| Summary: | Between A.D. 200 and 900, the Ipiutak regional system developed an intercontinental trade in obsidian and iron, associated with a shamanic crisis cult in Northwest Alaska. People gathered seasonally within community structures (qargi) for cultic performances, maintained an extensive trade network, and warred with their neighbors. Ipiutak was supported by the hunting of walrus, seal, and caribou; the possible contribution of whaling remains uncertain. Most settlements were small, including 3 to 6 houses, although the principal village at Point Hope had over 30 contemporaneous houses, producing a total of >600 houses and over 100 interments. Lacking pottery and oil lamps, Ipiutak people were specialized ivory workers, producing an elaborate and profound art, often employed as grave offerings. Ipiutak was affiliated and on occasion opposed to the Old Bering Sea culture of Bering Strait but its origins remain disputed between Central Asian and Alaska sources.
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