination Archaeology Arctic 1. Introduction This paper discusses logistical and methodological challenges en- countered over the last three years of research relating to the southern Baffin Island chert provenance project. Our aim in openly discussing these challenges, particularly those related to laboratory error, is to cau- tion other researchers conducting similar lithic provenance studies in an effort to reduce the likelihood that our experiences will be inadvertently replicated. The southern Baffin Island chert provenance project began in 2007 with the objective of identifying sources of chert used by Palaeo- Eskimo toolmakers on southern Baffin Island. Chert tools and debitage dominate artifact assemblages at Palaeo-Eskimo sites throughout the eastern Arctic. However, comparatively little is known about how and from where this toolstone was acquired (e.g., Anstey and Renouf, 2011; Gramly, 1978; Lazenby, 1980; Loring, 2002; Milne, 2003, 2005; Milne et al., 2011; Odess, 1998:422). On southern Baffin Island, archae- ological survey (Milne, 2007, 2012; Milne et al., 2009, 2011, 2013; Stenton, 1991), geological mapping (de Kemp et al., 2006; Sanford and Grant, 2000), and local oral histories (Milne, 2005, 2012; Stenton and Park, 1998) indicate the most reliable location to acquire chert toolstone is in the island's interior near three large lakes: Mingo, Nettilling, and Amadjuak (Fig. 1). 1.1. The Palaeo-Eskimo of Southern Baffin Island Archaeologists use the term Palaeo-Eskimo to refer to the first inhab- itants of Arctic North America and Greenland. In the eastern Arctic, the Palaeo-Eskimo are divided into two distinct yet culturally related phases, Pre-Dorset (4500-2700BP) and Dorset (2500-1000BP). The an- cestors of the Pre-Dorset crossed the Chukchi Sea from Siberia to arrive in what is now Alaska during the warm subboreal period and from there moved rapidly eastward to colonize the entire eastern Arctic within 500 years (Maxwell, 1985:44). Pre-Dorset architecture and site distri- butions suggest a high level of residential mobility where small groups of people moved seasonally between coastal and inland regions to exploit seasonally available marine and terrestrial resources (e.g. Bielawski, 1988; McCartney and Helmer, 1989; McGhee, 1990; Maxwell, 1985; Milne, 2003; Murray, 1996). Between 2700 and 2500 years ago the Arctic climate began to rapidly cool leading to longer, harsher winters and a more expansive sea ice environment. Palaeo- Eskimo mobility and subsistence appears to have changed in response to these conditions, as indicated by an increasing level of coastal sedentism where people exploited more reliable marine mammal re- sources (Fitzhugh, 1976:141; Maxwell, 1984:364; Prentiss and Lenert, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports xxx (2016) xxx–xxx ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail address: rachel.tenbruggencate@uwaterloo.ca (R.E. ten Bruggencate). JASREP-00381; No of Pages 6 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.03.016 2352-409X/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jasrep Please cite this article as: ten Bruggencate, R.E., et al., Characterizing southern Baffin Island chert: A cautionary tale for provenance research, Jour- nal of Archaeological Science: Reports (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.03.016